Chapter Eighteen

Dolly

T he next morning, Dolly thought about calling into work and just lounging in bed all day. But she had decided last night, after eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, that she was going to tell Shelby about her escort past. Loretta had a good point. There were people who needed to hear the news from her first.

Of course, she’d ask Shelby not to say anything to Nash until she had a chance to talk to him. She hoped that she still had a job after telling Shelby that if news spread about her working at Leisure Industries, she’d be in violation of her morality clause in her contract.

Taking a steadying breath, Dolly checked her makeup in the mirror and attempted to smooth her tousled hair into some semblance of order. A harsh knock on her door surprised her. It was barely eight a.m. Could it be Nash coming by for a good-morning kiss?

But when she pulled open the door, it wasn’t Nash standing there, but a stern-faced stranger in a crisp suit flashing a badge.

“Special Agent Miles Garrett, FBI. We need to talk, Ms. Keller.”

“Um, come in, I guess. I was just heading to the office.”

Miles didn’t so much as blink at her obvious confusion. He also stayed in the doorway. “We’ve been monitoring Debbi Mitchell’s work computer as part of an ongoing investigation. Our technicians have evidence that you illegally accessed and deleted files related to an open case of ours.”

As realization dawned, cold tendrils of dread snaked down her spine.

“There’s been a misunderstanding,” she protested, fighting to keep her voice steady against the rising tide of panic. “I only deleted a personal file about me. It had nothing to do with any FBI investigation.”

But Miles’s razor-sharp features remained infuriatingly impassive, his mouth a flat line as he stared her down. “My forensic team seems to think otherwise when they recovered the file.”

“Recovered?” Dolly’s throat constricted so tightly she could barely force the words out. “You mean you’ve…you’ve seen…?”

“We’ve seen everything, Ms. Keller.” There was no sympathy in Miles’s tone, only an undisguised warning. “Which is why I need you to come with me.”

“Do I need a lawyer?” she asked, not believing this was happening.

“That is your right to have one during questioning, but things don’t have to get that official.” He gestured toward his car. “We just want to record our interview with you.”

“Let me just grab my purse and lock up,” she said.

He nodded.

Leaving him on the doorstep, she went into her bedroom and shot off a quick text to Nash.

Miles Garrett from the FBI is taking me in for questioning. What should I do?

The text came back immediately. Don’t say anything until I get there.

I don’t know where he’s taking me.

“Ms. Keller?” Miles called from the door. “Let’s go.”

I’ll find out and meet you there.

Stuffing the phone into her purse, she hurried back out. “I’m coming.”

After locking her apartment door, she got into the front seat of Miles’s sedan. She fought the rising urge to hyperventilate as the car’s engine rumbled to life. “This is just a misunderstanding,” she said as Miles pulled away from the RV park.

But Miles remained stone-faced, refusing to engage any further until they arrived at a discreet mobile office tucked away in a vacant lot. He ushered Dolly inside the cramped trailer, bringing her to a sparsely furnished room with a folding table and chairs. “Please, have a seat Ms. Keller. Can I get you some coffee?”

Caught off guard by his bland politeness, Dolly could only nod mutely as Miles departed, leaving her to stew in dread and confusion. Finally, he returned with Styrofoam cups and settled across from her.

“Now then,” he began crisply, “you expressed a desire to explain yourself regarding the files you deleted from Ms. Mitchell’s computer. I’m listening.”

Dolly wet her dry lips, throat tight with nerves. “I…yes. Of course. You see, it wasn’t anything related to your case. It was just a personal file. About me.” Where the hell are you, Nash?

Miles’s expression didn’t flicker. “Why did you delete it?”

“You’ve seen what was in it, right?”

The trailer’s door banged open before Miles could respond. Nash stormed inside with fire in his eyes.

“What the hell is going on here, Miles?” He looked poised for violence as Miles rose calmly to face him.

“Ms. Keller has some explaining to do.”

“The hell she does,” Nash snarled, moving to stand protectively beside Dolly. “You’ve got no right dragging her down here like a criminal.”

“Actually, I do,” Miles said evenly. “She deleted files off Debbi Mitchell’s computer.”

“You did what?” Nash whirled to her.

She flinched back from the incredulous look in his eyes.

“One file. I deleted one file, and it had nothing to do with the rodeo.”

“Since she obviously called you instead of her lawyer, you might as well stay.”

Nash looked mutinous, but after a beat, slid into the chair next to Dolly, taking her clammy hand in his larger, calloused one. His dark eyes searched her face. “You okay, sweetheart?” His voice was low, tense. Dolly squeezed his hand hard, drawing courage from his presence despite the fact this was not how she wanted to tell him about her escort days.

“Yeah.”

Miles cleared his throat meaningfully as Nash reluctantly released Dolly’s hand. “Let’s start from the top. What can you tell me about your relationship with Jackson Blevins?”

“He’s one of my bosses. He and Shelby Miller assign me marketing and promotion tasks.”

“Are you having an affair with him?”

Nash stood up in his chair, squaring off against Miles.

Dolly yanked Nash back down. “No. Gross. He hates women and he’s a real prick.”

Miles blinked at her. “He gave you a cheerleading outfit from your professional days.”

Dolly didn’t like the way he said professional and based on the way Nash was gritting his teeth, he wasn’t too thrilled about it either.

“I hadn’t realized he had given me that gift. He left it anonymously.”

“Gift?” Nash said. “That’s the one you were so upset about?”

She nodded. “Sorry, I lied to you. I didn’t know he had been the one to send it until later.”

“Good thing he’s already in the hospital,” Nash muttered.

“What was in the file that you deleted?”

“You said you read it,” she hedged. This was not how she wanted Nash to find out.

“Tell me anyway.”

Squeezing Nash’s hand in apology, she said, “It was a file about my previous job at a company called Leisure Industries. I was a…an escort for a brief time.” She turned to Nash, whose face was strangely impassive. “I never slept with anyone for money. I had planned to, but I chickened out at the last minute. I’m not proud of what I did, but I learned from the experience. I wanted a fresh start, so I didn’t disclose any of this on my application when I applied to the UPRC. They have a morality clause in their contract. I probably wouldn’t have been hired if I had mentioned my time at Leisure—” She broke off. It was hard to breathe. Her chest hurt.

“You don’t have to say anything else,” Nash said.

“No. I want to. I need to. Anyway, when I saw that Blevins was the one who sent me the cheerleading outfit, I was afraid that he was planning on using my past to blackmail me.”

“Blackmail you for what?” Miles said.

“To shake my pom poms,” Dolly snapped. “I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. I’ve been documenting all the inappropriate things he does or says to me.” She turned to Nash. “You can check that with Shelby—she knows and has been encouraging me to keep a log.”

“Give me your phone,” Miles demanded, his hand extended. “I need to check the messages.”

Nash’s fists clenched as he tried to intervene. “That’s not necessary, Dolly. You don’t owe him anything.”

But she shook her head, determined to be transparent. “I don’t want any more secrets.” She handed her phone over to Miles. “Anyway, that’s why I deleted the file.”

“It probably wasn’t the only copy,” Nash said softly.

“Yeah.” She gave a half-laugh. “Now that I’ve got a hot second to think about it, I see that it was a dumb move. I panicked.”

“I need to make copies of these.” Miles eyed Nash warily before leaving the room, her phone in his hand. The silence that followed was thick with tension.

It took every ounce of courage Dolly had to face Nash and confess the rest of her past. “I’m sorry I never told you about this,” she said, her voice cracking. “I should’ve been honest from the start. But I was frightened and ashamed.”

“It doesn’t matter to me, Dolly,” Nash replied, his eyes softening. “I always knew.”

Her blue eyes widened in shock. “Who else knows?”

“Shelby.”

The knowledge that someone she admired knew her secret made her feel exposed, vulnerable. She crossed her arms defensively, trying to shield herself from the weight of his gaze.

“When I started digging into Blevins and the UPRC, I did a deep background check on everyone involved, including you,” he continued, his eyes never leaving hers. “And yes, you were one of my suspects at first. But like Shane and the Viking Ranch, it just didn’t add up for you to be working with Blevins.”

Anger flared within Dolly, her cheeks burning with indignation. “You knew, and you didn’t say anything?”

Nash sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away. “I was waiting for you to tell me. I didn’t want to pressure you or make you feel like you couldn’t trust me with your secrets.”

Her anger waned, replaced by a heavy sense of unease. “Do you believe me, Nash? That I never actually slept with anyone for money?” The words tasted bitter on her tongue, the admission of her past still feeling foreign and raw.

“I do,” he said.

Dolly looked away, struggling to process the sincerity in his voice. Could she really trust him? Did he truly believe her, or was he just saying what he thought she needed to hear? She wanted desperately to believe him, to let his faith in her wash away the lingering shame and doubt that had plagued her for so long.

“Thank you,” she whispered, not daring to meet his eyes. The words felt hollow, but they were all she had, a feeble attempt at acknowledging the depth of her gratitude and his unwavering support.

Miles returned, his stern expression softening as he addressed Dolly. “The bureau won’t be pressing charges, provided you no longer interfere in the investigation. You’re free to go,” he said, handing back her phone.

Relief washed over her, but it did little to ease the tension that coiled in her gut.

“I appreciate that,” she said, unable to keep the tremor from her voice.

Nash shot her a reassuring look before turning back to Miles. As they stood up, Miles gestured toward Nash. “A quick word in private?”

“I’ll wait for you by your truck, Nash,” Dolly said, trying to sound casual despite her wavering nerves. “You can give me a ride to work. I’m late.”

As she walked out of the trailer, she caught sight of Debbi, looking miserable, in a meeting with another agent. Her mind raced with possibilities, and she wondered if they were getting closer to uncovering information on Blevins’s offshore account.

Waiting outside, Dolly leaned against Nash’s truck, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin.

She glanced back at the trailer, curiosity gnawing at her insides. The arid breeze did little to lift the unease still churning within her. It wasn’t every day a girl got grilled by the FBI as a suspect and lived to tell about it. What were Nash and Miles discussing? Was it about her, or something else related to the investigation?

“Ready to go?” Nash’s voice startled her out of her reverie as he approached the truck.

“Y-yeah,” she stuttered, trying to shake off her uncertainty. “Let’s go.”

As they drove away from the makeshift FBI headquarters, Dolly stole glances at Nash. His jaw was set, his eyes focused on the road ahead. Was he really okay with her past? She could prove it to him. She could call up Jefferson Laker and ask him to talk with Nash. It would be horribly unprofessional and a potential career-ending move, but if Nash had any doubts about her character, it would be worth it.