Page 5 of Cautious Love

“It is…” Will trails off.

I start to open my mouth, then think better of it. “You know what? I don’t want to know. I want anything pertinent to aninvestigation that includes working a possible informant. No more and no less, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” he says, and they stand to leave.

“Luke?”

“Yeah?” he asks, turning around.

“Watch your partner’s back. If this goes south, I have a feeling the Kensingtons will not respond kindly.”

He nods seriously.

We’ve been working this case for the majority of my time as sheriff. I started it before I was elected, and with all my additional duties, I had to pass the majority of it off to Will and Luke. Overall, it’s been years of light surveillance because it’s challenging to watch someone in the middle of nowhere without giving yourself up. So it has to be in town.

Regardless, we’re at a standstill and something needs to be done. As much as it makes my skin crawl, it’s a solid play and could work in our favor to get us enough to tear the Kensington property apart. But in the meantime, I’ll be damned if I let these druggy assholes ruin this town and kill more of our people.

“Ledger, you need to leave in fifteen for patrol,” Daisy says, poking her face around the corner.

“Thanks, Daisy,” I call.

She smiles and her long brown hair flaps behind her as if she’s walking through a wind tunnel.

I might be running this place, but we all share the burden of patrol and keeping the rest of this county safe.

Our job is to uphold the law, but sometimes it feels like it works against us with the bureaucracy, and a judge will laugh me and the DA out of his chambers if all I have is hearsay to present him for a full RICO indictment on the Kensingtons.

My phone rings, and it’s Fletcher.

Frowning, I lift it to my ear. “Fletch, is everything okay? I’ve gotta get on patrol.”

“Hello to you too, brother,” Fletcher says.

“Fletch,” I bark.

“Yes, everything is fine, but we want you to go out with us tonight,” he says.

I silently groan up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why.”

“Because we need to get you a woman, man,” he says.

“Oh, are you my wingman now that you’re married?” I ask him.

“Hell yeah, man,” Fletcher says.

I smile to myself and shake my head. I love my brother, but he is a pain in my ass. Both of them are.

“Maybe. I've gotta go, but how’s Tate doing?” I ask him.

We found out a couple of weeks ago she’s pregnant with their first.

“She’s doing well. She’s still having morning sickness stuff, but she’s handling it like a champ.”

I grunt. “Alright, I gotta get going,” I mumble.

“Okay, fine, but are you coming out with us?” he asks.

“I’ll think about it, Fletcher,” I sigh and hang up without saying goodbye.