Banking the Billionaire (Bad Boy Billionaires Book 2)(95)

Thatch put both of his hands on my shoulders. “Honey,” he said with amusement in his voice, “I have a feeling I’m going to be the one bailing you out of jail this time.”

“Well…” I shrugged. “It was worth it.”




“Hey, Sheriff Miller, do you mind if I use the ladies’ room and grab a snack from the vending machine?”

“Call me Bill, darling,” he responded from his comfortable position behind his desk—chair leaned back, boots kicked up on the metal table. “And help yourself to the snacks in the break room.”

“Thanks, honey.”

After I knocked Johnny out in one shot, I got arrested by the Frogstown Police. Sheriff Miller had placed me in cuffs and put me in the back of his patrol car while Thatch had tried to convince him otherwise.

But it hadn’t worked. Obviously, my fiancé had been a troublemaker back in the day and had zero pull in his hometown. The sheriff had actually made it pretty clear that if Thatch tried to come with me right away, he’d put him in cuffs right next to me. The sweet f*cking giant had looked like he was considering it.

But thirty minutes of flirty banter and fluttering eyelashes had gotten me on the sheriff’s good side, and he had taken the cuffs off and given me free rein of the station.

He had even apologized for having to keep me for the required six hours.

Yeah, Bill and I were good buddies now.

Once I took a quick pee break and grabbed a bag of chips from the station’s break room, I plopped down behind one of the deputies’ desks and mimicked the same position as the sheriff. “Mind if I use my phone for a minute?”

“Go ahead, darling.” Bill flashed a grin in my direction before returning his attention to the small TV across from his desk. He was three episodes deep into a Bonanza marathon.

Thatch answered on the first ring. “You okay, honey?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. You can pick me up in about thirty minutes.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Fantastic. See you in a few.” I ended the call and relocated to a chair beside Bill. “Mind if I join you?”

He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head.

“I love these old shows,” I said as I opened my bag of chips. “I used to watch them all the time with my dad when I was a kid.”

“They don’t make ’em like they used to, that’s for damn sure,” he answered with a wistful smile.

Bill and I got through another episode of Bonanza before Thatch powered into the station to pick me up exactly thirty minutes later. He’d obviously timed it so I didn’t have to be here even a minute longer than necessary. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me sitting behind the sheriff’s desk, teaching him how to use Facebook.

“Honestly, Bill, it’s not as hard as you think it is,” I told him as I scrolled through my newsfeed. “Plus, it’s pretty awesome how you can keep in touch with pretty much everyone in your life without having to pick up the phone.”

He chuckled. “I think I could get used to that.”

“Well, my ride is here,” I said as I logged out of my account. “But don’t be a stranger, okay?”

Bill grinned. “Same goes for you.”

“Did you get me all bailed out?” I asked Thatch as I stood up from my chair and threw my snack wrappers away in the trash.

“Pretty ladies don’t pay, darling.” The sheriff didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Now, you’ve had a late night, so be sure to go home and get a good night’s rest, okay?”

“Thanks, Bill.” I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Don’t work too hard.”

I grabbed my purse and walked over to Thatch. “Ready?”

He glanced around the room in confusion. “Did they change jail?”

“What?”

His chocolate eyes were equal parts amused and surprised. “This is not the kind of jail experience I got the last time I was here.”

I grinned up at him.

“I should’ve f*cking known,” he said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me toward the doors.

“Should’ve known what?”

“That you’d be the one person to get Sheriff Miller wrapped around your finger.”

Once we got in his car, I turned in his direction.

“Can I ask you a question?”

His eyes met mine. “Of course, honey.”

“And you’ll be honest with me?”

He nodded. “Always.”

“Why did Johnny call you a murderer?”

Thatch’s face grew tight. His jaw ticked several times in response. “Is that what pushed you to hit him?”

“Yeah,” I answered honestly. “Obviously, I knew his words were complete shit. But it was the fact he had the balls to say something like that. It didn’t sit well with me, Thatch. Someone saying something like that about you.”

He watched me for a few quiet moments, and I gave him his space.

“When Margo died, she was with me,” he explained. “She was spontaneous and stubborn, and when she was set on doing something, there was no stopping her. She made a reckless decision that took her life, and I couldn’t stop her. I tried to stop her, but I couldn’t.”