Page 34 of Claimed by the Lawman

“Yeah, it’s about time you actually won a game. Won’t happen again. Just call this your lucky day.” Cullen spoke smack, gritting his teeth. He never liked losing.

Ten minutes later, Riddle and Briggs were gone, probably already at the bar waiting for their drinks, but Cullen and Kace were still in the locker room.

“Shit, man. What’s wrong with you?” Cullen closed the locker door, scowling.

“Don’t give me grief, bro. You got what you deserve. Worrying about my love life when you should have been concentrating on perfecting your shot.” Kace shook his head, dragging on his jeans and zipping them.

“Now we have to go buy Briggs and Riddle drinks and listen to their ragging all damn evening,” Cullen rubbed his clean jaw.

“No, bro. You’ll be hanging out with them listening to their ragging. I’m heading back to Bohannan where I have work to do,” Kace reminded him as he pulled on his uniform shirt and buttoned it.

“You can’t do this to me, man. You helped lose that game so we both have to face the fire.” Cullen shoved his feet into his dusty boots.

“I told you I’d play one game, then I needed to get back to the grind. You’re right, it did destress me some, but it won’t last long. I have a case that’s racking my brain.”

“No, you mean you need to investigate Susannah Posey’s death.”

Kace didn’t even look at his brother as he reached for his boots at the bottom of the locker and dropped them with a thud onto the floor. “I caught a little bit of sarcasm in your tone, bro.”

“No sarcasm, but I think it’s not so much for Susannah but for her sister as to why you’re reopening the case. Hell, I don’t blame you, but you should face the facts. You still have the hots for Tyler. You going to let her go a second time?”

Cullen’s words struck Kace hard to the chest. His brother—all his siblings—knew the back story. They’d been there when Kace picked up the pieces of his broken heart and trudged forward. They’d been his support people, but was he hearing Cullen right? Would Kace let her go again? “It’s not like she belongs to me. Not even like she’s here to strike up our past relationship. Maybe you’re right and I’m doing this for her. If something happened to you, or one of our brothers or sister, wouldn’t we fight until the very last frayed thread before we gave up?”

Cullen was silent for a few long seconds. “Then you’re thinking Tyler’s sister didn’t kill herself?”

Kace sat on the bench. “There’s a lot not right about this case. A lot of unanswered questions.”

“Well, you and I both know Mansfield had his favorites. That all aside, better make sure you understand where your intentions are. It’s easy to miss the clues when our brain, and dick, is caught up.”

“It’s not like that.”

Cullen sniffed, stood, and placed his Stetson on his head. “Who you trying to convince more? Me or yourself?”

As Kace drove toward home, he was still mulling around his brother’s words when his phone dinged from the console. He’d missed two calls from Tyler and she’d messaged him. Before he finished reading, he was slamming on the gas pedal and sped down the country road. Five miles seemed to turn into fifty as he held the truck to the road with the skill of a racecar driver as Tyler’s text pounded through his head. “I’m at your house. I need to see you. It’s an emergency.”

His gut warned him she was hurt.

By the time he pulled up in front of his place he made record time from the truck to the porch where he found her sitting on the swing, her knees tucked up to her chest and her forehead laying on her knees.

“Tyler?”

She lifted her head and he could see the tear stains on her cheeks and the tremble in her bottom lip. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He had no resistance against the need to go to her, take her into his arms and hold her. He lifted her easily and sat down on the swing with her on his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and his heart hitched. “Come on. It’s okay. Tell me what happened.” He used his fingers to comb the tear-damp hair off her cheek.

“I-I was at the theater tonight. A man…he came…out of…nowhere. He threatened me. Told me I’m not wanted here.” She sniffled.

“What?” He had to breathe in a long breath to keep from overreacting. He had to plug into every bit of self-control to stay calm as he processed what she’d told him.

“I don’t know who he was. He came out of nowhere. I was so scared.”

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