“We need to talk,” she states and winces.“Well, I’m going to talk and you need to listen.Hopefully nod if you want to help.”
My silence is not by choice while my glare stays in place.
She huffs out a frustrated breath and mutters, “At least you’re not slamming the door in my face.”
I’m about to do just that when she says, “Sitting around on our asses and digging through information isn’t helping to get them behind bars.They’ve been way too smart covering their tracks.I want to nail them.Royce and Jolene both, but I can only do it with your help.”
Her dark brown eyes stare at me expectantly.The first photograph I saw of this woman was from a few months ago.A photographer took it right after she was rescued.Long hair drenched in blood from being kidnapped and held for three days by a damn serial killer.
It’s the reason she moved back here to this small town in a different state.It had nothing to do with her father.Instead of long hair, she now has her dark blonde hair cut in a short bob, right above her shoulders.
I lift one of my eyebrows, silently asking her to say more because I’m still unimpressed, and definitely not interested.
That is until she states, “You’re going to play my boyfriend while I’m going to make that asshole think I want to reconcile.”
CHAPTER TWO
–HELENA –
The look on his ruggedly handsome face flips from uninterested straight to ‘what the actual fuck?’I cringe and mentally scold myself for simply throwing my idea out there.It’s him.I’m wildly attracted to the man, and it completely throws me off.
Normally, I’m smart and witty and can handle any kind of conversation with any type of person.All while Ballard can make me feel like I’m popping brain cells just being near him.Let alone when I talk to him.It’s like my jaw goes slack and I’m lucky there’s no drooling involved.
He’s the epitome of a mountain man.Rugged, muscled, grumpy, huge in every damn way.Well, I haven’t seen the man naked, but his shoulders are broad, big biceps, thick forearms, massive muscled thighs, and I have to tip my head back to look at him.If I lean my head forward my forehead would land on his nipple.
And why the hell am I thinking about his nipple?
My damn breath catches when he lifts his hand and rubs his reddish beard.Shit.I have to focus.Pretty hard to do when I can’t make sense of why this man is so damn attractive.With everything I’ve been through I shouldn’t even want to be ready for anything involving a man.
Though, I’m dead set to bring my father and half-sister to justice, and the normal way doesn’t solve shit.It’s why I suggested the sting operation to Orson, the sheriff, and he instantly agreed.Which landed my ass on Ballard’s doorstep.
“Are you going to invite me in, or just be cold while we’re standing here?”I raise my eyebrow in question and add, “You can at least hear me out.”
We’ve been standing with the door open for a handful of minutes, and I shiver.Night has fallen and winter is coming.I clearly didn’t think about standing long on his doorstep, because I left my coat in the car.Ballard steps back, allowing me to enter, and closes the door behind me.
He stalks over to the dining room table, picks up a card and holds it up.
