You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.
Slowly, I turn around to find none other than Sheriff Jenkins glaring at me from the doorway of his office. I would know since I’d seen the inside of it a time or ten back in the day.
I hold back my groan as I watch the older man. What he’s still doing working here, I’ll never understand. The guy was old when I was a teenager, and the years since I left haven’t been kind to him. His hair is peppered with gray and has thinned slightly. The frown lines around his eyes and mouth have grown more prominent, which isn’t surprising considering the dude’s scowling all the time.
Sheriff Jenkins crosses his arms over his chest, giving me his most intimidating scowl. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, Sheriff.” I stand a bit straighter. “I’m here to report for duty.”
“Report for duty?” he parrots back, as if he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing. Then he bursts into laughter, drawing the attention of the other officers standing around the small station. I can feel their gazes on me, and suddenly the collar of my shirt feels tight around my neck. “That’s a good one. I almost bought it, too.”
Ignore them. Ignorehim,I coach myself inwardly.You can’t mess this up.
I fix my gaze on a spot just over his shoulder, and I don’t have to wait long until he sobers. His smile falls faster than a tower of cards, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits. “You’re serious.”
The muscle in my jaw tics. “Yes, sir.”
That frown is back in place as his piercing blue eyes zero in on me. “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”
I can only wish.
“Umm…” From the corner of my eye, I can see a woman come forward, and the sheriff’s narrowed gaze shifts to her. “I left the paperwork for the new transfer on your desk, Sheriff. I mentioned it the other day?”
“Well, I’ve been busy, Peggy,” he mutters, his jaw set in a hard line as he takes me in. “Get your ass in my office, Williams.”
He spins on his heels.
“Yes, sir.”
Jenkins marches to his office, and I follow him. His whole body is stiff, those dark eyes throwing daggers at me as he rounds his desk and takes a seat in his chair. He doesn’t offer for me to sit, so I stand in front of him and wait.
He leans back, the motion making his beer belly protrude as he clasps his hands over it and gives me a once-over. It takes everything in me to stay still. Not to react. I take measured breaths, trying to keep my cool while the small, stuffy office seems to be shrinking in on me as the silence between us stretches, and the memories of the past start coming back.
“The resident troublemaker, now a cop,” he mocks, shaking his head. “How far we’ve fallen.”
I grind my molars but force myself not to react to his taunts. The guy never liked me. As a matter of fact, he always found perverse pleasure in catching me. It didn’t matter if it was skipping class, driving over the speed limit, or shoplifting. It’s like the guy had a nose to know when I was up to no good.
He was always trying to teach me a lesson. Not that I ever learned. At least not how he wanted me to. I was basically a kid, and back then, half the football team spent just as much time in his office as I did. I never quite figured out why he hated me, specifically, so much.
“I have to admit, I find it curious that you’ve decided to come back.” He takes a folder from his desk, scans over it and then sneers before tossing it back on the pile. “If I remember correctly, you couldn’t run far or fast enough from here after graduation.”
My fingers curl into fists as I force the words out, “People change.”
Yes, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Bluebonnet Creek, but I’m not that eighteen-year-old kid trying to escape his past. Not anymore.
“They don’t,” Jenkins scoffs. “They just get better at hiding their true selves.”
Well, he sure as hell hasn’t changed one bit. Nor has he bothered hiding just how big of an asshole he is.
“If I had known you were coming, I’d have put a stop to it immediately. I know guys like you—thinking they’re above everything and everybody. But in this town I’m the law.” He leans forward, his voice dropping lower when he adds, “Don’t you dare forget that.” He points at his eyes and then at me. “I’ll be watching you, Williams. One misstep and you’re out. Do I make myself clear?”
My body is so stiff, I need to work my jaw open in order to force the words out. “Understood, sir.”
“Sheriff,” he corrects.
More likefuckingasshole.
But do I say it? Hell no. I can’t risk pissing him off. He’s going to be hunting for any and every reason to kick me out of here, and where would that leave me?
