Vegas Virgin (Nevada Bad Boys 1)

“Yes ma’am. Nobody seems to have cash anymore.” He chuckled.

“Thank you so much.” I slid my card across the counter to him.

“You got lucky. Your car didn’t get messed up too bad. I had to replace the radiator, but I had one in stock, so that was an easy fix. I filled it up with gas as well. You’ll need a window at some point, but the plastic will do for now.” He picked up my credit card and swiped it.

His words bounced around in my head, but they didn’t stick. I couldn’t focus on anything but Shane. Once my bill was paid, I battled my way through the reporters and got into my car, leaving them all behind as I started driving through the slush. I had no idea what Shane meant or why he had abandoned me like that, but I knew it had to be serious. Even though he warned me against it, I couldn’t help but turn on the radio.

I have to know. I can’t ignore it.

I fumbled with the stations until I found one broadcasting our story. It started off simple enough, a tale of a girl lost in the storm, and the man who saved her.

Then I got the shock of my life.

“Breaking news... We’ve learned that the hero of our last story, Shane Black, is a wanted man. Despite being young Heather Westbrook’s savior, he’s been taken into custody in Wolf Creek awaiting extradition. Six years ago, he was arrested for assault, attacking his ex-wife’s new boyfriend. Before he could face criminal charges, he fled. Authorities have been looking for him ever since. Wolf Creek Sheriff, James Anderson, apprehended him at his cabin without incident ...”

I turned off the radio and burst into tears.

NO! Fuck. This is all my fault.

Chapter 10: Shane

Fucking shit.

I swore I would never wear handcuffs again. As much as I wanted to run and as much as I wanted to fight for my freedom, I just couldn’t do it. There was a time when I would have loaded up every single one of my guns and fought to the death to avoid going back to jail, but I no longer craved death over incarceration.

Time to face the fucking music.

Incarceration would be temporary, but there was life on the other side, even if it wasn’t the one I truly wanted. I never dreamed when I went to save Heather that it would turn into a national news story. Even with that realization staring at me behind the iron bars of my cell, there wasn’t a damn thing I would have changed. I would have spent the rest of my life behind bars to keep her from dying in that storm.

I had one final pitch to throw at her before she drove way—one proposal that I hoped would change everything. All hope of making her mine for eternity faded when I saw that news story. I doubted she would even speak to me again when she saw the news story. Even if she made it home without turning on the radio, she was going to find out eventually. I just hoped she made it home safely before the illusion was shattered. It was easy to forget why I didn’t want to be found when she was in my arms, but I had been a fool to think she could be mine forever.

“I don’t like this.” I lifted my head when Sheriff James Anderson walked in

to view with a solemn look on his face. “You’re a fucking hero, Shane. That girl would be dead if it wasn’t for you. You have been nothing but a damn upstanding man since you moved here and I’m going to tell those motherfuckers that.”

“Thank you, Sheriff.” I nodded and sighed. “I made some mistakes a few years ago.”

One very big one—the one that would cost me my freedom.

“Fuck that. Every man watching the news knows they would be tempted to do the exact same fucking thing you did if they were in your situation. You had just found out he was fucking your wife before the divorce was even mentioned.” He spat at the floor.

“They would be tempted, but I actually did it.” I shook my head angrily. “Unfortunately, some of the charges and the medical conditions he claimed were just made up.”

“Yeah, I think anyone who heard them would believe that. If you could give a man permanent concussion symptoms and PTSD from one punch, I think you’d be a professional cage fighter with a championship belt around your waist. The story just makes him sound like a bitch. Try to get some rest. They’ll be here for you tomorrow.” Sheriff Anderson walked back towards his office.

I stretched out on the hard cot and stared at the ceiling. I hadn’t heard the latest news story about who I really was, but I could imagine what they were saying. I knew what I had done. I remembered every bit of it in vivid detail, from the anger I felt when I found out to the rage that engulfed me when I swung my fist in a blind attempt to quench my thirst for vengeance. It was like watching a movie in my head where the star was someone who looked like me, but had a completely different mentality on life than I did back then.

M ORNING CAME AND I was escorted to a police car by two officers with reporters all around me. Wolf Creek had never had the attention of the national media before and I hated being the one that brought the negative spin on what could have been a very positive boost in tourism. I hoped we would make the trek by car, but when the police car pulled into the airport, I knew they were taking me by plane.

Fuck. I hate flying.

I sat at the back of the plane while people whispered about me. The words they said were both negative and positive. It seemed like some of them felt my actions deserved to erase my past. I knew that wasn’t reality, but it was nice to hear. I tried to close my eyes and get some sleep, but the roar of the plane just wouldn’t let me rest.

I really hate flying.

The storm was gone, but there was enough turbulence in the air to make it bumpy. I looked out the window and saw the sprawling lights of the city below me. I never wanted to see so much overpopulation again, but I didn’t have a say in the matter.

“Come on.” One of the police officers took me by the arm when the plane came to a stop at the terminal.