I spot Allie, Myles’ fiancée across the room by the side of the stage along with her colleagues from the station.
“What’s Allie saying about it?”
“There’s speculation at the station about who this Collins guy is, but consensus says Walker is the one people are voting for.”
There’s a loud screech that echoes through the room as Fred Austin, a member of the town council taps the mic to grab our attention and the room falls silent. “Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all so much for joining us this evening to announce the next sheriff of Stillwater Falls.”
Mayor Watson pats Collins on the shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze. Standing on the stage next to Barry Collins are four other hopeful candidates, including Brad Matthews, an officer at the station, and Sheriff Walker, hoping to keep a hold of his badge a little while longer.
Fred clears his throat before continuing. “Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen a great many wanting to serve the good people of this town. Each one a worthy contender and I would like to thank you all on behalf of our town for the dedication and determination you have shown.”
The room fills with applause while Austin pulls out an envelope. “With fifty-three percent of the votes, I can now announce that the new sheriff of Stillwater Falls is Barry Collins! Congratulations Mr. Collins!”
An audible gasp ripples through the room, hushed whispers mixed with a few weak claps of applause that fizzle out into nothing, all except for Mayor Watson who’s positively beaming. Judging by the reception, it’s safe to say the majority of the room didn’t vote for this new guy.
There’s more at play here and I think Mayor Watson’s hands are a little dirtier than he leads people to believe.
“There’s no fucking way this is happening,” Myles says indisbelief with a shake of his head.
“Nobody in this town would vote for an outsider,” Cru says.
My eyes return to the stage where Mayor Watson pulls Collins in for a congratulatory hug. “This is bullshit. Watson rigged the whole thing, he must’ve.”
The new sheriff steps up to the mic and begins his speech, and it’s precisely the time I tune out and head for the door. I’m not sticking around to listen to this bullshit.
I step outside the town hall and light up a cigarette, Myles, Jett and Cru not far behind me, accompanied by Allie.
“You still smoking those, Kill?” she asks when they reach me.
I blow out a puff of smoke. “Still? You make it sound like I plan on stopping, doll.”
Allie’s a cop, and a damn good one at that. Never in a million years did I ever expect to be in a position where I call her a friend, in fact I hated her when she arrived in town, but here we are months later as friends. Hell, we’re more like siblings the way we tease each other. She loves her job and she takes it extremely seriously, which is why she does her best to distance herself from Myles, especially when she’s on duty or in uniform like she is now. Being associated with a motorcycle club probably isn’t the best look for her, especially now we have a new sheriff in town.
“I don’t understand what happened in there,” she says.
“Watsonhappened, that’s what,” I answer, letting out another thick cloud of smoke. “And he needs to go.”
“Think we can make the fucker disappear like we did Grimes?” Jett asks.
Allie slams her hands over her ears. “I’m gonna pretend like I didn’t hear that. Plausible deniability, remember?”
Tobias Grimes, the leader of our old rival MC, The Cobras kidnapped Allie a few months back. Allie was stabbed during the struggle, and we got her out of there before shit went south. She knows the basics of what went down after she left, but not the details. Myles thought it best should she ever be questioned.
Long story short, The Cobras were dealt with.
“Don’t do anything stupid.Anyof you,” Allie warns.
“Who?Us?Do something stupid?” I feign offense.
Myles wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her in, pressing his lips to her temple and she softens. “Don’t worry, pix. We got this.”
I used to cringe at their PDA, but now I’ve come to appreciate how much Myles loves his girl. He adores her. I’ve never experienced anything remotely close to that and to be honest, I’ve never entertained the thought.
Love, relationships, marriage… That shit’s not for me.
The entrance to the town hall opens and Mayor Watson steps through.
“Incoming,” Jett mutters.
