“Listen, Sunny. This is a small town, with all the small-town clichés, right in the middle of the Bible Belt. When a pastor’s son’s face gets blown off in the city park, people are going to talk. They’re going to want answers. And I get that, Sunny.” I shot her a look. “My entire job is to get answers. The entire town is already looking atyou. Questioning you, your every move. And when your stubborn ass saunters into the one bar frequented only by locals, you’re asking for it. Whether you like it or not, people are blaming you.”
Heat flared behind those green eyes. “You think I don’t know that?”
“Exactly.That’s my point. You know that, so why did you come here? You need to lay low until this thing blows over.”
“If you’re so desperate for this thing to blow over, why don’t you and the Lieutenant tell everyone I shot Griggs in self-defense and move on? Close the case?”
“Did you kill Griggs, Sunny?”
“No.I’ve told you a hundred?—”
“Then someone else did and I’m not going to let you roll over for this. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I did that. Your attack wasn’t random. And I know you believe that, too, which is why you shouldn’t have gone to Frank’s tonight.”
“I washungry.There wasn’t much more thought to it than that.”
“Then, regardless, you should have walked out when they started chastising you. I guarantee you someone would have eaten the three pieces of lettuce you ordered.”
She glared at me.
“I’m not doing this with you anymore, Sunny. I’m not arguing like a child and I’m sure as hell not going to put up with your arrogant, fearless, defiant behavior.”
“Who asked you to put up with me? Who asked you to even help me?”
“Cut the bullshit, Sunny. You need to drop the armor you wear.”
“Fine. I’ll drop it right here.” She spun on her heels and stalked away from me.
I grabbed her elbow, spun her around.
“You walk away from me again and I will hog tie you, throw you over my shoulder and carry you home.”
Her nostrils flared as she stood strong against my hold, staring me down as I was her.
God, I was frustrated. Beyond normal, anyway.
I dropped her arm.“Dammit,Sunny, you claim to be an expert at Krav Maga, right? You should have walked the heck away. Diffused the situation.”
“Really? That’s what you would have preferred I’d done, huh? Run from the jerks? Let them win?”
“Yes.”
She slammed her fists on her hips. “Is that what you would tell your son or your daughter? To tuck tail and run no matter what the situation?”
I opened my mouth to respond but no words came out. I pictured the junior high autistic boy getting beat up by the governor’s son. On his back, but still fighting. I respected him. Truth was, standing up for yourself and others was something I built my life on. Ineverbacked down. Not once. Even when I was the tall, skinny kid being bullied in junior high, I fought back.
And had plenty of broken bones to show it.
Sunny was the same damn way. She didn’t back down either. Against all odds, despite her past, despite getting the shit kicked out of her at the park.
I respected the hell out of her for it.
“Exactly,” she said, reading my thoughts. “I’m done here. Do you mind if I turn my back and walk away from you now, Detective Jagger?” The sarcasm seethed from her lips.
She turned on her heel and stomped to her truck.
I followed Sunny home that night. Without her knowledge, of course. Someone had to watch out for her. I’d waited until she was safe inside her cabin to reverse down the road and begin tackling the evening’s to-do list.
One, figure out which of the bar rats had keyed Sunny’s truck.
