Page 71 of All You Want
“I don’t see how it has anything to do with you being crooked.”
“Your father had a deal with Weaver to cover up something. If I become your boyfriend, wouldn’t he have a hold on me too? Through you?”
I back away from Todd and gape, shaking my head in disbelief. “Whatever he did with Weaver has nothing to do with you.”
“What do you know about it? You have to tell me.”
“It’s nothing, Todd. Drop it. It’s sleeping dogs. You have a murder investigation, and everyone’s getting sleepy.”
He moves so fast, striking like a cobra or a Mack truck, and smashes his lips over mine. Kissing me hard and sending heat zapping from the tips of my nipples to the throbbing between my thighs.
I kiss him back, giving him a taste he won’t soon forget, then I forcibly jerk my head aside and scowl. “I’ll work with you to find the murderer and secure my hotel, but I’ll take care of my own security. Don’t go digging in my past. You won’t like what you find, and I won’t let you break my heart.”
“No, Tami.” His gaze is as heated as a bed of burning coals. “I might be breaking you in, but I won’t ever break your heart. I’m going to fix all of this and clear your name. I’ve an inkling what happened, and you can’t stop me from digging. Once you’re cleared, I’m going to marry you.”
“What are you saying?” I drop my hands, no longer caring that my breasts, belly, and thighs are fully visible. “You think I killed Viola? Are you kidding me? Clear me from what? It’s your mask the cat dragged in. Your bloody mask.”
“I’m not accusing you, but I need to know what Evan knows. Maybe he’s trying to frame you to pressure you into doing what he wants. I won’t let him ruin you.”
“It’s not up to you.” I squeeze myself so hard, goosebumps pop over my skin. “You go back there and do your job, Sheriff.”
“I will.” His gaze is steady on me. “No matter what anyone has on you, I promise you, I’ll fix it. And after I fix it, I’m going to make you my bride. Pure and clean and glorious.”
His segue gives me whiplash. One minute, we’re talking about murder and the next, he’s proposing marriage?
“You’re delusional, Todd Colson,” is all that pops from my astonished mouth.
“Maybe I am.” He laughs heartily. “But you’re all I want. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, and for the first time in my life, I’m going to get what I want.”
He closes the shower curtain, leaving me shivering with a cocktail of crushed ice over hot warm fudge.
I’m all he ever wanted? How can that be?
Twenty-Six
~ Todd ~
“We have a big problem,” Shane says to me the next morning at the station. “One of Tami’s sorority sisters is missing, and witnesses say she left with that big animal, the anonymous Bigfoot. However, some of the earlier photos show Bigfoot’s mask behind the dumpster, but he supposedly left hours before the murder.”
“Maybe the guy tossed the mask on the way out.”
“True, but it’s gone now,” Shane says, flipping through his notes. “Whoever did this invited the rest of the guests to mess up the crime scene. I’d say that was pretty smart.”
“Only a few people know about the control room.” I swallow cold coffee and rub my bleary eyes. I don’t particularly trust Shane, but he is a fellow cop, and right now, I need his help. Since he was at the station most of the evening, he wouldn’t have had much opportunity to plan the murder.
I sent him over right before the fireworks show, and because he’s not one of us, he’s more noticeable. Plus, he wasn’t in costume—not that it’s hard to find a black sheet and cover himself up.
“That’s part of the problem,” Shane says. “The control room wasn’t locked, and Tami left herself logged in to the audio effects app. Anyone, including Tami, could have typed in the words for the ghostly broadcast.”
I read the words Shane copied from the screen.
Woo… woo… woo… Anyone still awake? Don’t miss out on hashtag harrowing haunts. Follow the screams and meet the latest Bee Sting ghost. Bring your phones and take pictures of the evidence and examine the murderous scene. Hunt for clues and interview witnesses. First one to find the murderer wins an original Bee Sting Bordello gold nugget.
“Did you ask Molly about the message?” I ask. “It’s unlikely some random person would know to type in a message like this.”
“Shucks, I finished with Molly first and let her go home since she had an alibi.”
“Did you find Evan?”
