Page 8 of Stormswept Colorado (Hart County #3)

SEVEN

Teller

There was a damn riot in the middle of Main Street.

“We need backup,” I said into my radio. Then lifted my chin at Susan. We’d just jumped out of my department SUV. “Focus on dispersing the crowd. It’s a chaotic situation, and we need to get it under control.”

“Copy that.” But she looked nervous. Susan had been on the force for going on fifteen years, but she was a small-town cop through-and-through. We rarely dealt with anything like this. Not even that snarl of reporters that showed up the first time Ayla Maxwell was in Silver Ridge.

A shop owner had called this in. Mentioned Ayla was here. But where was she? Was she okay?

My throat went tight, my awareness sharpening as I scanned the crowd. Men were trading blows while others ducked out of the way.

Blood poured from the nose of a massive guy with a buzz cut. I saw him slam his meaty fist into another guy’s stomach. Shit .

“Break it up!” I sprinted for the center of the fray, nudging gawkers out of my path when they wouldn’t move.

Then I saw blond hair flying, so pale it was almost white. Pretty pink lips open in a yell. Five and a half feet of pure attitude in the eye of the storm.

My heart did a strange flop in my chest as time seemed to slow.

A tall, skinny man in a ski jacket had his fingers around Ayla’s wrist. She was trying to pull away. Heat and adrenaline flooded my bloodstream, and time lurched forward again.

“Hey, back off!” I roared.

The kid holding on to Ayla glanced over, saw me coming, and bolted through the crowd. I reached her, immediately putting myself physically between her and the mayhem.

“You need to come with me.”

She turned in my direction, her expression doing a complicated dance when she recognized me. “But Bryan?—”

“Ayla,” I barked. “Let’s go .”

She wasn’t listening. There was a law-enforcement rule of thumb when dealing with uncooperative members of the public. ATM. Ask, then tell, then move .

I had to get her out of here.

“Wait—” she started.

But I was done asking. Bending to wrap my arms around her hips, I hoisted her up.

Every part of me jolted at the sensation of having her pressed to me. Her silky hair brushed my cheek, and I caught a whiff of something darkly sweet, like caramel. The warm weight of her body settled against me like it belonged there.

But it also seemed to wake her back up, because she cried out in protest. “What the hell ! Put me down!”

I was already weaving through the crowd. I heard Susan issuing orders and breaking up the worst of the fight. Our backup was only minutes away.

My main concern was Ayla. Removing her from this equation.

I had no idea what had sparked that brawl, but Ayla’s presence was nothing but fuel to that fire. My job was to get her somewhere safe.

The first open doorway I saw led into Main Street Market. Rosie stood there staring in shock at the street fight. She stepped out of the way when I rushed toward her. “Chief?”

“We’re fine,” I said. “Anybody asks, we’re not here.”

“Put me down!” Ayla yelled again.

I knew how this looked. Like I’d just scooped up the most beautiful woman to ever set foot in this town and was carting her away for purposes of my own. But now wasn’t the time for explanations.

Once I was through the main entrance, I turned right. Headed for the bathroom. It was empty. I barreled inside, switched on the light, twisted the lock.

I set Ayla down, and she tried to wiggle her way past me for the door.

“Oh, hell no. You’re not going anywhere.”

“You can’t keep me in here.” Her glare was enough to send a lesser man running with his tail between his legs. Or more likely, with his balls shriveling.

“Actually, I can.” I backed her up against the wall, my palms pressing to either side of her to cage her in. “You’re out of danger. Take a moment. Breathe.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Her deep green eyes glinted with fury.

“Are you all right? Did one of those assholes out there hurt you?” My focus raked down her body, scanning for injuries.

She had on a long coat and a soft-looking dress that flared out at her waist and ended above her knees, revealing plenty of tan, shapely leg.

Her smooth skin disappeared into a pair of cowboy boots.

The leather was broken-in like she wore them a lot.

“Could you give me a little space? Or is that too much to ask? Assuming you’re done ogling me.”

“I wasn’t ogling .” But I did drop my arms and stepped back, keeping myself in front of the door in case she tried to make a break for it again. Or maybe claw me with those pointy pink nails. “Just assessing if you’re hurt. That’s my job.”

“Just your job. Not like you really care.”

“Of course I care.” I swallowed down my protest, regaining my calm. You could try being grateful , I thought, but managed to keep that comment to myself. “Do you need medical assistance?”

“I’m not hurt. But my driver Bryan is. He got punched in the face, and he’s still out there. He was trying to protect me.”

Did she mean that big guy with the bloody nose? My insides did a weird shimmy. “My officers are sorting things out. They’ll call paramedics. It’s better if you stay put. If I take you back out there right now, it’ll cause more of a scene.”

Her scowl deepened, but she didn’t disagree.

There was something magnetic about Ayla Maxwell. Most of the world knew that already. I’d seen it in her music videos and photos of her online. Seen it the times that we’d crossed paths before.

Magnetic, and also frustrating. Because she took offense at every little thing I said or did.

But with her skin flushed and her chest heaving and her intense gaze locked on mine, I had never seen anything so breathtaking.

My radio squawked. “Chief, come in.”

Lifting one arm, I tapped the button at my shoulder. “Chief here. I’ve got Ms. Maxwell secured in the market. Stand by.” Then I brought my eyes back to Ayla’s face. “What happened?” I asked. “How did this start?”

“You’re blaming me, aren’t you?”

“Did I say I was blaming you?”

“It’s obvious. You hate me. Every time we’ve met, you’ve made it clear that you don’t want me in Silver Ridge.”

My eyebrows lifted. “I’m not the one flipping people the bird unprovoked on a public street.”

Ayla flinched. “I guess that wasn’t my finest moment.” She sat on the closed toilet seat lid. “ I can’t believe this.”

I leaned against the wall. “Not a typical afternoon for me either.”

“You don’t lock women in bathrooms with you on any given Thursday?”

“I prefer to lock women in bathrooms with me on Saturdays.”

Ayla almost snickered before remembering herself.

I pressed my lips together to stifle my own urge to laugh. None of this was funny.

The setting was pretty absurd, though. A painted wooden sign across from the toilet said, Go with the flow . Frilly curtains hung over the high window, and a wallpaper border near the ceiling featured dancing gnomes. At least Rosie’s employees kept the place scrupulously clean.

We were both quiet for several breaths. I crossed my arms, shifting from one boot to the other. “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked again.

She cleared her throat. “Um, Bryan and I were going to do some shopping. Some college guys were cat-calling me from across the street. Making rude gestures.”

The muscle at my jaw pulsed. Those little shits. “Not locals, I’m guessing?”

She frowned. “Why is that important?”

“Because if they’re Silver Ridge boys, I’ll make sure their parents hand their asses to them. Or I’ll do it myself.”

Ayla paused, teeth tugging at her lower lip. “They looked more like tourists. Dressed like they’d been skiing. I guess they decided to continue their vacay with some light sexual harassment.”

I shifted, crossing my arms. Cat-calling wasn’t illegal, but it still made the anger in my blood reach a low simmer. “I wish you’d called the non-emergency line. I’ve told you in the past that my officers and I are here to help.”

“Yes, you’ve been helpful, and you’ve made me feel bad about it every time.”

“That was never my intention. This is my job, and I’ll do it. If you’d called, I could’ve had a word with them, that’s all. Before they caused a bigger issue.”

“You assume every problem around here is caused by an outsider.”

Not true. But I wasn’t going to start arguing with her again either. “These upstanding citizens who harassed you were part of the street brawl, I imagine?”

She nodded. “Bryan and I went into a boutique. We were there for about half an hour, bought a few things. When we were ready to leave, we noticed there was a crowd gathered outside. The college guys in ski jackets were among them. Bryan tried to get me through the crowd, but things went downhill fast. Somebody grabbed my wrist. I didn’t even see who.

I think Bryan might’ve pushed the guy, trying to get him away from me, and then Bryan took a fist to the nose. ” She shivered. “I hope he’s okay.”

Sounded like she really cared about the guy. Was he more than her driver? Was he her lover?

There was that hot jab of discomfort again.

But I was glad he’d defended her. Suggested he might deserve her.

“Your friend was going strong a couple minutes ago when I saw him. Bryan might have a broken nose, but he’ll be fine.”

“Yeah. Um, thank you for getting me out of there. I’ll have to thank your officers as well.”

A thank you , I thought. Was that so hard?

“You’re welcome. Nobody should be subjected to that kind of harassment or attack, and on behalf of Silver Ridge, I apologize that it happened.”

Her eyes lifted, two spots of vivid green that pulled me in.

Then she blinked, squinting at the wall in front of her. “Does that sign actually say, Go with the flow ?”

I didn’t stop myself from laughing that time. “Yep. With a waterfall in the background. Rosie owns the market, and she has an odd sense of humor.” Which had to explain what drew her to Jimmy Perkins .

“And a distinctive decorating style.”

“Gnome wallpaper isn’t popular in LA?”

“That trend must’ve missed the west coast.” Suddenly Ayla was smiling tentatively. Like we were sharing a moment instead of clashing.

And fuck me , that smile of hers. So different from her videos. This one was almost shy, pink full lips with a hint of her front teeth.

It hit me like an unstoppable force, making it hard to breathe.

Then that brief moment was gone as quickly as it had started.

Her gaze broke from mine, her eyelashes fluttering. “Can you find out what’s going on out there?”

On the radio, I asked Susan for an update. “Hey, Chief. We’ve got the brawlers separated and we’re taking statements. Some suspects took off on foot, but we’ve got plenty of witnesses. Just doing our best out here to manage the scene.”

“I’m sure you’ve got it well in hand. Do you have a Bryan…” I glanced at Ayla.

“Krueger,” she supplied.

“A Bryan Krueger. He’s in town with Ms. Maxwell.”

“Yes, sir. He’s here. I spoke to him. He’s getting treated for minor injuries by one of the fire department EMTs. Bloody nose and split knuckles. But otherwise in good shape.”

Ayla exhaled, her shoulders relaxing.

“Got it. I’m still inside the market with Ms. Maxwell. I’ll need someone to clear the way for us so I can get her out of here without causing another scene.”

“Copy that, Chief. Could also use your guidance on who to bring down to the station for booking.“

I put a hand on my hip. “Everyone involved in the fight. We can’t take this lightly.” I didn’t want to send the impression that people could show up in my town, start knocking heads together, and skate without any repercussions.

“Yes, Chief.”

I signed off just as Ayla leaped up to standing. “Wait a minute, does that really mean you’re arresting everyone ? That doesn’t include Bryan, right?”

“Everyone means everyone.”

“But you can’t arrest Bryan. Please . He was only trying to help me. And defend himself. The other guy punched him first.”

“All I saw was Bryan’s fist landing in someone else’s stomach. I’ll let the Hart County district attorney sort that out.”

“But this is bullshit!” She marched up to me, which was just a couple of steps in the small room. Ayla only reached my upper chest but glared up at me like she was ready for battle.

I kept my tone level. “If I take everyone involved in that fight into custody except Ayla Maxwell’s boyfriend, how will that look?”

“I told you. He’s my driver, not my boyfriend.”

“Not like I care either way.” Liar , I told myself, but seriously, I was just trying to do my job. I wasn’t the bad guy here. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time. If you choose to bail Bryan out of jail later on, that’s your choice.”

“ Bail ? He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That may be what the investigation proves in the end. But I can’t show favoritism.”

Her eyes flashed. “Then you can arrest me too.”

“ What ?”

“Arrest me.”

“I’m not arresting you.”

“I was involved in the fight. Seems like favoritism to me.”

“Settle down. There are no cameras in here, Ms. Maxwell. You’re being dramatic.”

Her cheeks glowed pink with fury. “And you’re being an asshole, Chief Landry.”

You want to see me being an asshole? I put my hands on my hips, willing myself to stay calm. But this was ridiculous. “Arrest you for what? You didn’t throw any punches.”

“For assault on a peace officer.”

“You didn’t?—”

Ayla poked her finger into my chest. It didn’t hurt. I’d had much worse from my nephew Ollie. It would’ve been downright cute if it wasn’t out of line.

I stared at her for a moment. “You think this is some kind of joke?”

“Do I look like I’m laughing?” She poked me again, harder, directly above the nipple of my left pec. “Arrest me.”

Ow .

Okay, that time, it kinda stung. And more than anything, it pissed me off. A burst of heat traveled up my center. A warning sign that I was about to lose my temper like she’d already lost hers, and no amount of yoga breathing was going to cool me down.

This diva insisted on testing my patience? I was about to show her exactly how much of an asshole I could be.

“Fine. You really want it to go down this way? You’ve got it, Princess.”

“Don’t call me princess!”

I spun her around and tugged her hands behind her back, reaching for my cuffs. The snick of metal was loud in the small room.

“Ayla Maxwell, you’re under arrest.”