Chapter Twenty-One
Joel coughed andsneezed as he reached for his fifth tissue from her Kleenex box on her desk. “This is bullshit,” he muttered as he blew his nose.
“I keep telling you it’s freezing cold in here, but Janet and I are the only ones who think so.”
“It’s not the cold. It’s the fucking desert heat. It kills me.”
“It does take some time to get used to it. I’m from here so it doesn’t bother me, but you’re from Kansas where it’s a lot more humid. I remember going to Dodge City to a biker rally with my mom and dad. It was the only trip we ever took as a family. Anyway, it was in the summer and was so humid that I could hardly breathe. I guess it’s just what you’re used to.”
“Your story doesn’t help with my fucking stuffy head. Anyway, I’ve put in for a transfer. I’m sick of feeling miserable all summer long.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I also applied for some federal positions. I just need a change.” Joel grabbed another tissue. “We got that inane meeting. We better get going.”
Janet came by Breanna’s cubicle. “You guys headed over to the meeting?”
“Yeah. Poor Joel’s miserable with allergies.” Breanna pushed her chair from her desk.
“And the fucking dryness this state is famous for.” Joel walked in front of them.
“Everyone I know is sick with that head and respiratory stuff. It’s crazy. Seems like you and I are the only ones clearheaded.” Janet laughed.
“I keep saying it’s all this AC. I turn it off at night. If I don’t, then I get a sore throat.”
“So you just sweat all night?” Joel opened the door to the meeting room.
“I have an attic fan. The nights are cool for the most part, so it works nicely.”
“I want to get one of those,” Janet said.
“You’re both pathetic,” Joel growled as he took his seat at the table. Breanna and Janet followed suit.
During the meeting with Special Agents Raley and Powers, Breanna kept replaying Steel’s words “You’re my woman” over and over in her mind. His growly voice, his heated eyes, and his sensuous lips when he told her that would forever be seared in her memory. Each time she thought about it, her stomach fluttered and her nerves tingled. She couldn’t believe that she was his and he was hers.
“Do you have anything to add?” Raley’s voice broke in on her daydreaming.
“What? Uh… no, not really,” she replied, as she felt her face and neck redden.
“Do you even know what we’re talking about?” Raley asked.
She glanced around the room. Joel rolled his eyes, Powers leafed through a code book, and Janet looked at her with an “oh shit” expression on her face. Breanna swallowed. “The EBT cards?”
“Good guess. Did the agents being in the room tip you off?” Joel said as picked up a bottled water.
She frowned at him.What the fuck ishisproblem? Is he trying to get me in trouble?Ignoring him, she turned to Raley. “I’m sorry, I did zone out for a few minutes. I have this bad headache and it’s just throbbing.”
Raley smiled. “It’s okay. I know it’s damn hot in here, but a freezer in your offices. Not sure what’s going on with the AC. I called the repair guy, but he hasn’t shown up.”
“No worries,” Agent Powers said. “We were just asking if any one of you have any names you could give us of suspicious persons. You know the reservation a lot better than we do.”
“Have you looked closely at Roy’s Market? It’s a small grocery store a couple of miles from the rez, but the prices are unusually high. A lot of the Natives go there because they don’t have cars and the store is close. Those types of markets tend to be more expensive, but that one is unduly high. It’s way higher than the small convenience store that’s attached to the gas station on the rez.”
“Who runs the store?” Raley asked as he popped open his can of Dr. Pepper.
“A guy named Roy Eldridge. He lives on the reservation,” she replied.
Powers raised his brows. “Really? I didn’t know he lived here.”
