Page 54 of Tanner
“You’re a lying sack of shit. And yes. She was upset, so I told her I’d take care of it,” Tanner said flatly.
Sam sighed beside him.
Preston’s voice rose. “You have no idea what you’ve done. My first call once you leave this office is to contact my lawyer. We’ll see how cocky you are when I sue you for slander.”
Tanner kept his voice flat and his expression bored. “That supposed to be a threat? It’s only slander if it’s not true. And you can sue me all you want, you little pissant. But you sure as hell had better not go anywhere near Junie again. Makes sense that a coward like you would go hiding behind some lawyer’s skirt.”
Preston glared at Tanner. “Says the man filing the restraining order. I don’t need to hide behind lawyers to deal with the likes of you or your lawyer. Weston McCall is a hack. I can fight my own battles. I’m going to be a real problem in your life.”
Tanner straightened to his full height. “I was hoping you’d feel that way. Just don’t forget, Wild River’s got plenty of land to bury a problem if it comes to that.”
“Damn it, Tanner!” Sam glared at him. “Don’t say shit like that in front of me.”
Preston wasted no time in jumping on Tanner’s words. “I want those threatening words on the record, Sheriff.” Preston smiled like a shark. “Looks like dealing with you is gonna be even easier than I thought, Tanner. Threatening me in front of an officer of the law?”
“I don’t make threats,” Tanner said evenly.
“Okay.” Sam held up a hand. “We’re done here. If you’re smart, Preston, you’ll stay away from Junie. There’ll be a hearing in a fewdays. You can dispute the claims then. Until that time, keep your distance.”
Tanner’s eyes never left Preston when he said, “I wouldn’t hold my breath, Sam. He hadn’t done anything smart yet.”
Preston shot to his feet, face twisted with fury. “You’d better watch your mouth, Tanner. My family has a lot of pull in this town.”
Tanner couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Nobody’s afraid of you,Preston. You’re just too dumb to know it.”
“Get out of my office before I have you thrown out.”
But Tanner wasn’t done. “What’s the matter, Preston? Afraid to try and throw me out yourself?”
“And on that note, we’re leaving,” Sam said. “Come on, wild man. Let’s go.” Sam practically shoved Tanner toward the door. Outside Preston’s office, Sam shook his head. “Thanks for staying calm, cool, and collected, you jackass.”
“Anything for a friend, man. Anything for a friend.” Tanner patted Sam on the back.
Angelina now sat at her desk, fixing her makeup, having obviously been crying. He turned to alert Sam, but his friend had already noticed. Tanner left the office. It seemed like a moment that deserved privacy. When Sam found him a few minutes later, they walked back to the cruiser.
Sam wasted no time. “You better have Weston McCall on speed dial. You’ve got one hell of a fight coming. And after you call Weston, you’d better call Boone and your brothers and let them know to be ready. They need warning. There’s no telling what Preston might do.”
Tanner held up his phone. “Already planning on it. I appreciate the help today, Sam. Can you do me one more favor? Make sure your deputies keep an extra eye on Junie and the bakery until Wilder Security gets cameras and alarms up and running.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Sam said.
They made the trip back to Tanner’s truck in silence.
After Sam dropped him off, Tanner headed back toBread & Batter. Junie was probably wondering what kind of errands were taking him so long. She was still spooked after the confrontation with Preston the day before. He wasn’t taking any more chances with what was his.
Not now. Not ever.
His hands stayed tight on the wheel the whole way back, the weight of the morning heavy on his shoulders. Preston was used to getting his way. He was too arrogant to pay any attention to the restraining order.
But Tanner would be ready. He’d filed the order because he needed to establish legally that Preston was a threat. With that done, when Preston made his next move, Tanner could deal with it himself.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A low, steady hum of the refrigerators and the occasional drip from the sink faucet were the only noises that could be heard throughout the bakery. She kept meaning to fix that faucet but could never seem to remember to call when a plumber might actually have been opened during the day.
Poppy had opened the store that morning, so Junie hadn’t had to rush in early. But her friend started feeling bad mid-morning, probably from lack of sleep. Since she wasn’t feeling well and the day had been slow, Junie sent her home to rest.
Now it was just after lunch, and the bakery was still quiet. That strange, heavy feeling that had been weighing her down since she woke that morning hadn’t gotten any better. Everything felt oppressive and too big, like the walls were slowly closing in. Having most of the lights turned down low probably didn’t help, but she wanted to be ready the second Tanner arrived.
