Page 8 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed (Hard Justice: Outlaw Ridge #6)

───── ? ────

All those deaths are on Hallie’s head .

Those words had kept Hallie tossing and turning most of the night, which meant she’d gotten very little sleep. It was the reason she was now gulping down her third cup of strong coffee and praying for a miracle that would ensure she had a clear focus.

So far, the caffeine wasn’t getting her any closer to that.

Sighing and praying that her mind would just settle, she stared out her front window at the street that wasn’t showing any signs of life yet.

No surprise about that. Even though her house was in a town and only a couple of blocks from pretty much everything, this wasn’t a beehive type of neighborhood.

The promise of peace and quiet had prompted her to buy the place, but now the peace was eluding her, and the quiet seemed to be closing in around her.

It was only seven AM, an hour before she was due in at work, but she was dressed and ready to go. What she wasn’t doing was, well, actually going. Sooner or later, she had to face her deputies and try to explain that she hadn’t known about her parents’ murders, that her father had lied.

Of course, that admission would no doubt make at least some of the deputies wonder just how good of a cop she was not to have noticed something like that going on around her. And there were times, like now, when Hallie asked herself the same thing.

Her phone dinged with a text just as she saw the black SUV come to a stop in front of her house. She immediately went on alert, sliding her hand over the butt of her gun in her holster. But then she saw the text was from Reed.

And Reed was also in the SUV.

He waved at her through the SUV window. And smiled though she couldn’t tell if it was genuine or if he felt sorry for her.

“Coffee and breakfast sandwiches,” he’d texted. “Just shut the curtains if you want to pass.”

Hallie sighed again. But she didn’t shut the curtains. She used her phone to disengage her security system and went to the front door to open it. A few seconds later, Reed stepped in bringing the delicious smell of coffee, bacon, and fresh bread with him.

Of course, Reed’s own scent was there, too. Something all alpha male and temptation. The dirty variety that promised great kisses and equally great everything else he could dole out. If she could have bottled that scent, she would have made a fortune.

His smile went south went he looked at her, confirming that the lack of sleep hadn’t done her any favors. He used his boot to shut the door, and he set the coffee and diner bag on the entry table.

“I’m going to say something inappropriate, like, do you need a hug?” he asked, his voice low and rough.

She did. Mercy, did she. Instead, she folded her arms, hiding the shiver that ran down her spine. “I’m your boss.”

“For one more day anyway,” he shot back, stepping closer, his gaze locking with hers. The air between them thickened, charged.

Positively crackled.

“Still,” she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction, the pull between them undeniable.

His eyes softened, a hint of a smile returning as he leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m just trying to be helpful.”

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, the weight of the investigation vanished, leaving only the heat simmering between them. It was a nice moment but then it vanished, too, followed by inevitable guilt.

She shouldn’t be feeling this. Shouldn’t have her guilt lifted.

Reed must have seen the change go through her eyes because he nodded, picked up the food again and headed into the kitchen.

“Okay, let’s eat and go over the updates before we head into work,” he suggested.

He set the bag and coffee on the island and dropped down on one of the stools.

“I asked for extra bacon and grease on these sandwiches, by the way. Remember how good the breakfast grease specials are from the Outlaw Grill?”

She did indeed remember, and they’d been rare, delicious treats when she’d been a teenager. Far from healthy, but just the thought of them stirred her appetite. Something she hadn’t thought possible.

He took out the sandwiches, opened them and nudged one in her direction. Hallie took a bite and wasn’t disappointed. It tasted just as good as it had way back then.

“Just got word that Aaron’s improving,” Reed said, tackling his own sandwich. “He might be able to have visitors today.”

The relief hit her hard, and it was welcome news. The last report she’d gotten was from three hours ago, there’d been no change in the deputy’s condition. She prayed he made a full recovery.

“Nothing yet from the bomb squad or CSIs,” he went on, washing the food down with a gulp of coffee. “Maybe we’ll get something soon though.”

“Yes, maybe. I just got a report from SAPD on Charity and Jay,” she said, sitting across from him.

“Charity is being held in a psychiatric facility where she’ll undergoing evaluation.

FYI, she’s been in and out of residential care for most of her teens and adult life.

She’s on a variety of meds, and it’s possible she’ll be determined unfit to stand trial. ”

Judging from Reed’s expression, that was exactly what he’d expected to hear. It’d been obvious to both of them that Charity hadn’t exactly been stable. Obvious, too, that she’d been spoon-fed lies by Jay to set her off.

“What about Jay?” Reed asked.

She doubted this would surprise him either. “Released without charges. He insists he didn’t incite Charity, that Luther’s article had done that, and everything that Charity said backed him up.”

Hallie didn’t expect that to change, which meant that Jay would remain a free man. A potentially dangerous one if this grudge against her had led to the murder of two people and the critical injuries of a deputy.

“As for my father,” she went on. “I can sue for libel and defamation of character, but that would only stir up the story even more.”

She bit off more of the sandwich, forced it down. The deliciousness was fading fast. Of course, it was. Not much could stay appetizing with these topics of conversation. Reed was the notable exception to that.

“And there’s a nutshell of my life for the past twenty-four hours,” Hallie went on. “The murders. Aaron being hurt. Corman’s venom. Charity’s attack. Luther’s article, and my father accusing me of being aware of numerous capital crimes.” She groaned. “I’ll bet Owen is regretting hiring me.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Reed was quick to say. “Because I know he’s not. What he is regretting is the hell you’re going through right now, but he’s stepped back because he knows you can handle it. I know you can handle it,” he emphasized.

She looked at him, wondering how he could have this much faith in her.

Wondering how she’d gotten so lucky to have him back in her life.

This wasn’t their relationship of old, one that would send them running to the nearest bed.

They couldn’t take that route now. But Hallie was thankful she had someone on her side.

“Do you want to hear what happened when I was a kid?” she asked.

He didn’t take his gaze off her. “Only if you want to tell me.”

She did want that, Hallie realized. Even if it felt like opening a vein and letting the blood pour out like a river. But maybe if she got it all out, if she said all the gut-twisting words, it would help. Sort of a catharsis.

“Some of this you heard during the trials,” she started. “Some you didn’t. When I was a baby, my parents would use me to get money from my grandparents. I learned years later, they were tapping all four of them, and when those wells ran dry, that’s when they move onto robbery and murder.”

She stopped and drank some coffee to soothe her suddenly parched throat.

“I believe their first victim was a distant cousin. My mom was a nursing assistant, and when the cousin fell sick, she went to him under the guise of taking care of him. We later learned, thanks to an exhumation and autopsy after their arrest, that he had been poisoned. Before they killed them though, they made sure they had taken every penny there was to take.”

“How old were you?” he asked.

“About six. I didn’t go with them to stay with the cousin so I had no idea what was going on.

They left me with one of the grandparents.

” Hallie paused again. “About a year later, my parents moved on to another victim. Corman’s mother.

They used the nursing assistant ruse there too and did the same thing to her as they’d done to the cousin. ”

He didn’t prompt her with a question. Reed just sat there, calm as a lake. Well, calm-ish. After all, she was talking about serial killers.

“After I turned eight or so, my parents would tell me they were going away on a trip and that if I told anyone that I would be arrested and put in foster care where I would be abused. So I stayed quiet and took care of myself. Once, I nearly starved because they hadn’t left me enough food,” she added in a mutter.

Now, he reacted. He cursed and reached out to slide his hand over hers. It no doubt violated some rules, but she didn’t move it away.

“Whenever they would return from one of their trips , they always had money,” she continued. “Mom would always be sporting some extra jewelry that she said I was to keep secret. There’d be lavish spending, maybe even a real vacation for them, and the cycle would start all over again.”

His grip tightened on her hand, grounding her.

She squeezed back, her thumb brushing over his knuckles in a silent thank you for his steady presence.

The warmth of his skin against hers was a reminder that she wasn’t alone in facing these memories, even if they still had the power to cut her to pieces.