At the sound of the woman’s voice, Luna rushed to the bed, her eyes wide. She grabbed the phone from me, her mouth dropping open. “Mom?”
“Mom?” I repeated, tone incredulous as I stared at the woman I’d bared my soul to. Told my deepest, darkest secrets to. The one who’d promised me her help.
The one who’d, apparently, sold us out and decided her whims were more important than the future of my family’s legacy.
What. The fuck.
With her eyes glued on the screen, Luna mumbled something, but I couldn’t pay attention. Couldn’t hear what she was saying through the loudwhoosh whoosh whooshin my ears. This couldn’t be happening. Theonetime I didn’t follow my plan, didn’t show up where I was expected to, and it ended like this. If I’d been there at the meeting, I could’ve gotten to the site early, cut them off before anything had been broadcast. Instead, I’d been love drunk, uncaring of anything besides sliding inside Luna.
What the hell was wrong with me?
I shot out of bed, tugging on clothes as I went, ignoring the lancing pain in my chest. This was un-fucking-believable. We’d neededonemore day. One more day of peace so this article on the resort would get pushed through, and she couldn’t even give us that.
I stormed toward the door, intent on getting down to the Williamsons’ property as fast as humanly possible. With my sirens if I had to. All I knew was I needed to fix this, and I needed to do it quickly.
“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Luna said, tucking my phone into my pocket before fluttering around the room, trying to find her clothes. “Just let me get dressed.”
I stopped on the threshold of the door, not bothering to turn around, unable to look at her. “We were so close. How could you?”
“How could I what?” Luna asked, the sound of clothes rustling behind me nearly enough to make me turn, but I was frozen. Anger and hurt and betrayal coursing through me, making my feet blocks of cement.
I breathed out a disbelieving laugh and shook my head. “Right. Like you had nothing to do with this. Your parents justhappenedto show up in Starlight Cove, at the site you’ve been protesting, to fight the same thing you’ve been fighting. The same thing youpromisedme you’d lay off. Just until the article came through. You knew how important this was to my family. Tome.”
She rested a hand on my back, and I nearly flinched at the touch, hating myself that, even now, I wanted to lean into it. To seek comfort from it. “I know it is. And Brady, I didn’t—”
“Save it,” I said, my voice too harsh, but I couldn’t rein in my temper. Pissed at her for what she’d done, and pissed at myself that I’d lost sight of what was most important. That I’d loosened the restraints on my control and let her slip past my defenses. That I’d let her steer me away from what needed to be done. From what was most important. “After everything I told you on the beach, you still went and did this.”
“No, Brady. I—”
But I didn’t hear the rest of what she said. I couldn’t. I couldn’t stand there another second and listen to whatever lie she wanted to tell. Whatever narrative would fit what she wanted. Not when my family’s livelihood was on the line. Not when I was about to watch my mother’s legacy go down in flames.
Instead, I typed out a text to Aiden, letting him know I was on the way, and stormed down the stairs and out the door, not looking back as I climbed into my car. Before I pulled out, a text from Aiden popped up on my screen. Just two little words, but they lit a fire inside me.
Fix it.
That was my job—as both the sheriff and the head of my family—and it was exactly what I intended to do. I just had to figure out how.
* * *
I’d just pulledup to the Williamsons’ property when my phone rang. Again. Luna had been trying in vain to contact me, and I’d let them all go to voice mail. Now, I glanced down, seeing the mayor’s name on the screen, and closed my eyes on a groan. At least I didn’t have to reject another call from Luna, but this wasn’t much better. I didn’t have time for this, but I couldn’t exactly ignore it.
There were already cars all over the place, way more than I’d assumed would be here, which could only mean one thing—news had spread like wildfire, and I was about to get my ass reamed.
“Mayor Drummond,” I answered.
“Sheriff McKenzie,” she said, her tone clipped. “I understand you’re not on duty today, but justice doesn’t wait for a schedule.”
“Justice doesn’t get doled out when it’s convenient, either. I just got here, but right now, it’s just a bunch of residents congregating.”
She huffed. “Yeah, well, it’s all fun and games until the reporters show up.”
I stepped out of my car and scanned the crowd, swearing under my breath when I spotted Harper at the door of Holton Group’s trailer, her hand raised to knock. “Guess it’s not fun and games anymore, then.”
The mayor expelled a heavy sigh, her disappointment ringing loud and clear through the line. “This doesn’t look good for the town, Sheriff. Whatever is going on down there, you need to put a stop to.”
“If they’re protesting peacefully, I can’t do anything. Not unless Holton Group comes and presses charges, and they’ve been absent for the past two weeks.”
“Not for long. I just received a call, and the foreman is on the way.”
