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“I know. But, I mean, she wasn’t…”
“No. She wasn’t raped or beaten. He tied her up and messed with her head.” Bile rose in Mia’s throat. “I got home and I shot him. Dead.”
“Good for you.”
Yeah, except the mental problems that had always plagued Gena came back three-fold. The woman wouldn’t leave the house now. “Where are we going?”
“To the Volk house. I want your take on Ben, Erik, and Seth.” The car ate up the asphalt as Pete continued following the lake until he turned up a long drive.
Pine trees lined the way, their needles falling to the ground in the colder weather. Carefully tended bushes lived between them, extending in every direction. Soon, a large ranch house came into view. Three stories, made of wood, the house sat at the base of a rising mountain. Snow dusted the very top of the peak.
“Wow.” Mia took in the intricate stonework covering the bottom story of the house. “The Volks have serious money.”
“Yeah.” Pete pulled to a stop. “By the way, you’re officially hired as deputy so you can help on this case. We can do the paperwork once we get back to the office.” He jumped from the car.
Mia nodded, her gaze still on the imposing house. “Okay.”
Pete scratched his head. “I talked to Ruby Redbird’s best friend yesterday and then confirmed with Ruby’s doctor. Guess what? Ruby was pregnant.”
Mia stiffened. “Can you say motive?”
“Might not have been Erik Volk’s baby.” Pete ambled toward the wide double door.
“That’s even more of a motive.” The weight of the gun at her ankle lent her a sense of security. “I need a service weapon.”
“Yep. I have a Glock 21 for you back at the station.”
So she was Glock girl now. Good. She was comfortable with Glocks.
Pete rang the doorbell, which pealed throughout the entire house in an echo that bounced back. He scratched his head. “Why do rich people always have weird doorbells?”
“Dunno. Am I leading, or are you?”
“You’re on after I introduce you.”
A man wearing all black opened the door, his movements graceful and precise. He stood to at least six feet tall and was packing, the gun casually tucked in his waistband. His dark eyes surveyed them. “Sheriff Maxwell. The Volks have been expecting you.”
A bodyguard? These people had bodyguards?
She cut her eyes toward the sheriff, following him through an entryway that went beyond opulent to are you freakin’ kidding me? Priceless vases adorned antique tables while original oils from the masters lined the walls—mostly western paintings, several of them C.M. Russell’s. Mia’s feet twitched with the need to take off her shoes so she wouldn’t stain the Persian rug partially covering the solid pine floor.
Instead, she kept her eyes on the bodyguard’s broad back. The guy moved like an FBI sniper she’d met once. Spooky guy with great pecs.
He shoved open a pine door thicker than Mia’s calf to what could only be called a gentleman’s study. She had no clue where she’d heard that expression, but it certainly fit.
The scent of pipe tobacco hung in the air, providing a comforting vanilla whiskey smell as she stepped into the room. A wide desk sat over in the far corner, while a seating area made up of overstuffed chairs surrounding a large glass table filled the middle. Seth leaned against an intricate wood mantel adorning a tumbled rock fireplace big enough to step inside.
He wore faded jeans and a long-sleeved navy shirt with the flak boots she remembered. A two-day scruff lined his hard jaw. His bottom lip was swollen. No expression sat on his rugged face.
But the impact from those blue eyes slammed her hard in the solar plexus.
Two other men sat in chairs—one scowling and blond, the other about sixty with shrewd chocolate-colored eyes and gray hair. The door closed quietly behind the bodyguard.
The older gentleman stood. “Sheriff, how nice to see you again.”
“Same to you, Mr. Volk. This is Mia Stone, who is working on the Ruby Redbird case.”
“Benjamin, please.” He glided forward, smoothly taking her hand in his rough one. Gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Stone.”
“Mia.” She allowed him to pull her to sit in one of the plush chairs.
Benjamin Volk had straight, patrician features set in a cultured face. Thin lips, high cheekbones, and a direct stare. He moved with grace and a sense of strength. While he and Seth were about the same size, he lacked the wildness so apparent in his eldest son. But the edge of danger was there.
The blond stood, a charming smile flashing twin dimples in a handsome face he obviously inherited from his father. The similarities were striking. Though a bruise extended along his left cheekbone.
Had the Volk men been fighting? Why were they both bruised?
“I’m Erik.” He leaned across the table to shake her hand.
The sheriff dropped into a chair. “Is your lawyer coming?”
“Why would we need a lawyer, Sheriff?” Seth drawled, his gaze remaining on Mia.
“No reason.” Pete flashed a smile as both Ben and Erik retook their seats. “Mia just has a couple of questions.”
Benjamin turned his focus on her. “You’re a police officer?”
“No. I was an FBI Behavioral Scientist.”
“Interesting.” Something in his expression seemed off.
She studied the man behind the civilized mask and kept her face set in pleasant lines. “Really? Why is that?”
He cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. “Well, after the trouble you had as a teenager, I figured law enforcement wouldn’t be your first choice as a profession.”
So Volk had already investigated her. That was quick. He must have decent connections. “You figured wrong.”
“Still,”—his smile didn’t quite reach his dark eyes—“to be accused of murder while just a young teen must’ve been difficult for you.”
Seth shifted his stance. “She was exonerated. Let it go.”
“Not quite true,” Mia murmured. “There wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute me. That’s different than being exonerated.” She met Benjamin’s stare evenly.
The older man lifted a shoulder. “The file said you’d killed a foster parent who’d raped your foster sister and made a move on you.”
Pete leaned forward to protest, and Mia waved him back.
“I know what the report said.” She kept her body relaxed. This asshole wouldn’t throw her off her game. “He made more than a move. He drove me to the middle of nowhere…and met with an unfortunate accident before he could hurt me.”
“He ended up at the bottom of an abandoned well.” Ben’s eyes sparked with curiosity.
“The terrain in the middle of nowhere is uneven.” Mia rested her hands in her lap, focusing on her responses and not the emotional reactions to that day.
Ben hissed out a breath. “Did you kill him?”
“Enough!” Seth’s voice cracked across the room like a whip.
Erik jumped, and Pete set his hand on the butt of his gun.
Yet Mia and Benjamin remained calmly in place.
The older man nodded. “Yes. I apologize for the intrusion into your life. I try to know what’s going on in my town.”
Mia crossed her legs. “In that case, who killed Ruby Redbird?”
Benjamin relaxed back in his chair. “My best guess? The transient seen lurking around town all that week. We don’t get many visitors here, and he stood out. After Ruby died, he disappeared.”
Yeah. Wasn’t it always the transient? Mia studied the Volk brothers from the corner of her eye. Erik had lost his smile and leaned away from both his father and Mia. Seth hadn’t twitched. It was interesting that he’d remained standing. From his vantage point, he could intercept either her or the sheriff if one of them went for Benjamin.
She turned her focus on Erik. “You were dating Ruby?”
“No. We weren’t dating.” He crossed his legs. Wearing ripped jeans and a club shirt, and with his hair clasped at his neck, he looked like he was heading out for the bar scene in Seattle.
“What were you doing?” Mia asked softly.
Benjamin gave his son a look. “They weren’t doing anything, Ms. Stone.”
Erik opened his mouth and then shut it again.
Mia nodded. “Okay, let’s start differently. Erik, did you know Ruby Redbird?”
“Yes.” He ran a finger along the scruff at his jaw. “We live in a small town. Of course, I knew Ruby.”
“Were you friends?”
“Sure. I’m friends with everybody.” His upper lip twisted on the last.
Man, she’d like to get him alone and away from the two men currently flanking him. “I’m assuming a lot of people saw you and Ruby together in this small town. Did you take Ruby out?”
He sighed. “No. But we spent time together in a group.”
“Tell me about her.”
His eyebrows rose. “Ruby was a sweetheart. She worked over at the drug store, but she, ah, wanted to be a writer.” His voice softened at the end.
“What kind of books did she write?” Mia asked.
Erik’s shoulders lowered. “Mysteries. She really liked the suspense in a good mystery.” He laughed, the sound lacking humor. “That’s ironic now, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Mia clasped her hands together. “Where did she live?”
“She lived in the apartment complex over on Main Street—by herself. No roommates.”
Seth’s shoulders straightened slightly, and Benjamin’s head tilted. Erik seemed oblivious to the sudden tension.
Mia kept her focus on his blue eyes. This close, they appeared several shades lighter than Seth’s. “What was her apartm
ent like?”
“Clean. Ruby was a neat freak. And everything was gingham—lots of different colors of gingham.” Erik scrubbed both hands down his face. “Somehow, it really worked. She had a gift.”
So, he admitted to knowing Ruby, being friends, and seeing the inside of her apartment. “Was Ruby dating anybody?”
Erik paused and then licked his lips. “I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t really know. We weren’t that close.”
Liar. Mia nodded slowly. “Okay. When was the last time you saw Ruby?”
He swallowed. “Earlier the day she died. A bunch of us met to watch the football game over at Smiley’s Tavern.”
“What was she wearing?”
“Blue shorts, green top, and gold sandals,” Erik said, his gaze darting to the floor.
Interesting he could remember that so clearly. “What were you wearing?”
He shrugged. “Probably jeans and a shirt. Who knows?”
“Did she leave with anybody?”
Erik drew air in through his nose, his gaze rising to meet hers. “Not that I know of.”
Time for Mia to lie. “Witnesses said you walked out with her.”
“No, they didn’t.” Erik lowered his chin, his gaze direct, a small smirk on his lips. “Nobody told you that.”
“Because it isn’t true, or because nobody would speak against you?” Mia asked, her gaze raking the wealth in the room.
“Does it matter?” Erik shot back.
Mia pressed her hands against her dark jeans. “I think it might.” She’d never had money or understood people who had a bunch of it. Somehow, they thought little pieces of paper decorated with the faces of old presidents made the rules different for them. “Was Ruby drinking?”
“We had pitchers of beer on every table.” Erik frowned. “But I don’t think she drank any. For some reason, I remember her ordering a soda.” He glanced at his wristwatch.
Mia lifted her gaze to Seth. “Were you there?”
“No.” His voice was much lower and smoother than his brother’s. The rumbling tone slid over her skin like silk.
Erik barked out a laugh. “Seth isn’t interested in football games.”
What was Seth Volk interested in? “Why not?”
“I’m busy.” His hooded gaze was really beginning to annoy her.
“When was the last time you saw Ruby Redbird, Seth?” she asked.
Benjamin waved his hand. “No more questions about Ruby. We’ve answered them all.”
“I don’t remember the last time I saw Ruby,” Seth said, ignoring his father. “Sorry.”
Pete signaled her with a head tilt. Yeah, they were about done. The Volk men were finished answering questions for now, and the bodyguard would probably make an appearance any second.
Mia let out a breath. “I just have one more question. Do any of you know who fathered Ruby’s baby?”
Chapter 6
Seth’s entire body went cold.
Erik leapt to his feet, and his fingers curled into fists. A growl emanated from deep in his gut, sounding way too animalistic. “Ruby wasn’t pregnant.”
A low rumble echoed from Benjamin as he stood, his stance set and fury vibrating off his body. He might be in his sixties, but Benjamin Volk was all power and strength and would be for a very long time. It was impossible for anybody with a brain to mistake the threat he represented for anything but death. “Get out of my house.” His voice had turned guttural.
Seth took two steps to put himself between his father and Mia, keeping them both in his sights. He didn’t stop to ask himself which one of them he was protecting. “Everyone, calm down. What proof do you have that Ruby was with child?” Why hadn’t the young woman said anything to him?
Mia stood, all grace, yet keeping her right leg free. The woman had a gun at her ankle. She eyed Erik but inched ever so slightly toward Seth—probably wasn’t even aware she’d moved. Seth’s tension ratcheted up more. He’d been trained since the age of six to protect his father…yet he was about to shield a woman he’d just met. What was it about this particular female?
The sheriff ambled to his feet, looking clumsy but seeming in perfect control of his body with his hand resting on the butt of his gun. He used the good ol’ boy role to his advantage, but his gaze was sharp and missed nothing. “We spoke with Ruby’s best friend, and we saw her calendar where she’d just had an appointment with a gynecologist in Seattle. A phone call to him confirmed the pregnancy.”
Erik’s hand trembled as he ran it through his hair. His face went pale, showing dark circles under his eyes. Even his lips leached of color. “Bullshit. This is bullshit.” His tone had risen from the low growl, so at least he was in control of his body at the moment. But his emotions rocketed through the room in waves of shock and hurt.
“Keep it together, brother.” Seth hadn’t felt the need to provide cover for his brother in a long time, and the urge to do so now rode him hard. He felt as if he were being pulled in three different directions, so all he could do was stand in the middle of the storm and wait for whoever made a move. The only person he wasn’t interested in protecting was the sheriff, and he was off to the side, surveying the entire scene. Safely.
Mia stepped toward Erik, looking small and graceful. “Would you like to revise your statement, Erik?”
Seth pivoted, putting his body slightly between them in case Erik struck. While Mia might think she had the advantage, considering her training and weapon at her ankle, she was dead wrong. If Erik lost control and showed his true face, she would be in even more danger. Benjamin would make sure of it. “Knock it off, Mia,” Seth growled, his voice way too guttural for the moment. Energy coursed through him, sparking through his extremities. He rolled his neck to remain sane and in control. The idea of her in danger shouldn’t be affecting him to this degree.
Erik’s chin lowered. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Benjamin shoved his son back into the chair with one hand on his shoulder, showing too much strength for his age. “I said to get out of my house.” Pivoting, he moved toward Mia with the obvious intention of removing her bodily.
Without thought, Seth grabbed Mia’s arm and turned them both toward the door. He tried to keep from bruising her, but when she attempted to pull away, he firmed his grip. There was no way she could evade him, but she didn’t understand that as of yet. Without hesitating, he dragged her to the door, his senses filling with her unique scent. He’d know her anywhere in the world, even if she were blocks away from him. “Time to leave, pretty Mia.”
The door swung open, and their housekeeper gestured toward the front door. About sixty and a permanent fixture in the house, her red hair had been tied to the side, revealing a wound in her upper shoulder. A raw one that had just begun to heal, which meant she’d probably sustained it the night before. Seth paused and then shook his head.
He gave Mia a slight push, releasing her arm. The loss of her touch hit him square in the gut, and it took every ounce of his impenetrable control to keep from reaching for her. She didn’t belong there in the middle of his family’s drama, especially since blood would most likely be shed. “Alice, please see Ms. Stone and Sheriff Maxwell out.” He bent to whisper in Mia’s ear. “Meet me at the diner three blocks down from the sheriff’s office at noon for lunch.”
She jerked her head away from him, her gaze on Alice. “Were you bitten by a dog?”
Alice pursed her thin lips. Her gaze was sharp, and her nostrils flared as she no doubt took in the tension surrounding them. “Yes, and I’m fine. Please let me show you out.”
Mia gave Seth one last look and headed for the door. He let her go, wanting nothing more than to follow her right out and touch that soft skin again. He needed some time to figure out why he was so drawn to her, especially since only danger surrounded him. There had to be a way for him to keep her safe, and that meant maintaining a close eye on her.
It would be their one and only date. He tried to convince himself of that truth and then gave up. While he had no problem lying to other people, he very rarely lied to himself. He wanted Mia Stone with a need that was frightening.
Erik’s ragged breathing caught Seth’s attention, so he schooled his features and returned to the study, shutting the door quietly even though he wanted to slam it. “Ruby was pregnant?”
Erik ran trembling hands over his face. His body shuddered, and for the briefest of seconds, he looked like that lost, five-year-old kid Seth used to protect. Bewilderment filled his blue eyes, and pain etched out from the corners in thin lines. “I didn’t know she was pregnant.”