“Perfect Miranda, the perfect oldest child. Always so dependable. Your grandmother didn’t beat you just for the hell of it, did she? Not like mine. Well, I’m not letting you take anything else from me. You’ve already arrested my mother. All she did was wrap Grandma in a quilt and give Jim a blowjob to get him to dig the hole. Poor Jim, he’d do anything to get his toy sucked off. I learned that early on. We were fourteen the first time I did that for him to get him to give me some money. I needed money for the softball uniforms. Not like you. You just got what you wanted from your daddy and your grandma. Didn’t have to give a pervert some fun to get what you needed.”
“What happened next?”
“What do you think? Mom dealt with the rest of the kids, while I snuck back outside to help Jim get it done quick.” She swung out again; Miranda barely moved out of the way in time. “He always did need someone to tell him what to do. Dumb as a turnip, my grandmother would say about him.”
Monica was a big woman; just like her grandmother. Miranda was a few inches taller, but sixty-five pounds separated them. Monica had the weapon—and Monica wasn’t the least bit injured.
Miranda had no choice. Nor was she stupid.
She screamed as loudly as she could. She needed help. Fast.
64
The dog went stupid nuts and started lunging toward the inn, almost running. The damned female was in obvious pain, but she wasn’t stopping.
Something at the inn was wrong. Otherwise, the dog wouldn’t be doing this. Knight increased his pace. It wouldn’t hurt to check. If that door was still unlocked, it was entirely possible some stupid punk was helping himself to some of the valuables inside. Or to one of the beautiful women who lived there.
It was like a beckoning treasure trove to a good burglar or rapist.
He was practically jogging to keep up with a fourteen-year-old, thirty-five-pound, half-blind dog.
When he heard the scream, Knight forgot all about the dog. He grabbed the Sig Sauer P226 that had been his constant companion since his release from the hospital and ran.
The back door to the inn stood wide open.
65
Jac was getting impatient. She liked being in Masterson, and it was hard not to adore Miranda’s grandmother, but Jac wasn’t used to peopling on a consistent basis. At least, not with people who actually cared about her. Outside of PAVAD, that was.
She just needed to get away from Flo and all the rest of the Talleys, who had welcomed her like she was a long-lost cousin. Just because she’d met them all three times before. The family was really good at the whole hospitality angle.
Miranda was so lucky to have such a loving family.
Miranda needed to get herself there, so that Jac didn’t have to carry the conversation with Flo Talley and Rhea Masterson. Flo’s closest friend—Sheriff Masterson’s mother—had a definite matchmaking gleam in her eyes, and apparently seven nephews spread throughout the county. No offense to the ranchers and cowboys around Masterson, but Jac was definitely not into the small-town, everyone-knows-your-business types.
There was a guy nearby who was built just like Max, but with warm auburn hair. A Tyler, she thought. There were a lot of Tylers in Masterson County. She’d met many of them before when Miranda had somehow convinced her to be an extra in that Rowland Bowles movie that had been filmed in Masterson. They’d started out as extras and morphed into minor characters—then had to get it cleared from their division director to be named in the credits.
Thoughts of Max had her wincing.
Rhea Masterson studied her. “Are you ok, dear?”
“Of course, just a stray thought.”
“So, are you involved with anyone? As young and pretty as you are…with that red hair of yours, you remind me of my daughters-in-law. Beautiful girls.”
“Uh…no. I’m not involved with anyone right now. The job, you know. It takes up a great deal of my time.”
The woman shook her head. “I do understand. I was lucky enough to meet my Daniel when I was in med school. It was hard, but we made it work. Of course, I had to seduce him, but some men are just a little slower than others in that regard.”
“It must have been.” Rhea had built the Masterson County hospital into what it was now. Her legacy would last forever. Jac often envied women like Rhea. Rhea had probably just been born knowing who she was. Jac was still trying to figure herself out.
Maybe she’d get it by her thirtieth birthday. Or maybe her fortieth. Maybe.
What had happened with Max had shaken her entire world. Enough to show her she had a lot of soul-searching still to do. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I may have left my tablet at the sheriff’s office. I’m going to go search for it before I forget. It’s bureau issue, and I’ve lost one before.” She pushed aside the guilt for the lie. She just needed to breathe for a minute.
And find Miranda and get reinforcements, before Rhea had Jac engaged and ready to elope with some tall, handsome, Masterson rancher or something. The woman looked diabolical enough to do just that. And was making noises about a nephew that was a lawyer, and how he and Jac would have lots in common—including their nicknames. He was a Jack, too.
Jac really needed to get away before she ended up married with little Jacks-and-Jacs on the way.
“Of course. Please tell my granddaughter she needs to eat something. She’s been running herself too thin lately,” Flo said, patting Jac on the back lightly.
It took everything Jac had to fight the urge to pull away slightly. She never had been comfortable being touched by
