Small-Town Face-Off Read online

  He ended the call.

  Thoughts of the past half hour were replaced by the need to solve a murder.

  * * *

  IT WAS JUST before midnight when Billy unlocked his front door. The storm raged on. Every part of him was soaking wet, and his boots and jeans were more mud than anything. He didn’t even try to keep the floor clean. Instead, he sloshed inside and stripped in the entryway.

  It wasn’t until he was starting to pull off his shirt that he spotted the bright yellow poncho sticking out of a Walmart bag. He froze as his brain detached from work life and zipped right back to his personal one.

  Mara.

  With more attention to the noise he was making, he left his shirt on and, instead, got out of his boots. Only one light was on. He followed it into the living room. For one moment he thought it was empty—that Mara had left again, this time with his daughter in tow—but then he spotted a mass of dark hair cascading over the arm of the couch. Coming around to face it, he was met with a sight that used to be familiar.

  Mara was asleep, body pulled up so that her knees were close to her stomach, making her look impossibly small. It wasn’t the first time he’d come home after work to find her in that exact spot, lights still on, waiting for him. Even when he’d tell her not to wait up, Billy would come in after a long day to find her there. She’d never once complained. Seeing her lying there, face soft and unguarded, Billy took a small moment for himself to remember what it felt like to come home to her. But it didn’t last.

  There had been too many nights between then and now. Ones where he’d come home to an empty house, wondering why she’d gone.

  I’m sorry, but it’s over.

  Billy shook his head at the one sentence that had changed everything between them and looked at the one idea he’d never entertained after Mara had gone.

  Alexa was tucked within her mother’s arms, simultaneously fitting and not fitting in the space between. Her hair was dark, but still lighter than his, and it fell just past her shoulders and, from the looks of it, was as thick as her mother’s. Before he could police his thoughts, a smile pulled up the corners of his lips.

  He might not have known her the day before, but that didn’t stop the affection for the little girl.

  And, just like before, the feeling of warmth, however brief, was gone.

  Why had she been kept a secret?

  Billy took a step back. While he had questions, he didn’t want to wake either one, but the creak in the floor that had been there since his father was a child sounded under his weight. Mara’s eyes fluttered opened and immediately found him.

  “I tried to be quiet,” he whispered.

  Mara shook her head and slowly sat up while trying to disengage herself from the toddler.

  “No, I’m sorry,” she whispered back once she managed to get free. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  She followed him through the entryway and into the dining room, far enough away that they could talk in normal tones.

  And, boy, did they have a lot to talk about.

  “What time is it?” she asked, taking a seat at the table. She stifled a yawn.

  “Close to midnight. I was gone a lot longer than I thought I would be,” he admitted. Billy took a seat opposite her. “This storm couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

  Mara nodded, but the movement was sluggish. He was tired, too. It was time to stop delaying and finally ask the current question on his mind.

  “Mara, why are you here?”

  Chapter Three

  “A man came to my house this morning and asked about my father,” Mara said, knowing full well that once the words were out there Billy wouldn’t forget them. Finding a way to take down her father—to catch him in the act—had been an emotional and physical drain on them both. The collective hope that Billy would save Riker County had pressed down heavily on him, while betraying the only family she’d had had never left Mara’s mind.

  As if an invisible hand had found the strings to his puppet, Billy’s entire body snapped to attention.

  “They wanted Bryan?”

  But he’s in prison, Mara silently finished.

  “The man didn’t want him,” she said out loud instead. “The guy wanted something important of my father’s and I needed to tell him where it was. I had no idea what he was talking about.”

  Billy’s dark brow rose in question. “Something important,” he deadpanned.

  “He didn’t say what, past that,” she admitted, recalling how the man had been careful when choosing his words. “But what really spooked me was when he said he wanted to take over what my father had built, my family’s business. And I don’t think he was talking about my dad’s old accounting job.”

  Billy’s forehead creased in thought. She could almost see the red flags popping up behind his eyes.

  “Moxy,” he supplied.

  She nodded. “I told him I had no part in that slice of my father’s life, but he didn’t seem to care,” she continued. She twisted her hands together, and when she recounted what happened next her stomach was a knot of coldness. “Then he saw Alexa playing in the house behind me. He told me that I might change my mind if I had the right incentive.”

  Billy’s body managed to take on an even greater tension.

  “What did he want you to change your mind about?” he asked. “Telling him the location of something important or wanting nothing to do with your father’s past business?”

  Mara sighed.

  “I don’t know. After he looked Alexa’s way, I told him he needed to leave.” Mara let her gaze drop. “He didn’t argue, but he did say he’d be seeing me again soon.”

  Billy’s chair scraped the hardwood as he pushed back. Mara could feel her eyes widen in surprise as she readjusted her attention to his expression.

  Anger. And it definitely wasn’t meant for her this time.

  “I’m assuming he didn’t give you a name,” Billy said, walking out of the dining room and disappearing. He was back a second later with a small notepad and a pen in his hands.

  “Just a first name. Beck.”

  “And did you call the cops?”

  A burst of heat spread up her neck and pooled in her cheeks. Mara had thought about filing a police report, but the mention of her father had thrown her completely off-kilter. What she would normally have done went out the window. Instead, her thoughts had flown south to Riker County. And the only man who had ever made her feel safe. Suddenly, that feeling that had burned so strongly hours before when she’d packed the car and taken Alexa on a trip across Alabama seemed rash.

  “No,” she admitted. “I should have but—well, I thought if someone was trying to start up my father’s business again that they would start it here. I thought that I should—I don’t know—warn you or something.” Again, her words sounded lame compared to what she wanted to say. But at least they were true. In his prime, Bryan Copeland had grown a drug network that nearly swallowed the whole of Riker County. His dealings had cost the lives of several residents, including teenagers. Not to mention a cascade of repercussions that were harder to measure. The fact that all of her father’s former connections hadn’t been found was one that had always made the man in front of her nervous. Part of her father’s business hadn’t been accounted for...which meant that if this Beck person was trying to start up again, it would only stand to reason he might have found the people law enforcement hadn’t. Or maybe that’s what Beck was looking for.

  For the first time since he’d stepped back through the door, Billy’s expression softened a fraction. The lines of tension in his shoulders, however, did not.

  “Could you describe to me what this Beck guy looks like?” He flipped open the notebook and clicked his pen. “And did you see his car?”

  “Yes and yes.”r />
  Mara spent the next few minutes painting a picture of the stranger named Beck until Billy was satisfied it was enough to try and look him up through the department’s database.

  Mara thought it curious that Billy never asked where she was currently living. It made her wonder if he’d looked her up at all in the last two years. She hadn’t gone far, but far enough that Riker County had been firmly in her rearview.

  “I want you to come to the station with me tomorrow,” Billy said, closing the notepad. “I’m going to see if the sketch artist from the state agency can come in and work with you. Maybe the new guy can draw us a good picture to work with if this Beck person isn’t on our list of people with warrants out on them.”

  “So, you think Beck was serious?”

  Mara sat straighter. The possibility of someone revitalizing Moxy, or any drug, within the community using the foundation her father had laid was finally sinking in. Just another reason for the residents of Riker County to despise her and her family. “You think he’s really going to try and start up where Dad left off?”

  Billy let out a long breath. He ran his hands through his hair. How attractive she still found him was not lost on Mara. Looking at him now, a well-built, fine-tuned man with miles and miles of goodwill and good intentions, she could feel the stirring of feelings she needed to stay still. Not to mention the heat of attraction that always lit within her when Billy was anywhere near. But now wasn’t the time or place. If there was a chance he could forgive her for leaving, she doubted he’d forgive her for keeping their daughter a secret—a topic of conversation she was sure would take place once the cop side of him was done flexing his professional muscles.

  The sheriff cleared his throat. His eyes hardened. He had something to say and she doubted she’d like it.

  “We found Bernie Lutz in a ditch tonight,” he started. Mara felt recognition flare but couldn’t keep it burning long enough to connect. Billy helped her out. “He was one of the drug dealers your dad used who escaped the serious charges after Bryan went to court.” There it was.

  “The one with the ex-wife tattoo,” she said. He nodded.

  “This was never confirmed, but the story his girlfriend spun was that two men came to their house looking for something the other day. Whatever it was, Bernie didn’t know or didn’t tell. This could all be a coincidence, but you know me, I don’t believe in those.” Billy put his finger on the paper he’d just written on. He jabbed it once. “Not only do I think this mystery man is going to try to start up your dad’s old business, but I think he might have already started.”

  * * *

  BILLY WAITED FOR Mara to process everything and then excused himself to go to his room. He slipped into his attached bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. The night had thrown him several curveballs and he hadn’t hit one of them.

  Even if he filtered out Mara’s sudden reappearance and the absolute bombshell that was their daughter, Billy still had Bryan Copeland’s legacy to worry about. Whoever this Beck person was, Billy would be damned if he was going to let him repeat what had caused Riker County so much pain years ago. Especially not during the holiday. That was no present any family should have to get.

  Billy splashed another wave of water on his face. He stayed hunched over, resting his elbows on the edge of the sink, and kept his eyes closed. There. He could feel the weight of Riker County’s newest burden settling against him. It pressed down on his shoulders and kept going until it hit his chest. No, he wasn’t going to stand by while the residents of his county endured another Bryan Copeland incident.

  Billy opened his eyes.

  Not while he was sheriff.

  He dried his face, and without changing out of his wet clothes, he walked out to find Mara, his mind already made up.

  She was standing in the living room, Alexa asleep in her arms. Her bag was thrown over her shoulder and her expression was already telling him goodbye.

  “You’re leaving.”

  Mara’s cheeks reddened but her answer came out clear, concrete.

  “Yes, but not town. To be honest, I don’t like Beck knowing where I live so I don’t want to go back there just yet,” she answered. “Plus, to be even more honest, I’m really tired. The faster we get to the hotel, the happier I’ll be.”

  Billy wasn’t a complicated man. At least, he didn’t think he was. Yet, standing there a few feet from a woman who had left him in the dust, he knew he shouldn’t have felt any joy at her admission that she was staying. Or an ounce of desire from looking at her hardened nipples through her light pink T-shirt—the result, he guessed, from the AC he had turned up despite the cool they were getting from the storm—or how her jeans hugged her legs just right. But he did.

  “Stay here instead,” Billy said before he realized he’d even thought it. Mara’s eyes widened a fraction. Her cheeks darkened slightly. “The guest bedroom is free, the sheets are clean and you don’t have to drive in the rain to get there. Plus, Miller’s parking lot looked pretty full. Probably lousy with in-laws and extended family members that no one wants in their house.”

  He grinned, trying to drive his point home. It didn’t work.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mara said, eyes straying from his. He wondered if she knew he was thinking about her naked and against him. It was a fleeting thought, but by God it was there. “I’ve already upset your life enough by coming here.”

  Billy cleared his throat and tried to clear the feelings of attraction he was currently wading through. He needed some space from her, but he wasn’t about to let her leave without a fight, either. Something he wished he could have done two years before.

  “Then stay in the guesthouse,” he offered.

  Mara met his gaze.

  “I finished it last summer,” he explained, remembering she hadn’t known he’d thrown all of his spare time into finishing the apartment that used to be the detached garage. It had been less for his mother when she came for long visits and more of a distraction. “Come on, Mara,” he continued when she still seemed to be weighing her options. He moved closer but stopped when the floorboard squeaked. It earned a small movement from Alexa. Billy let himself look at the little girl before fixing her mama with a look he hoped didn’t show how hard it was to just talk to her. “Please, Mara. Just stay.”

  Mara shifted Alexa so she was more firmly on her hip. A wisp of a smile pulled up her lips but it blew away before she answered.

  “Okay, we’ll stay in the guesthouse if it really doesn’t bother you.”

  Billy nodded and moved to grab her bag. His eyes lingered on Alexa but he didn’t ask to hold her. He couldn’t be a father right now. Not when things in Riker County were starting to heat up. Not when Mara had attracted the attention of a mysterious man who had no problem threatening children. Not when he’d been in contact with Mara for less than an hour and was already having trouble focusing on anything else. He shouldered the bag and led the two down the hall and to the back door, grabbing an umbrella in the process.

  It wasn’t raining as hard as it had been, but it was enough to warrant pulling Mara close to him to stay dry beneath the umbrella. She didn’t move away or argue as she folded into his left arm and against his side. The inner war he was fighting was downright impossible to ignore as they walked in silence along the stone path that led to the guesthouse door. Billy pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked it.

  “Here you go,” he said, voice low, even to his ears.

  He watched as she stepped inside and wordlessly looked around the living space. A kitchenette, three-piece bathroom and a small bedroom made up the rest of the apartment. He’d built on to expand it but everything was still small. At least it was private.

  And far enough away from him that he’d never know if she left.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful, Billy,” Mara said af
ter a moment. “You did a wonderful job.”

  Billy would have taken the compliment with pride if anyone else had given it at any other time. But Mara’s words flipped a switch within him. He felt his body stiffen, his expression harden. The pain of finding her note on his pillow came back to him in full.

  “I’ll come get you at seven,” he said. He stepped back out into the rain but didn’t look away from those dark eyes that made him crazy. “And, Mara, try not to leave this time. Once we get this guy you’re going to tell me exactly why you kept my daughter a secret.”

  Chapter Four

  Mara and Alexa were up and ready when Billy knocked on the guesthouse door the next morning.

  “You’re late,” Mara greeted him, a hand on her hip. She nodded to the clock on the wall behind her. It was ten past seven.

  “I thought I’d give you some wiggle room,” he admitted. He looked down at Alexa, who was, for the first time, wide-awake since they’d shown up on his doorstep. Her attention stayed on the stuffed dog in her hands as she played on the floor.

  “There’s no such thing as wiggle room when you have a toddler,” she said with a smirk. It was meant as a quick comment, but Billy couldn’t help but wonder about the foundation it was born from. When had Mara learned that lesson? Whenever it was, all he knew was it was without him.

  Mara’s smirk sank into a frown. She cleared her throat, humor gone.

  “Listen, about Alexa,” she started, but Billy was already a step ahead of her. He held his hand up for her to stop.

  “Again, I want to have this talk. I really would like to know why you kept my daughter from me,” he said, serious. “But not right now.” Mara opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, trying to find what words, Billy didn’t know, but he didn’t have time to find out. “Right now we need to find Beck and figure out what it is he’s done and is trying to do so we can stop him,” he continued. “My first priority is to keep you two safe. You can tell me all about your reasoning for not letting me know I was a father later.” While he spoke with what he was trying to pass off as authority, he couldn’t help but hear the anger at the end of it.