Vampire: A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella, Rebecca Zanetti [best novel books to read txt] 📗

Evan frowned at his former boss. “What in the world are you doing?”

The sheriff ignored him. Today he’d dressed in a nicely pressed uniform, and his hair was groomed. He still had the slight beer belly going on, though. “Turn and put your hands on the vehicle, Maxwell.”

Raine sighed. “I don’t have time for this shit, buddy. What’s going on?”

Evan stepped toward the sheriff. “Baker—this is a bad idea.”

“Shut up or I’ll arrest you, too,” the sheriff snapped. “Marlene. Now.”

The blonde female officer strode around her car door, her gaze apologetic. “Turn around, Mr. Maxwell.”

Mariana and Tabi walked out onto the porch.

“What’s going on?” Mariana asked.

Raine stiffened. “False arrest, apparently.” He could take care of the sheriff in a heartbeat, but the curvy blonde officer was just doing her job. He cut a look at Evan.

Evan nodded. “I’ll take care of things here. Is there a lawyer you want me to call?”

“Yeah. Hit speed dial 3 on my phone. It’s inside.” Raine turned and allowed the officer to cuff him and lead him to her car. He looked over the top of it. “Mariana? Stay inside and safe until I get out and begin legal proceedings against this dumbass sheriff.” Then he sat in the backseat, his temper at bay since Evan had promised to stay and look after Mariana along with Tabi. Although the way the demoness was staring at the sheriff, she might go for the brain attack. At this point, Raine didn’t care.

The last thing he saw before the car sped away was Mariana’s pale face.

* * * *

This was unbelievable. Mariana stormed into her house and reached for Raine’s phone on the counter to speed dial # 3.

“Yo, bro. You get the deed done?” A male voice came over the line—one with a similar deep timbre to Raine.

“Um, this is Mariana Lopez and Raine Maxwell said to call this number?”

Quiet came across for a second. “Is Raine all right?”

“Healthy, yes. But he was just arrested and said to call you. Are you his lawyer?” She bit her lip.

“If he needs a lawyer, then I’m his lawyer,” the guy said. “Mariana, huh?”

She turned as Evan shut the front door and Tabi looked at her expectantly. “Yes.”

“Good. I’m actually, uh, close by and will take care of this.” The guy disengaged the call.

Mariana pulled the phone from her ear to stare at it. “Weird. Definitely weird.”

The door opened, and the sheriff walked inside.

“Get out of my house,” Mariana burst out, moving right for him. Her body was still tingling from the night she’d shared with Raine, and there was no way he should’ve been arrested.

Tabi stopped her by the arm. “Hold on. Let me kick him out. I haven’t had any fun lately.” The miniature blonde rocked back on her heels as if ready for a good fight.

Mariana paused. Oh, Tabi was tough, but she was half the size of the sheriff. “I can handle this.”

“I’ve got it.” Evan yanked the door open wider and reached for the sheriff.

“Wait,” Mariana ordered. “If you touch him, he’ll press charges. However, since he’s trespassing in my house—”

“Enough,” the sheriff grumbled, his eyes blazing. It was odd that both he and Raine had green eyes, but the greens couldn’t be any different. Raine’s eyes were a deep and true green, while the sheriff’s were slightly muddy and cloudy.

Mariana held up a hand. “Sheriff—”

“Buck Baker. Please call me Buck. Please.” The sheriff tapped a manilla file folder against one hand. “Tell your friends to leave and let me help you.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Tabi said, her voice sweet and her eyes glowering.

The sheriff looked down at the file folder. “You need to see this.”

Mariana frowned. “What is it?”

He moved into the living room and sat on the sofa.

Mariana steeled her shoulders and walked into her living room, choosing the seat across the coffee table. Tabi sat in the other chair while Evan remained standing like a guard at post. “What’s in the folder?”

The sheriff set the papers on the table and flipped the folder around with one finger. “Raine Maxwell has been stalking you since you were in Dallas.”

She looked down at the top flap. “That’s impossible.” Her neck—and her thighs—were both whisker burned from the man.

“Okay.” The sheriff opened the file folder to show a picture of Raine sitting on a park bench with a blue ball cap over his thick hair. He had a latte in one hand and his phone in the other, and he looked relaxed.

A lump rose in Mariana’s throat. “That’s across from my old clinic in Dallas.” Her ears started to ring. This couldn’t be happening.

The sheriff slid the photo out of the way to show two more, one at her dry cleaners with her in the front of the line and the other when she was out with friends at a steak restaurant. There he sat at the bar, out of her line of sight but clearly keeping her within his. “I can’t breathe.” She shoved the pictures away.

Tabi took them, looking each over. “Where did you get these, Sheriff?”

“The Dallas police sent copies of all surveillance they’ve captured in the case, and as you can tell, Raine is difficult to make out as the same guy in each one. Mariana, you probably looked at some of the videos and didn’t recognize him.”

“Because I hadn’t met him yet,” she said slowly. “Not until he showed up at the anger management group.”

The sheriff winced and tugged out another piece of paper from the bottom of the pile showing ‘no records found.’ “Speaking of which, I went through all of our recent court records, and he wasn’t arrested or sent to anger management by a judge. Whatever documentation he gave to you was falsified.”

Evan leaned closer to peer at the photos. “Is that normal?” He seemed to be asking Tabi.

“Of course not,” Mariana burst out. “That’s creepy and stalkerish.”

Tabi nodded. “I agree. That is not normal behavior. For anybody.”

Mariana held a hand