“Eyes forward, kitten,” I said with a laugh.
“Ngh,” he groaned. “They’re so fucking beautiful. I’ve always wanted to play with a fireman’s hose.”
My face must have looked some kind of smug because Stevie took one look at me and rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to hear about it. Never mind. No need to brag.”
“What? I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. I can tell by your face your man has an impressive pipe. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Who says—”
He held up his hand. “Save it, Walker. What’s up?”
“Get a hold of Otto and tell him…” My conscience tangled up my stomach. It was unethical for me to do what I was getting ready to do. “Tell him…”
“Tell him what?” Stevie’s eyes searched mine, clearly trying to read between the lines.
“Tell him I miss him and I love him,” I said softly. “Okay? Will you do that, please?”
Stevie surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. His slender frame felt almost fragile against me, and I thought, not for the first time, that he deserved someone to love him like he was the only person on earth.
“I will,” he promised with a sniff. “He’s a lucky bastard, Sheriff.”
I shook my head. “You’ve got it the wrong way around Stevie. I’m the lucky bastard.”
When I returned to the meeting room, I could tell something had changed. Teri and Chief Paige both looked disturbed, and Teri was finishing up a phone call. Once she was done, she looked at me with a sigh of resignation.
“Sheriff Walker, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to recuse yourself from any involvement in this case and let my office handle it from here.”
“Why? What happened? Who was on the phone?”
“That was the crime lab with some test results. I’m afraid Otto Wilde has officially become our prime suspect in this case.”
Chapter 26
Otto
Otto,
Why won’t perps get it through their thick skulls to keep their mouths shut and LISTEN to the Miranda Rights? I can’t even begin to tell you how many idiots go away because they say shit they shouldn’t or because they think they can handle an interrogation without an attorney.
Promise me, if you’re ever brought in for questioning on anything, you’ll say nothing except the word attorney. Promise me.
Love always,
Walker
(Unsent)
The text from Stevie was strange.
Something’s up with the sheriff. It’s like he wanted me to warn you but wouldn’t say what about. Said to tell you he misses you and loves you.
What the hell? Since when did Walker send me love messages through Stevie?
I tried calling Stevie but got no answer. He was most likely busy with the lunch rush at the bakery since they’d started offering savory pastries and premade salads. After he didn’t answer, I tried Walker. Also a no-go.
When I pulled up to the firehouse, I saw why. His vehicle was parked out front.
I texted him.
I just pulled up at the firehouse.
Hopefully he’d come out and see me before I went inside. I wanted to touch him and hold him so desperately, I was afraid if I walked in and saw him while everyone was watching, I wouldn’t be able to avoid making a lovesick fool out of myself.
Within seconds, the door to the firehouse flew open and the sheriff came striding out.
Thank god.
I hopped out of my vehicle and waited for him. It took him about two seconds to reach me and I grabbed for him, fisting the front placket of his uniform shirt and yanking him toward me in a brutal kiss.
He let out a sound between a grunt and a squeak as he landed against my chest. His hands reached for my arms to keep from tripping me back into the SUV, and his mouth opened immediately.
“Love you,” he said quickly into my mouth. “Get a lawyer. Now.”
We both froze and pulled back to stare at each other.
“Shit. Fuck. I’m sorry,” Walker blurted. “Fuck.”
“It’s okay,” I said. My voice was too shocked to sound reassuring. “Thank you. But I didn’t do anything wrong—”
His eyes narrowed and bore into me until I realized he was chastising me without saying a word. I simply nodded and gently pushed him away from me.
“I, ah… I need to talk to you later about something,” I said.
Worry creased his forehead, so I quickly moved to reassure him. “It’s not about the case, I swear. It’s just something else I need to tell you about before you hear it from someone else.”
His face softened. “Yeah. Okay. Do you want to come by the lake house tonight?”
“No, I was actually wondering if maybe you wanted to go fishing,” I suggested. “We could meet in our usual spot an hour before sundown. Catch them coming up as the water cools.”
He smiled. We both knew neither of us gave a damn about actually catching fish. Never had. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that. Do you have gear for me?”