Page 51 of Nauti Boy (Nauti 1)

Assaulting an officer of the law was a very bad thing, Rowdy reminded himself. Kelly would be upset. She wouldn’t be happy with him at all.

“She can give her statement tomorrow afternoon, Deputy,” he all but barked. “She won’t be able to tell you shit tonight. ”

Carlyle smiled again as he lowered his head and shook it slowly.

“I heard you were a real tough guy,” he commented, his voice on the wrong side of mocking. “I’d rein that in if I were you, boy. ”

Boy? Rowdy narrowed his eyes slowly.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” Rowdy growled. “Don’t piss me off any further, boy. And before you get on your high horse maybe you should call your boss and ask him just how far back we go together. You’re risking more than my fist in that smirking face of yours. ”

Beating around the bush wasn’t his style, and he’d just had enough of this little dweeb’s sneer.

“Dawg and Natches are still downstairs, Mackay,” the deputy said.

“So?” Rowdy snapped.

“Last I heard, there isn’t much you boys don’t do together. Don’t tell me you’d actually fight without them. ”

Rowdy smiled at that one. The kid was a punk, and he was about to learn a lesson he didn’t want right now. “I managed to kill just fine without them for four years, Deputy. Want to test it?”

Carlyle’s smirk was going to get him killed for sure.

“I’ll just leave you to your business here then,” he chuckled. “Bring Kelly into the office in the morning. I’m looking forward to talking to her. ”

Carlyle turned then and ambled down the hall as Rowdy reminded himself that killing outside the Marines was a bad thing. Very bad. Especially smart-mouthed deputies.

Son of a bitch, when had kids like that decided the

job was a power trip? Rowdy had half a mind to follow him outside and show him what real power was. The kind of power that slipped up on you in the dark and left you bleeding.

And he could have, hell, he would have taken him out while he was standing there in the doorway with that sneer, but all he saw was Kelly. She would have been horrified if he had actually hurt that little punk while she was around.

Shaking his head he moved downstairs, mentally gearing himself up to face Kelly. Every little treasure she possessed had been in that room. The teddy bear he won for her at a fair when she was just a kid. The porcelain doll one of her friends had gotten her for a birthday. Her frilly hair bows and her silky clothes.

He stepped into the living room, his gaze connecting with Dawg and Natches as Kelly jumped to her feet from the chair she had been sitting in.

“How bad is it?” Her fingers were twisting together in front of her, her face pale.

Damn, he hated this.

“It’s pretty bad, baby,” he sighed, moving to her and pulling her into his arms.

She fit against him perfectly. A warm weight he hadn’t known was missing in his life until now.

“I’m okay. ” She shook her head against his chest. “I need to go up there, though. I have to see what’s left. The sheriff wants a statement. ”

And he couldn’t keep her from going up there, despite the fact that it was killing him.

He stared at Dawg and Natches over her head and with a small movement of his head indicated that he wanted the area outside of the house checked. The sheriff’s boys could have missed something. Something his cousins might identify quicker than the investigative team that had come out could have.

Dawg nodded as he and Natches moved from the room.

“Come on,” Rowdy sighed, keeping his arm around her. “Let’s go check it out. ”

There was nothing left, just as Rowdy had warned her. Kelly stared at the mess silently from the doorway and fought back her tears. Even the jewelry box had been destroyed.

“How am I supposed to tell if anything is missing?” The destruction was complete.

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