Page 99

Viper would do anything to keep Lyric safe. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No. This is a priority. All my officers are looking for this guy and doing routine checks at the bar and out by the Wilde ranch. We want this guy behind bars before he tries to hurt Lyric again.”

No matter what they wanted, they’d need some evidence first or Rick would walk.

Viper held on to his anger by a thread. “Did you get all the messages and background from Lyric about their interactions? I want this guy to go down not only for the hit-and-run but stalking, too. I want it on the record, so that when he gets out it follows him, and the next person he obsesses over can see that he’s done it before, and law enforcement takes it seriously.”

The lieutenant planted his fists on his hips. “We are taking it seriously.”

Viper shook his head. “I know you are. I’m just saying, stalking cases can be hard to prove.”

The lieutenant gave him an indulgent look, because Viper was acting like a boyfriend, not law enforcement. “When Lyric gets here, we’ll get a record of everything from her.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“If it was someone I cared about, I’d want to nail the asshole with everything that would stick.”

Viper didn’t acknowledge that in any way.

Someone knocked on the door but didn’t open it. “She’s here,” Officer Bowers called out to them.

“Send her in here,” the lieutenant said back through the door.

Viper went to the blinds, pulled one louver down so he could find her, then frowned when she walked away from the office and went to Tim, the guy who’d beaten his wife and hit Lyric. Viper wanted to rush out and protect her from the asshole, but the guy looked up at her as she approached him, and Tim’s eyes softened with an apology and a plea. Lyric hesitated and stood away from Tim, closer to the officer at the desk, and listened to whatever Tim had to say to her. She nodded her agreement to whatever he’d asked her, then turned and headed for the office Viper was in.

A second later, she opened the door and stepped in. She spotted him, glanced at the lieutenant, walked in acting like they weren’t together, and closed the door.

“How are you?” Viper asked, desperate to hold her in his arms.

The bruises on her face looked worse, the swelling better. “Okay.”

She eyed him, then the lieutenant. Another knock on the door.

The lieutenant went to answer. “Let me see what they want.” He stepped out, leaving Viper alone with Lyric.

“Are you here as my boyfriend, or something else?”

He paused, then gave her the truth without adding any additional information. “Yes.”

She smirked, a knowing coming into her eyes. “I thought so.”

Smart woman.“Keep it to yourself.”

Her grin remained. “Fine. So what’s going on?”

He wanted some answers of his own. “You tell me. What was that with Tim?”

She cocked her head at his tone. “Well, he’s sober and facing some serious charges and the loss of his wife and kids, so he’s remorseful. I accepted his apology and agreed to his request.”

He didn’t like that at all. “What request?”

The lieutenant walked back into the office and closed the door.

Lyric finished explaining. “That I continue to look out for Mindy and the kids while he’s away.”

The lieutenant added on, “Everyone in town, including everyone who works for this office, knows that the Dark Horse Dive Bar is a safe place for domestic-abuse victims and families in need of food. Lyric gives them all a safe space and the resources they need.”

“With the help of everyone in the community,” Lyric added.