his feet up on the desk.
“Get the hell out of my chair.”
“Okay, okay. No need to get huffy about it.”
“Where’s Trudy?”
“I told her to take a break while I hold down the fort.”
“All right, make it fast.” Frank took the chair Glenn vacated.
“What are you so pissed about?”
“I just saw Karin.”
“Well, that explains it. What does Ms. High and Mighty have to say?”
“She’s upset about the cartoon. I tried to calm her down.”
“You’re a sweetheart, sheriff. I hope the little wolf-girl appreciates you.”
“Stay out of my business.” Glenn wasn’t much younger than Frank, but he acted like a kid. He wouldn’t take much more of his teasing on top of everything else.
“I don’t mean anything by it, but you shouldn’t worry about her so much. After we get done with the wolf, she’ll be history.”
Frank gave him a hard look. “She might be out of a job, but she will not be history.”
“Shit, I knew it. You fuck her yet?”
Frank flipped him the bird. “Watch your mouth.”
“Okay, I didn’t mean any offense.”
“Forget it.”
“I just don’t want to see you ruin your chance to be mayor.”
“You just don’t wanna lose your chance to be sheriff.” Frank’s tight expression relaxed into a smile. “Once I get rid of these wolves, the people will be begging me to run. You just do your part, and we’ll both get what we want.”
“There’s just one little problem.”
“Which is?”
“Jude. I heard him bragging in town, something about bagging a wolf.”
“No matter. We’ll take care of the wolf long before Jude can get his hands on it.”
“That’s not the problem.”
“Get to the point.”
“He says he already shot a wolf.”
Frank frowned. “What’s he talking about?”
“He shot something. Probably somebody’s dog.”
“I hope you told him to stay outta this.”
“Of course I did. I told him we had things under control.”
“Did he listen to reason?”
“Who knows? He’s hotheaded and even worse since the fight with Connor. But I think I got him calmed down.”
“I’m counting on you, Glenn. You need to keep a lid on things until we take care of business.”
“I am, but I think we need to get the ball rolling.”
“Let’s give it a couple days. Maybe someone at the bureau will grow some balls and step in.”
Chapter Twelve
“Why can’t we just use your key? You’re the sheriff. All you have to do is say you found the lock jimmied. Who’s gonna argue with you?”
“Karin is gonna get here before me.” Glenn could be so stupid sometimes. “It’s a break-in, remember? Let’s make it look like one.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Glenn gripped the crowbar like a baseball bat. It moved in a smooth arc and struck the upper corner of the window.
“You swing that thing like a pro.” Frank watched him rotate the iron lever to clear the remaining shards from the frame.
“Shit, you forget I was the Wolverine’s most powerful switch-hitting first baseman. We won the state championship every year.”
“High school was a long time ago,” Frank muttered.
“Yeah, but it’s like fucking. It’s just one of those things that comes natural to me.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Hey, if you’d stop sniffing around the refuge manager, you’d get some too.”
“Stay out of my business,” he spat. The words struck home. Glenn might be right, but he didn’t need to hear it. He’d been pussyfooting around Karin ever since she got here. She didn’t confide much in him, but he knew she came with baggage. He figured she was worth waiting for, and he held off, but she never gave him a tumble. Now he knew why. Connor got there before him. Women were all the same. He’d been a fool to think otherwise, and once everyone found out, he would be a laughing stock. It wouldn’t happen. He’d see the bastard in hell first.
“Shit!”
He heard a dull thud and almost tripped over Glenn.
“What the hell happened?”
“Nothing,” he
“Get the hell out of my chair.”
“Okay, okay. No need to get huffy about it.”
“Where’s Trudy?”
“I told her to take a break while I hold down the fort.”
“All right, make it fast.” Frank took the chair Glenn vacated.
“What are you so pissed about?”
“I just saw Karin.”
“Well, that explains it. What does Ms. High and Mighty have to say?”
“She’s upset about the cartoon. I tried to calm her down.”
“You’re a sweetheart, sheriff. I hope the little wolf-girl appreciates you.”
“Stay out of my business.” Glenn wasn’t much younger than Frank, but he acted like a kid. He wouldn’t take much more of his teasing on top of everything else.
“I don’t mean anything by it, but you shouldn’t worry about her so much. After we get done with the wolf, she’ll be history.”
Frank gave him a hard look. “She might be out of a job, but she will not be history.”
“Shit, I knew it. You fuck her yet?”
Frank flipped him the bird. “Watch your mouth.”
“Okay, I didn’t mean any offense.”
“Forget it.”
“I just don’t want to see you ruin your chance to be mayor.”
“You just don’t wanna lose your chance to be sheriff.” Frank’s tight expression relaxed into a smile. “Once I get rid of these wolves, the people will be begging me to run. You just do your part, and we’ll both get what we want.”
“There’s just one little problem.”
“Which is?”
“Jude. I heard him bragging in town, something about bagging a wolf.”
“No matter. We’ll take care of the wolf long before Jude can get his hands on it.”
“That’s not the problem.”
“Get to the point.”
“He says he already shot a wolf.”
Frank frowned. “What’s he talking about?”
“He shot something. Probably somebody’s dog.”
“I hope you told him to stay outta this.”
“Of course I did. I told him we had things under control.”
“Did he listen to reason?”
“Who knows? He’s hotheaded and even worse since the fight with Connor. But I think I got him calmed down.”
“I’m counting on you, Glenn. You need to keep a lid on things until we take care of business.”
“I am, but I think we need to get the ball rolling.”
“Let’s give it a couple days. Maybe someone at the bureau will grow some balls and step in.”
Chapter Twelve
“Why can’t we just use your key? You’re the sheriff. All you have to do is say you found the lock jimmied. Who’s gonna argue with you?”
“Karin is gonna get here before me.” Glenn could be so stupid sometimes. “It’s a break-in, remember? Let’s make it look like one.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Glenn gripped the crowbar like a baseball bat. It moved in a smooth arc and struck the upper corner of the window.
“You swing that thing like a pro.” Frank watched him rotate the iron lever to clear the remaining shards from the frame.
“Shit, you forget I was the Wolverine’s most powerful switch-hitting first baseman. We won the state championship every year.”
“High school was a long time ago,” Frank muttered.
“Yeah, but it’s like fucking. It’s just one of those things that comes natural to me.”
“Cut the crap.”
“Hey, if you’d stop sniffing around the refuge manager, you’d get some too.”
“Stay out of my business,” he spat. The words struck home. Glenn might be right, but he didn’t need to hear it. He’d been pussyfooting around Karin ever since she got here. She didn’t confide much in him, but he knew she came with baggage. He figured she was worth waiting for, and he held off, but she never gave him a tumble. Now he knew why. Connor got there before him. Women were all the same. He’d been a fool to think otherwise, and once everyone found out, he would be a laughing stock. It wouldn’t happen. He’d see the bastard in hell first.
“Shit!”
He heard a dull thud and almost tripped over Glenn.
“What the hell happened?”
“Nothing,” he
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