Page 30 of Remorseless Sinner

“What seems to be the trouble, Gracie?” the Sheriff asked slowly, his eyes fixed on Saul. “Who is this?”

“This man has k-kidnapped me and isn’t letting me go!”

The Sheriff blinked, then turned to Saul.

“Is this true?”

“She’s my wife,” Saul said sharply, narrowing his eyes at me. “My very disobedient wife who should have known better.”

I noticed the entire heavy leg of the chair was still attached to him with the handcuff, and as I watched, he bent down and snapped the thick wood in half.

Holy hell

“He forced me to marry him!” I cried, clenching my fists so hard my ring dug into my finger. “I don’t want to be married to him!”

Saul didn’t blink at all at my words, but his face seemed to turn harsher, more shadowed.

For a moment, the two men stared at each other, the only sounds in City Hall the ragged rasp of my own breathing.

“Perhaps you’d better wait here until I make a few calls,” the Sheriff said, slowly and deliberately. “We only have the one jail cell, but you’ll be comfortable there.”

I could have screamed. The Sheriff was a big, strong man but Saul absolutely dwarfed him, just one of his huge hands twice the size of the older man’s.

“Get in the cell,” he said, as I clutched the Sheriff’s sleeve. He patted my arm reassuringly. “There’s nothing to worry about, Gracie. He’s going in the cell.”

My breathing was so shallow and panicky my head was spinning, but I was relieved to see Saul obey the Sheriff and walk toward the cell.

The cell wasverysmall and old-fashioned, with thick avocado green carpets and a single narrow cot.

I let the Sheriff’s arm go and he went and unlocked the cell door with his keys, opening it wide so Saul could go in.

For a moment, I thought he was going to refuse to enter as his eyes met mine, then my husband ducked his head and the heavy iron bars clanged shut behind him.

“I’m going to make a few calls,” the Sheriff said, dropping the keys in my hands. “I’ll be back.”

“But—” I protested, but he was already gone.

I turned around, backing up against the heavy oak desk to look at Saul.

“I saw the way those eyes lit up when you saw his gun. You want that cop to shoot me, Gracie?”

Did I?

The keys felt real and solid in my hands, and I felt a little power course back into me.

“Yes, yes I do,” I said.

His hands closed over the bars, the cell room so low that his head almost brushed the ceiling.

“Bullshit. Whatdoyou want?”

“You to go away,” I said.

Saul couldn’t do anything now, couldn’t make me give him the keys, couldn’t follow through on his threat of getting me pregnant now.

“Go away? I’m your husband. It’s my job to take care of you.”

“I don’t need anyone to take care of me!”

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