“Oh, shut up, O'Henry,” I grit.
“That's Captain O'Henry to you. Why is my day always better when you stay up at the top of that damn ridge of yours?”
I snarled. “You and me both, asshole.”
“What's that, Wright?” There was an angry challenge in his eye, just the kind of trouble I liked.
“You heard me. You should try removing the badge from your ass once in a while, maybe you'd find yourself with a few more buddies for Friday night beers.”
“I've got all the buddies I need.” The Captain of the Cherry Falls Police Department puffed out his chest.
I laughed.
“You haven't changed since we were kids, O'Henry. Still trying to make up for that short stature with fake brawn, arrogance, and ignorance.”
I could see the Captain's fists shaking, a small crowd of Cherry Falls' finest citizens gathering around us. “What are you doin' here, Maverick?”
“I'm here for the ribs,” I grinned, wedging myself under his skin like a bloody thorn. “What're you doin' here?”
Captain Connor O'Henry only sighed, exasperation written in the weary lines of his weathered face. “It's my job, Maverick. I'm assigned to be at the town picnic to keep troublemakers at bay.”
I arched one eyebrow, grinning as I thought of the time I'd fucked with him his very first day on the force for Cherry Falls, fourteen years ago. I remembered it to the day. “Swear I won't throw firecrackers in your patrol car like I did that first Summerfest picnic...”
The normally-unshakable Captain's eyebrow twitched. “Don't remind me. You still owe me for the damages they took out of my first paycheck, asshole.”
“You know I don't deal in your bullshit paper currency, Captain.”
He shook his head. “Some people. I still can't for the life of me figure out how things worked out like they did all those years ago. Took the wind out of my lungs then, and you're still doing it now.”
“Doin' my best to rattle Cherry Falls' finest.”
“You're an epic asshole, Wright. And it's not for the first time I've thought you ruined the only good that God ever tried to give you.” He didn't need to say anymore, my vision had already steeped blood-red.
“You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.”
“It's a wonder you even bother comin' off that ridge at all.”
“Fuck you, officer asshat.”
The Captain shook his head, fingers twitching. “Don't make me cite you for verbally abusing an officer.”
“Abuse?” I laughed so loud a few older women shook their heads and turned away. “That's just the tip of the iceberg. Far as I'm concerned, you conned your way into that position in the first place, knowing the right people is all that matters in this town—nepotism is unethical, officer. You may want to turn this investigation internal.”
“What are you sayin' here? You know I pride myself on the good moral standing I have with the folks in this community—”
“Ah, horse shit. You've sounded like a politician since we were kids. Your dad pawned you off on the department because he knew there was no other option for you.”
“Wright, you filthy son of—”
But before he could finish his sentence I decked him, square in the chin. I'd like to say I don't know what came over me, but it was plain and simple.
While most of the people in this town respected Captain Connor O'Henry, I hated him. He was a no-good, morally bankrupt asshole that wasn't worth the ground I walked on. Ask me why and I could tell you a thousand reasons, and he knows every one of them.
“Mav—” The Captain cupped his jaw, shock crossing his face. “You've done it now.”
Just when I thought he was going to wrangle me into handcuffs and try his darndest to haul me off in the back of his cop car—it wouldn't be the first time—he did the opposite and whipped me so hard with the backside of his palm he split my lip and sent a spray of blood on both of us.
“That's it.” I cocked my arm, ready to land another hook to his chin, when a shriek split my eardrums.
“Are you two at it again?” A small fist clutched my wrist and yanked. Instead of dragging my bicep out of position, she only grunted and kept yanking harder.
I laughed, shaking her off. “Mind your own.”
“I am!” she yelled again. “Please go help at the hot dog station, she's got a line around the baseball diamond and you two fools—”
I finally lowered my arm, nailing her with a hardened gaze. I traced the soft angles of her young face, cherubic cheeks a soft shade of pink and eyes dark and full of conflicting emotions.
“You're bleeding.” She shook her head. “Come with me, I'll get you cleaned up.” She locked her hand around my wrist and hauled me off in the opposite direction to the Captain, who was already making his way to the sizzling wieners.
“Who are you?” I shook my hand out of her grasp, forcing both of us to stop on the sidewalk.
“That's great. I go away to college for four years and this is the welcome home I get?”
“College—no good indoctrination scam—”
“Yeah, yeah.” She pushed through the doors of a tiny shop, filled to the brim with flowers. “Welcome to The Flower Patch, leave your politics at the door, thank you.”
I scrunched my forehead. “What's that smell?”
She arched her eyebrow back at me. “You mean...the flowers?”
I paused, inhaling again as I registered the thousands of different smells. “It's a lot of color in here.”
“So.” She dotted a tissue at my lip, the bright-red blood already clotting. “I take it you're not a chocolate and flowers kind of guy.”
“Don't see the point of them. But I guess while I'm here...” My eyes crawled around the space, hovering an extra beat on the soft ringlets of her almost ink-black hair. It spread on her shoulders in waves and was so shiny it reflected off the tiny sparkling decorations that hung from the ceiling.
I slammed
