He knew better. She was obviously putting up a front to protect herself.

“What’s it going to be, Officer Flowers?” Jason was not going to budge on this. It was clear that he wanted her guarded and out of the city limits for her own good.

He glared at the sheriff. “Back off, Jason. Give the woman some breathing room.”

“Coleman, you and Reed weren’t my only choice to see to her safety. Should I have picked Dylan and Cam instead?”

Jason was a friend, but right now the sheriff was pushing his limits. “Reed and I will take care of her.”

“Nobody needs to take care of me.” The hurt he’d seen in her face was gone, replaced now with a don’t-you-dare-fuck-with-me look. Nicole was tough. Really tough.

“Gotcha,” Jason said, pulling out his cell from his jacket. “I won’t have your blood on my hands if the Russians show. Time to let your commander in on your whereabouts.”

Sawyer could tell Jason was bluffing, evidently hoping to nudge Nicole into what he wanted from her—going with them up to their cabin. The idea suited Sawyer, too. The sexy policewoman would make great company. Very great company for sure.

Seeing her eyes widen in worry impacted him in a way he’d not felt before. He had the distinct urge to wrap her up in his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. He wanted to protect her from whatever she was running from. He wanted to take the troubles she’d clearly been carrying for far too long and lift them off her shoulders.

“Chill, Jason,” he said, hoping to quell Nicole’s uneasiness. “How you won your election with your attitude is a mystery to me.”

“I won fair and square,” the sheriff barked. “You have no idea what kind of mess this woman is in.”

“Fill us in,” Reed said firmly. “Don’t keep us in the dark.”

“No need,” the raven-haired beauty stated. “I’m going back to Chicago. This was a big mistake.”

The thought of her leaving before he got a chance to know her stabbed him with a sudden jagged alarm. “Wait, Nicole. Jason’s a lot of things but he isn’t Destiny’s best person to welcome visitors.”

“And you are?” She shrugged away. “I came here to help with an investigation. If that’s not what he wants”—she pointed at Jason—“so be it. I’m outta here.”

Reed stepped in front of her, blocking her way to the door. “Stubborn, aren’t you, Chicago.”

“You have no idea how stubborn I can be, cowboy. Now, if you don’t want your balls handed to you on a platter, I suggest you move aside.”

“You can’t go back until this mess is sorted out. It’s too dangerous for you back in Chicago right now.” Jason punched the buttons on his phone. “Let’s see what your friend Henry has to say, Flowers. Maybe he can talk some sense into you.”

“Stop.” She rolled her eyes and then stared at the ceiling for several long ticks of the clock. When she returned her gaze back to them, the deep-seated hurt in her eyes flattened him. “You win, Sheriff, though I’m not sure why you are so set on pissing me off.”

Jason put his cell away. “Not my intention. I just don’t want the body count to go up in Swanson County. Let me handle this. I promise to keep you in the loop. Once I have a better handle of things, I’ll bring you in.”

Sawyer could tell the sheriff hated being an asshole to her, but like always, his friend did what was necessary to get the job done. Of course, Jason had lost Phoebe, the love of his and his brothers’ lives, long ago because of his unbending ethics. Very sad.

“One week, Sheriff. That’s all,” she said. Jason had won the battle with her but not the war. God, what wasn’t to like about this woman? “Do we have a deal or not?”

“Deal.” Jason turned to Reed and him. “Take her to your cabin. I’ll be up day after tomorrow with what I find.”

Reed gave a mock salute. “My pleasure, Sheriff.” As he turned to Nicole, Sawyer was surprised to see something new in his brother’s face. He was more than a little intrigued by her. “Seriously, my pleasure.”

“Our cabin is very rustic, Nicole.” Being near her, inhaling her sweet musky floral scent was sending sparks through him and swelling his dick. God, she smelled good. “Perhaps we should ask the Stone brothers if we could use their house in town. They’ve been living in their cabin with Amber pretty much all the time since finding her.”

“I’m not a princess. I’ll make do.”

“You’re our guest. Naturally, we want you to be as comfortable as possible.” He needed to be several steps ahead of her if they had any chance of spending more time together, which was what he wanted more than anything at the moment. “Why don’t we take you to the cabin to see what you

think about it. If you’re okay with it, then we’ll stay. If not, we can drive over to the Stones’ cabin and get the keys to their house in town.”

“Are you deaf, Sawyer?” Jason shook his head. “I told you that she needs to be kept out of town and out of sight. The Russian mafia isn’t something to play around with.”

Nicole sighed in obvious frustration. “You guys are too much. See this.” She opened her jacket and revealed a Glock that was holstered underneath. “I’m not defenseless. Okay?”

Tags: Chloe Lang Doms of Destiny, Colorado Erotic
Source: readsnovelonline.net