Rhys was right behind her and it was clear we weren’t getting out of there without a confrontation.
My body coiled tight, my need to protect Amy fierce.
“What the fuck is goin’ on?” I questioned, keeping my body positioned in front of Amy when I turned to face the woman. “How do you know her?”
Before she could answer, Rhys intervened. I couldn’t hear what he said to the woman, but after a few words, he moved toward us, keeping his back to the mystery woman.
“What the fuck?” I kept my voice low, but it wasn’t easy.
“Who is that?” Amy’s voice trembled nearly as much as her hands. Clearly she’d figured out what was going on as well.
“She’s…” Rhys took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “She’s a detective out of Houston.”
Amy blanched, every ounce of color in her face draining away.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I yelled at Rhys. “How could you fuckin’ do this? You brought the bastard right to her goddamn doorstep!” My hands were balled into fists and it took every ounce of my self-control not to punch the man.
“It’s not what you think,” Rhys said, his voice calm.
“The fuck it ain’t,” I snapped. “A goddamn Houston detective? Did he send her here?”
Amy’s fingers dug into my arm and I turned to face her. She was so pale, her hands trembling, her eyes wide.
Before I could get my arm around her, Rhys put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in.
“Breathe, baby,” he whispered softly. “It’s not what you think. She contacted me.”
When Rhys peered up at me, I tried to gauge whether he was lying. After all, the man hadn’t said a fucking word about a detective from Houston contacting him. Nor had he mentioned meeting with her.
“She wanted to talk about a Jane Doe case,” he explained, glancing between us. “I agreed to meet her this mornin’ to hear her out.” He stood tall. “I wasn’t entirely sure it was about you, but yes, I suspected. However, I had no idea you’d show up here.”
“It’s the goddamn diner,” I countered.
Rhys swallowed hard. “I thought I had some time. I thought you’d be at church.”
“Time for what?” I didn’t fucking understand.
“Did he send her?” Amy’s voice trembled.
“No. Not that I can tell,” Rhys admitted. “From what she says, she’s lookin’ into this case unofficially. She thought it was too much of a coincidence that Chief Kelly Jackson’s longtime girlfriend up and went back to take care of her ailing grandmother at the same time a Jane Doe was found battered and nearly beaten to death a few hours away.”
“Kelly Jackson?” I had no idea who that was. “Is that his name?”
We both looked at Amy. It took her a moment, but she finally nodded.
Rhys clarified, “He’s the recently promoted chief of police in Houston.”
Fucker.
“But that’s not the worst part.”
I didn’t know if I could handle hearing anything else.
“She’s concerned because…” Rhys took a deep breath. “She has proof that he’s been here. In Embers Ridge.”
“Oh, my God.” Amy leaned into me, and I instantly put my arm around her, tugging her close to my side. “Why is she here? What does she want?” Her words came out fast and clipped, her panic evident.
“I want to bring that bastard to justice.”
