Page 69 of Resisting Temptation

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he barks back down the line.

I watch her, fresh tears running down her face as she talks to the detective. “I wish I was. It was deliberate. She’s talking to Kane now.”

“How badly do you want this, Noah? You and I both know there is some dangerous shit going on around here. Your dad went to prison over it, and look at my dad, he’s about to go too. It might be time to walk away. For Paisley’s safety and yours. It’s not worth winning.”

Tension coils through all my muscles, knowing how true what he is saying is, but walking away could be just as dangerous for our town. “Then a new generation of them get away with it. I’m so close to making a change here, Parker. Putting a stop to all this shit. I have to try.”

“Maybe there’s another way,” he says, and I can tell he’s thinking it over.

“If you come up with any ideas, let me know. For now, the two of us will be lying low at her place.”

Detective McAllister signals that they’re done with a wave of the hand. “Gotta go. Talk soon.” I disconnect the call and rejoin Paisley, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.

“Lucky you were so close behind her,” Kane says, looking me over with suspicion I don’t like.

“Hmm,” I agree, wondering what he’s trying to imply.

“I’ll let you know if we have any leads, but it’s dark out here, and with no witnesses, I can take a paint sample and send it off to find out what make and model it was that hit you, but it’s unlikely it will go much further with the limited resources we have here in Deception Bay,” he says, a bitterness to his tone. “I’m sorry, Paisley, sometimes crimes like this don’t get solved. I’ll establish a crime scene and do what I can. Take care of her,” he tells me before stepping back onto the road in the direction of his car. Another officer walks with him down to the van, the two of them shining their torches on the crash scene.

A hot, burning anger surges through me, making my face flush and my hands clench into fists, knowing his judgment was correct. She could have been seriously injured tonight because of me. The chilling thought sends shivers down my spine.

Chapter 38

Paisley

Ihold my mug of coffee, staring out at the front porch of my house. Normally I would go sit out there, but today fear stops me. Who ran me off the road and why? After talking to the police last night, Noah brought me home and stayed with me. He refused to leave me alone, and after what happened, I wasn’t going to fight it because of the campaign. I needed him. In the light of day, I know this is going to go down like a lead balloon when I tell Beckett. And even more concerning, when I was in the bath last night, I overheard Noah talking to my brother about Beckett. I couldn’t make out a lot of the conversation, but it was something about an investigation.

“I thought the worst when I saw your van totaled,” Noah admits, a heaviness to his voice. I move to face him. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore, okay? We both want the same thing and that’s to be together. Even if we have to keep it secret until after the election so you can finish what you started.”

I move around in his arms to get a better view of the gorgeous man I can’t live without. “I love you, Noah.” I brush his hair off his forehead.

He stares back at me with so much adoration I feel it right through to my soul. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, baby, okay?”

“Okay,” I agree with him, but even I know he can’t be with me all the time to protect me. “What were you and Parker talking about last night after you brought me home?”

“Pais, there is some shifty stuff happening in this town. Stuff my father and yours were both involved in. People don’t like us associating with each other because it messes with some old-school alliances. Parker’s doing a little investigating to get to the bottom of what’s really been going on here. I thought it could help me protect you, but I was wrong. It’s too late for all of that. Me being mayor will be a big problem for a lot of people, and I’m going to make enemies. My father wasn’t strong enough to stick up to them, but I am.”

“And you should. What your father got involved in sent him to prison. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“It won’t, but change isn’t going to be easy, and I don’t want you to get caught up in the crossfire. I wanted you to walk away from Beckett’s campaign because I was scared of what will happen to you. These people don’t mess around, and we have no idea how dangerous he is, Paisley. His father is a very powerful man. He holds the respect of this town, and I have to wonder how he got it. Through fear and manipulation?”

My eyes go wide, understanding exactly what he’s saying. “You think Beckett’s father is one of them?”

“I have no proof, but yeah. I understand you needing to see this through, but I can’t let you get hurt in the process.”

“What are you suggesting?” I ask, brow raised.

“We have to take some precautions to keep you safe. I’ll take you to work and back, and we can lie low till Parker and I work out what to do next.”

Worry courses through me. I’m still so shaken up after that car ran me off the road. “We’re not supposed to be seen together, remember? Isn’t this going to make it worse?”

He takes my hands in his. “We can’t give in to their demands. It makes them stronger.”

I nod, agreeing with him. He shouldn’t, but I’m not sure where that leaves me. I feel like a sitting duck just waiting to be targeted again.

After a quick breakfast, Noah dropped me off behind the shop, the smell of freshly baked bread already filling the air from Pecan Pie Bakery as I got out of the car to open up for the day. I don’t have one of my staff coming in until later, so it’s just me to get the morning orders sorted, and I’m grateful for the quiet and normality. I know Noah’s not too far away. He was uncomfortable leaving me at all, but I told him I was fine while I was at the shop. And this is my first official day as a shop owner, I want some time alone to enjoy it. So, he took his laptop across the road to Bay Roaster’s to get some work done.

As the bell above the door rings, I shift my attention upward to find Beckett’s face. He has a coffee in one hand and today’s newspaper in the other. “You made the front page,” he says, handing me a steaming jumbo cappuccino, its rich aroma filling the air.

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