“Relax, Bri,” Reese said softly.

“Is there a problem, Sheriff?” Bri didn’t know how to act. Reese was usually pretty cool and distant at work, the way a commander should be. But Reese was looking at her now with a kind of tenderness in her eyes that made her heart flutter a little bit and her stomach get queasy. Reese looked like something was hurting her. Something bad had to be wrong. “Is my dad—”

“No, Nelson is fine.” Reese clasped Bri’s shoulder. “William Everly is out. He was released on parole a little over a month ago. He hasn’t checked in with his parole officer for the last three weeks.”

Bri shivered, trying to process what Reese had just said. She hadn’t heard anything after his name. “I’m sorry. I…what did…” Bri

• 85 •

RAdCLY fFe

felt Reese’s hand tighten on her shoulder, felt the warmth of her touch, and something deep inside her shifted, steadied, and she took a breath.

“Okay. He’s out and he’s gone off the grid. You think he’s here?”

“I don’t know. But we’re going to find out. He’s got family and friends and we’ll be checking with all of them.”

“Give me the list. I’ll check—”

“No,” Reese said. “You won’t be looking for him, Bri. I’ll do it with Tremont or Wayne. Not you. If he turns up, you stay away from him, understood?”

Bri stiffened. “You don’t think I can handle him?”

“I know you can handle him. But I don’t want you to have to handle him. That’s an order, Bri.”

“Why? Just tell me why?” Bri searched Reese’s face, needing to know that Reese trusted her. Believed in her.

“Because he hurt you and no amount of jail time will ever make up for that,” Reese said quietly. “And I don’t want you to have to choose between justice and your badge.”

“I think I understand,” Bri said, her voice cracking. “But just so you know, I’d choose the badge.”

Reese pulled her close and cradled the back of her head. “I believe you. I should probably tell you that if he went after you, I might kill him myself.”

Bri closed her eyes, letting herself be held by one of the only people in her life she trusted completely. “Okay, I won’t go looking for him. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

Reese laughed quietly and stroked her hair before letting her go.

“Thanks.”

• 86 •

RetuRning tides

chapteR nine

Allie watched Bri come out of Reese’s office and head down the hall to the locker room. Bri looked shaky, her eyes not quite focused. After a minute, Allie set aside the reports she was scanning and followed her into the locker room. Bri sat on the long narrow bench between two rows of lockers, her hands between her knees, staring at the floor. Allie sat down beside her, leaving an inch of space between them.

“You okay?” Allie asked.

“Yeah. Sure.” Bri grinned weakly. “Never better.”

“You in trouble with the boss?”

Bri shook her head.

“You want me to go?”

Bri hesitated. “No. Stay. Reese will probably brief you this morning anyhow.” She grimaced. “Hell, everyone will hear about it sooner or later.”

“Hear about what?” Allie rubbed Bri’s leg just above her knee.

Bri’s muscles tensed and jumped. She was really wired. “Bri? Honey?

What’s going on?”

Bri tried to figure out how to tell her what she’d never talked about to anyone except Caroline, and Reese and Tory. She’d been a lot younger when it had happened, and not as strong. William Everly had only been a few years older, but he’d been twice her size. She didn’t think about it much anymore, and it rattled her that just the mention of his name could throw her. She thought she was stronger than that. She had to be stronger than that. She was a cop now. And Caroline needed her to be strong.

“When Caroline and I were in high school, a guy stalked Caroline.

• 87 •

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Stalked us both, sort of. He figured she should be with him instead of me.” Bri laughed bitterly. “Most people did.”

“Not Caroline,” Allie whispered. “Smart girl.”

Bri laughed, a little of the tension draining away. “Crazy girl, maybe.”

Allie nudged her shoulder. “What happened?”

“He came after her one night, but he got me instead. He put me in the hospital.”

Allie fought down a wave of fury and steeled herself to the pain that instantly settled around her heart. She hurt for Bri, but her pain was far less then Bri’s. Bri needed to talk, and wouldn’t if she knew Allie was hurting. So Allie said with as much cool as she could fake, “How bad was it?”

“Could’ve been worse.” Bri gave Allie a fleeting smile, a shadow of her usual cocky grin. “He broke my jaw. Few ribs. Pretty much beat the crap out of me.”

“Motherfucker.” Allie hesitated, wondering if she should ask the obvious question. With another girl, she might not have, but this was Bri. If she didn’t ask, Bri would figure Allie didn’t think she could handle it. Crazy turned-around thinking, but that was Bri. Allie had recognized the first day they were together in the academy that Bri’s tough-guy attitude was all about needing to prove to other people that she was strong. That she could handle herself. The only way Bri would ever let anyone take care of her was if she believed they believed in her. Somehow, Caroline figured that out about Bri years ago, and that was the big reason why Caroline was the right girl for Bri. But Bri was Allie’s friend, and Allie loved her, so she didn’t shy away from the hard stuff. “Did he rape you?”

Bri jerked, then straightened her shoulders. “No. He tried. I fought, but he was bigger. God, he was strong. But when he got on top of me, I broke his nose. And then I guess he just got pissed and beat me some more. But not that.”

“Did they get him?”

“Reese did.”

“Good,” Allie said through gritted teeth. “I hope she kicked the shit out of him.”

“He resisted a little and she took care of him.” Bri sighed.

“Anyhow, he’s out and he’s in the wind. He’s local, so he might turn up back here. Reese will fill you in.”

• 88 •

RetuRning tides

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess. I just didn’t expect it. I don’t know why not.

Nobody goes away for very long for that kind of thing. Because he resisted, and probably because I was a cop’s kid, he got the maximum.

Better than I could have hoped.”

“Do you think he’ll bother you again?”

“I don’t know. A lot of times these guys do. You know that. They get fixated on a girl, or they blame her for going to jail.” Bri turned on the bench, her blue eyes dark and cloudy. “I’m worried about Carre.

She’s the one he wanted, and she’s not going back to school until the spring semester. She’s going to be home alone while I’m working.”

“Look, we’ll find this guy. And until we do, all of us will keep an eye on her.” Allie put her arm around Bri’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“And as far as people knowing about what happened? You stood up. You hurt him. You’re a hero, baby.” Allie ruffled Bri’s hair. “Now go home and let your girl take care of you.”

Bri laughed. “You think sex cures everything.”

“Don’t you?”

“Yeah, most of the time.” Bri stood, opened her locker, and unbuttoned her uniform shirt. “So how did things go with Flynn last night?”

“Oh God, she is so fucking hot.”

Bri rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you said that before.”

“Seriously, she just kissed me and I almost came in my pants.”

“For real?”

“Believe it,” Allie said, her face flushing. “And I never do that.”

Almost never. She squashed the memory of the last time she had—when she’d been making out with Ash and Ash had played with her nipples so long and so hard she’d climaxed. Not going there. Not. Not. Not.

“Okay—major stud points,” Bri said, impressed. “So I take it your dry spell is over?”

Allie looked away. “Not exactly.”

Bri rolled up her shirt, tossed it into the laundry hamper, and pulled on her T-shirt. As she unbuckled her belt, she cut Allie a look. She’d heard something in Allie’s voice she’d never heard before. Regret.

Longing. More than a little sadness. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, really,” Allie said with forced brightness. “Hey, just

• 89 •

RAdCLY fFe

because I don’t put out for every girl who looks my way doesn’t mean there’s something wrong.”

“Yeah yeah. This is me you’re talking to. I saw her cruising you the first time she saw you. And you were already sizing her up before you even went out. Now you tell me she’s so hot you’re losing your stuff just kissing. So—if you didn’t get it on with her, why not?”

“She’s nice, Bri,” Allie said softly. “She’s somebody I might like to have as a friend, you know? Sometimes sex messes things up.”

Bri pulled on her jeans and her boots, closed her locker door, and leaned back against it. “What the fuck, Al? You’ve never minded fucking friends, and you’ve never had any trouble being friends with women you’ve have sex with—look at Deo.”

“Yeah. Look at Walker,” Allie said bitterly.

“Oh.”

“Oh what?”

“Are you still hung up on her?”

“No!” Allie glared. “It’s got nothing to do with her. She’s ancient history. I just didn’t feel like fucking Flynn last night!”

“Okay.” Bri held her hands up in surrender. “Okay. So take things slow with Flynn if that makes you feel better.” She tapped her boot against Allie’s foot. “But Jesus, don’t wait too long. I can’t stand it when you’re horny. You get bitchy.”

“Fuck you, Parker.”

Bri grinned. “See? Proves my point.”

“Oh, go home already.” Allie rose. “About that other thing. If anything breaks, I’ll let you know.”