Page 23 of Stormswept Colorado

Also, my finger hurt from jabbing it into Teller’s chest.Ow. He wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest under there, was he? It had felt like a solid brick wall.

How much muscle was he packing beneath that uniform?

The door squeaked as he returned to the bathroom a couple of minutes later. “We’re going out the market’s back exit. My SUV will be waiting. Someone’s bringing it around. If we’re lucky, no one will get any photos of you in cuffs, but I can’t make any promises.”

“I know. I, um, I apologize. I shouldn’t have hit you.”

He cocked his hip. “You didn’t hit me. It was a poke.”

“But there’s no excuse for using violence. I’m sincerely sorry.”

A smirk appeared on his lips, then smoothed away. “I accept your apology. But you wanted me to arrest you, so that’s what I’m doing.”

“I’ll accept the consequences.”

He dipped his chin in a nod. “Alright, Troublemaker. Let’s go.”

“At leastTroublemakeris better thanPrincess.”

His lips twitched again.

Teller led me through the market. Rosie waved at me, while a few other shoppers gawked as I passed. I smiled sheepishly. Thankfully, nobody was taking any photos.

Maybe we could all laugh about this someday.Right? Because it was pretty ridiculous.

His Silver Ridge PD vehicle idled in the alley behind the market.It was getting dark out, which meant most people were at dinner by now. Or maybe still distracted by the police activity out front.

“I lost my purse somewhere,” I said. “And my shopping bags.”

“Already spoke to Officer Nichols. She’s got your belongings secured.”

Then I remembered that I was supposed to be meeting Ashford and Emma and everyone else at Hearthstone any minute now. Crap. I didn’t want to ruin the bachelor/bachelorette party.

Maybe I could get a message to them that something else came up, so they wouldn’t worry when I didn’t show.

“Could I use my phone?” I asked.

“We’ll see once we get to the station. It’s not far.” He opened the front passenger door of his SUV.

“I’m supposed to ride in back, aren’t I? I’m a prisoner.”

Teller sighed. “Suit yourself.” He closed that door, then opened the one to the backseat. “Get in. Justice awaits.”

I slid into the back with difficulty, considering my wrists were still cuffed. Teller reached in to stretch the seatbelt across me.

“You do that for all your prisoners?” I asked.

“Just the extra troublesome ones.” He smirked, but his large hands were gentle as they slid the seatbelt buckle into place with a click.

After getting in, he put the engine in gear and drove down the alley. “Might want to hide your face, unless you want someone to snap a photo.”

Good point. I bent over and laid on the seat.

When we parked a few minutes later, I sat up tentatively. We were at the back of a sprawling, one-story brick building. Nobody was around as Teller got me out of the backseat and led me inside.

A couple of curious faces glanced over from open doorways, eyes going wide as we passed. I heard voices and activity elsewhere in the station.

I’d always wondered what it was like to get arrested. I just hadn’t expected to experience it firsthand.

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