Page 5 of The Rogue

I smirk back, not bothering to deny it. “Look, I don’t work here. I’m not a cop, but I know a guilty face when I see one. My family and I make hefty annual donations to the station to ensure they can do their job with the necessary resources.”

Whiskey Eyes stares back at me. I nearly lose my train of thought as I study every feature, wondering how I’ve never seen her here before.

“Sheriff is a good friend of mine. I tell him you’re innocent, he’ll let you walk out of here. Just answer me this. Was it a mistake?”

She looks me dead in the eye. “No.”

“There a reason you robbin’ the police station of income they depend on?”

No response other than a slight twitch of her brows as she considers it.

“Fine. I’ll take a guess.” I cross my arms and settle back in the metal chair. “You knew about the security plans for the town, so you and your buddies decided to sabotage it.”

She jerks, looking genuinely confused. “Mybuddies?”

“The crimes in the other towns.”

She scoffs. “Paranoid much?”

“Protective,” I bite.

Straightening her spine, she glares back at me. “Did you know that traffic violationsdoubledin the last three months in this town? Did the population double? I don’t think so.” She extends a tattooed arm dramatically. And it catches my eye. A snake wrapped from her elbow down to her wrist. “Did driving laws just not exist before? Also no. I think it’s a little unjust for the department to take out low funding issues on innocent citizens.”

My eyes flick back to hers. And damn, she's one captivating woman. My chest burns when I realize who she reminds me of. I sit up. “What do you think happens when the department doesn’t have money? We lose good workers. Less overtime, less night shifts. Less motivated cops. Our town needs—”

“Then do something else. Raise money for the cause.Tell themwhat it’s for. Don’t just slap tickets on cars.”

I’m one heartbeat away from smashing my mouth against hers. “Where’d you come from, anyway? Never seen you around.”

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry, Indiana Jones. I won’t be sticking around.”

“Oh, you think you’re walkin’ out of here? After they slap those fines on you—you’re going to prison. That kind of shit ain’t—”

Sheriff steps back into the room, exasperated. “Tessa, you’re free to go.”

“What?” I bark. “I just got a confession.”

Wyatt ignores me as Tessa stands with a bored sigh.

“Unfortunately, you can’t keep your employment here so—”

“Got it,” she cuts him off and mutters a quick 'thanks' on her way out of the room.

“And Tessa?” He clears his throat uncomfortably. “Hideaway Springs is—well, you’re welcome here anytime.”

She considers it, grins to herself, and nods once. “Cool. Thanks again, Woody.”

My head snaps at the nickname.

Turning on her heel, she moves to a desk I can only assume was hers, and tosses a few items into a large tote bag.

I grab Wyatt’s arm. “You wanna tell me what that was about? She did it—she’s guilty.”

He doesn’t look me in the eye. “Appreciate you stopping by today, Levi. I need to go uh…” He clears his throat again, mutteringdamage controlon the way to his office.

The fuck?

I turn, finding Tessa halfway out the door and race after her until we’re both outside. “You think you’re some kind of hero?”

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