I hadn’t been gone that long. I didn’t understand why he was so pissed then I saw the clock on the dash. It was after eight. “Holy shit. I’ve been gone for six hours.”
His jaw was ticking now. “Yes,” he bit out.
“Hey,” I said softly.
He wouldn’t turn to me.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“Explain.”
Shifting my focus out the front window, I explained, “Natalie mentioned Monica and her waving the gun the same night you cooked dinner at my place. Seemed kind of coincidental to me, especially since you found the cigarettes the following day. I don’t know...an argument could be made that she was the distraction. I was curious; I wanted to check the cameras. I only intended to check the one right inside the trees but…”
He turned to me then. That vein was still out, but the knot at his jaw was gone.
“I heard a wild turkey.”
His brows furrowed, and, for him, that was the same as someone else’s jaw dropping.
“When I was a kid, Brock and I rescued a turkey. He was going to be the Millman’s Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“You stole a turkey?”
“I did. I replaced it with a frozen one.”
He looked back out the window, but I saw the grin.
“That turkey became an urban legend in our town. Spotting Tom was a sign of luck.”
He was looking at me again, not hiding the smile now. “You named him Tom.”
“Yeah. I realized I was following a random turkey because I thought maybe I’d see Brock.”
The smile dropped from his face.
I turned into him. “I just want to know my friend is okay. It’s the not knowing. Is he alive, dead, happy…he deserved better than he got. And as much as I loved him, what you make me feel, I’ve never felt this way before.”
His voice was rough when he asked, “How’s that?”
“Crazy and excited, hot and anxious. One minute you make me laugh and the next you make me…wet.”
He looked suddenly hungry and was looking at me like I was dinner. “And that look…that look kills me,” I added.
“I’d fuck you right now,” he muttered and started up his truck. “But I’m the fucking sheriff.”
“Killian.”
His hot gaze swung back to me.
“I saw the ranger on my property.” Heat turned cold so fast I got a chill. “I climbed a tree to find my house, saw a truck. Got close enough, saw the emblem. I followed him off the property, but he wasn’t alone. There was a man in a truck, same truck I saw in town.”
“Lots of trucks in town, Baby.”
“He was watching me.”
His expression turned dark; his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Did he approach you?”
“No, but when he pulled away, he was watching me in the mirrors. It was creepy.” Killian was clenching his jaw again. I thought I understood the ire until he said, “Not sure if I’m more pissed that fucker was on your property or that, once again, I’m being kept from sinking my cock into your sweet body.” He pulled back onto the road.
“Definitely the latter for me,” I whispered.
He glanced over, those blue eyes warmed, and he grinned.
Chapter Twenty
killian
“Why the fuck were you on her property?” Killian had Sebastian up against the wall at the ranger station.
Sebastian’s face was purple from anger, but he couldn’t budge Killian. “Get the fuck off of me.”
“Answer me here or I lock your ass up and put a call in to your bosses that you’re a stalker. Your fucking call.”
“I’m not stalking her.”
“I’m losing my patience.”
“Poaching,” he bit out. “I’ve been tracking poachers.”
Killian moved in, tightened his hold, cutting off his air and bit out, “There are poachers on her property, and you didn’t fucking tell me? Or her?”
“I can’t breathe.”
“I don’t fucking care.” But when Sebastian’s face turned purple, this time, from lack of oxygen, Killian released him. He folded in half and drew in deep breaths. “You put her at risk all to make the collar and get your name in the fucking paper.”
“She wasn’t at risk.”
“She’s walking around her property, where there are people illegally hunting. Of course, she’s at risk, you fuck.”
“I’ve been working on this for two years. I wasn’t about to call you in, so you could take all the credit.”
“When the fuck have I done that?” Killian moved closer; Sebastian backed up. “You’ve had a hard on for me since high school. What the fuck is your problem? You got all the girls, homecoming king. You had it all, so what the fuck is your problem with me?”
“I don’t have a problem,” Sebastian said, but he couldn’t hold Killian’s hard stare.
“Bullshit. At least, at the moment, we have to work together, and whatever the fuck crawled up your ass is getting in the way. So, now’s your time to get it out.”
Silence followed before Sebastian said, “We used to be friends.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Didn’t have many growing up. You and Liam were it and then I got pushed out.”
Killian couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. What the fuck, but he saw the pain just under the anger. “Didn’t push you out.”
“Sure as hell felt like it.”
“Not got the time for this,” Killian said, then conceded, “Later.”
Sebastian nodded.
“Who was in the truck?” The man was probably just checking Cedar out, but seeing him twice was creeping toward stalker. Time to shut that shit down.
“Some tourist. Said he got lost.”
“You get a name?”
“No. Why?”
“Make and model of the truck? License plate?”
“Late model Ford F150, gray. Didn’t take the plates, didn’t think I needed to. What’s going on?”
That was like a fucking needle in a haystack. “You see him again, you call me.” Killian moved the conversation on when he asked, “Who’s poaching?”
“Not sure. Never get close enough, but I’ve been in touch with a few counties around us. It’s not just here.”
At least they knew who the hell was coming and going from Cedar’s place. “You got a handle on
