Chapter Ten

Kayla walked into the sheriff’s department and tried to smile at everyone that addressed her. This was the last place she wanted to be, but she had no choice.

Carol did a double-take when she saw her face. “What happened to you? Did you sleep at all last night?”

She tried to laugh. “Not really. I had menstrual cramps, and nothing helped.”

“Oh, hell, I get those. They knock you flat. I wish men would live through one day of our periods. It would probably kill them, though.”

Kayla smiled at that while she put her purse away.

“Nothing much happened last night,” Carol said. “And everything this morning has been almost subdued.”

She tried to act interested but couldn’t pull it off. “I’ll take over so you can go home and crash.”

Carol hugged her. “If you’re still not feeling good, call me, and I’ll come in for your shift.”

“I’ll be fine. But thank you.”

Kayla sat down at the desk, went through the few notes left for her, and saw nothing that needed her attention.

“Hey, hun. What’s up? You look sick?” Lance said.

She looked up at him. “It’s a woman thing, but if you want to hear about my period, I’d be happy to share.”

Lance’s hands came out to ward her off. “No, it’s fine. Thanks, though,” he murmured, turned, and walked off like the Devil was after him.

She stood. She needed coffee in the worst way. She didn’t want to go past Zeke’s open door, but she had no choice. She picked up a file to pretend to read as she walked back. She knew he saw her immediately, but thankfully, he didn’t say anything.

How could his rejection hurt so much when they hadn’t had a date, unless she wanted to count the picnic?

She started a new pot of coffee. She jerked around when the door closed behind her. A spike of pure fury went through her when she saw Fletcher leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

“What the hell do you want?”

His eyes widened. She’d never talked to him in that tone before, and it shocked them both.

“What’s wrong with you?”

She tried to laugh. “Like you don’t know.”

She saw the confusion but didn’t believe it.

“Did that bastard hurt you?” he asked.

“No, I’d look closer to home.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Don’t play stupid, Fletcher.”

He threw his hands out. “I have no idea…”

He was pushed out of the way when the door opened. She almost groaned when she saw Zeke standing there.

“What’s going on in here?” Zeke asked.

She turned around and faced the coffee maker. “Nothing, Sheriff. I made some fresh coffee if either of you wants some. I’ve got to get back to work.”

She poured her cup, walked past them, and flinched away when Zeke tried to reach for her. Kayla ignored both men’s confusion and shock and returned to her desk.

Lunchtime came and went, and she tried to eat some crackers, but she couldn’t get them past her throat unless she drank water after each bite.

Thankfully, people were leaving her alone unless they had a question. She tried to ignore the way Fletcher watched her, and sometimes she caught Zeke studying her from his office doorway. She just wanted to make it through her shift and go home.

Kayla breathed a sigh of relief when Betsy walked in the door to take over. She hurried out the door without saying goodbye and made it home within a few minutes. She locked herself in, then relaxed on the sofa with her eyes closed.

The phone rang in her purse, and she snatched it up and then groaned when she saw it was the sheriff. He was one of the few calls she couldn’t ignore.

“Hello.”

“Kayla, you left before we could talk.”

“If it’s something that needs to be done right away, ask Betsy. If not, put it on my desk for tomorrow.”

She heard his frustrated growl.

“Is that the way we’re going to play this?” he asked.

“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to play the game.”

“Goddammit, it’s not a game. There’s shit going on, and I’m afraid you might get in the middle.”

“Who’s to say I’m not already in the middle?”

He was silent for a long time. “What’s going on, Honey?”

“Nothing, and you can’t call me Honey. It’s against the department rules.”

“Fuck the rules. Talk to me.”

She wished she could but had no idea if anyone was listening to their conversation. “I can’t, Sheriff. I don’t care what excuse you give. I think you made the right decision.”

“What decision is that?”

“That we stay colleagues and not take it any further.”

“That’s not what I said. Listen, let me come over so we can talk.”

“No! I’m sorry, Sheriff, but I can’t deal with this right now.”

He was quiet for so long, she thought he’d hung up on her.

“I’ll get to the bottom of it sooner or later, Little Sub.”

God, how had her life turned into a fiasco? “I’ve got to go.”

“All right. Get some sleep.”

She hung up and then held the phone on her stomach. How had her life become so complicated so quickly? She went from a small-town dispatcher to a secretive, angry woman who disliked how her life was going, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

There must be a way to get through to Darrell. He’d have an idea of what to do. She wasn’t going to use her own phone, but maybe she could ask to use someone else’s tomorrow? She felt better having some kind of plan in place.

She knew she should eat something, so she made some toast and ate it as she got ready to take a shower. After the shower, she pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt just in case she needed to run, set the gun on the pillow next to her, and closed her eyes.