The video cameras and a room full of reporters made me nervous as I stood on stage next to Sheriff Mendoza. I'd never done a press conference before and I had a true fear of public speaking. My palms always got sweaty and my hands would shake uncontrollably. The moment I opened my mouth, everyone would laugh me straight out of town.
Sheriff Mendoza continued his speech as the cameras flashed. “It's with a heavy heart that I retire today as Sheriff of Sacks County. I have put in over twenty years trying to make this town safe. I hope I did enough to make a difference.” The crowd clapped and cheered. “I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect replacement and I finally found her. I want to introduce you to your new Sheriff, Melissa White.”
I put on my best fake smile and shook Mendoza's hand. His face twitched for a microsecond as he felt all the sweat on my palm. Keep it together, White. Deep breaths. I took the podium and the crowd silenced. I unfolded a piece of paper that had my speech written on it. “Good afternoon,” I announced to the crowd.
I looked over my writing and realized that nobody wanted to hear about my ten-point agenda for cleaning up the county. That would come later. For now, I needed to keep it short and sweet. “I think Sheriff Mendoza deserves one more round of applause for all his service.” I waited for the clapping to cease. My heart was beating at a mile a minute, my ankles trembling in my boots. I took a deep breath and continued, “I hope I could be half as good as Sheriff Mendoza was. If you can give me a chance, I know it in my heart that I can make this city safe. Thank you and I hope to meet all of you soon.”
The applause was sparse and quiet. I exited the stage and almost felt like I was going to collapse. Hopefully I'd never have to do that again.
“You did great up there, Sheriff White,” Mendoza said.
Sheriff White. I liked the sound of that. “So what now?” I asked him.
“Let's get you settled at the station and you can meet everyone. I'd like to get everything squared away as soon as possible. My wife and I have a trip planned to Maui.”
“That sounds very relaxing.”
“It better be. I'm going to lay on the beach and drink for two weeks straight.”
I chuckled and followed Mendoza to a black-and-white police car. We drove down Main Street, passing by rows of family-owned businesses. This town had a lot of charm and was exactly what I needed after working with the LAPD for so long. Some would say that a sheriff of a small town was a demotion but I thought it was much needed after the horrors of Los Angeles.
A serial killer of children was loose on the streets and we hunted him for months without any luck. Finding pieces of these kids was hard to live with. The last kidnapping was the worst. We knew we only had twenty-four hours before the kid was dead. With the help of the FBI we were finally able to track the killer to a shipping container on the docks. We thought we had made it in time. But the kid was already dead, his throat slit just ten minutes before we got there. If only we got there sooner...
The killer got away and he was never found.
Mendoza and I arrived at the station and he introduced me to a lot of the officers. The station was made up entirely of men and they didn't look too keen on a woman becoming their new boss. Tough shit. They'd have to deal with my wrath if they couldn't handle it.
“And here's your office,” Mendoza announced, opening the door to what looked like a broom closet. My new office was small and narrow with a tiny window on the far wall overlooking the parking lot. The desk looked like it barely fit and there was only room for one chair. “I know it's not much but you wont be spending much time in here anyways.”
Mendoza was probably right. I set my box of stuff on the desk and began unpacking. Framed pictures of my mom and dad and my lucky pen was all I really brought. And I'm glad I packed light because I wouldn't be able to fit anymore in here.
“Can I give you some advice?” Mendoza asked, sitting down in the chair opposite of the desk.
“Of course,” I replied, taking my seat. The chair was comfy and I leaned back, enjoying the thought of being in charge of this town.
Mendoza scratched his dark bushy mustache. “I don't know how things were run in Los Angeles but here in Sacks, things are a little different.” I nodded and waited for him to continue. “We like to say that we control this town but in reality it's the MC's.”
“You let the motorcycle clubs do whatever they want?”
Mendoza shook his head. “Not exactly. It's just that over the years the one thing I learned was not to fight them and instead, work with them. The less blood on our streets the better. There are rumors flying that the Mexicans are prepping for a war. That could be really bad for Sacks County and the surrounding areas.”
“You don't have to worry. I'll set up meetings with the heads of the MC's and get it all sorted out. In LA, I worked alongside gangs all the time. I know how to play the game.”
Mendoza stood up and I copied him. “Then I chose the right woman for the job. Good luck with everything Sheriff White.” I shook his hand. “I left my number for you on the desk. If you ever need help, you can call me night or day.”
I smiled. “I really appreciate it and I won't let you down.” Mendoza closed the door behind him and I sank back into my seat. I looked out the window and watched as the cop cars drove in and out. I pulled my brown hair out of a ponytail and brushed it.
The door to my office opened and an officer with almost no hair left on top came in. “So the rumors are true, Mendoza hired a woman to become sheriff.”
The rage boiled in my veins. Just ignore him, Melissa, he's small-town potatoes. I put my hair back into a ponytail. “I don't believe we've met, I'm Sheriff White.” I outstretched my hand and he ignored it. The name Johnson was engraved on the nameplate on his left breast.
He eyed me up and down like a piece of meat, staring at my breasts for way too long.“You really think you have what it takes to become sheriff here?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Why? You think just because I'm a woman I can't be a leader.” This wasn't new to me. I'd seen plenty of his type back at the LAPD. Men didn't think women were good enough to be cops. I had proved them wrong in Los Angeles and I'd prove them wrong here.
“I know a woman can't be sheriff. All your good for is bending over and taking it from a man. I bet you've never been fucked a day in your life.” Johnson licked his lips. “I can show you a really—”
“I'm going to stop you right there,” I interrupted. “Give me your badge and gun. You're suspended.”
Johnson's eyes lit up with defiance. “What the fuck! Who the hell do you think you are? You can't suspend me for hitting on you. You should be glad I gave you a compliment.”
I stood up and steeled myself. I wasn't going to let anyone push me around—especially a womanizing prick like Johnson. “Put your badge and gun on the desk now before I fire your ass.”
Johnson stared at me with a fiery expression. If he was hoping that his anger would change my mind, he was about to be sorely disappointed.
“Fucking bitch,” he murmured, unholstering his pistol and setting it down along with his badge.
I sighed and sat back down. “You can return to duty when you apologize to me.”
Johnson stormed out of my office, cursing to nobody. I'd do the same to anyone else that crossed me. I had to show the precinct that I didn't play games. If you treated me fairly, I'd return the same. But if you disrespected me, I'd bite back like a king cobra.
First things first—making contact with the two major MC's. I pulled out a folder from my briefcase that detailed the three motorcycle clubs from Sacks County. The Devil's Hellions and Death Merchants were the ones to be worried about. The African-Americans in the Fires of Hell weren't big enough to worry about. I needed to meet the leaders and somehow get them to form a truce. If what Mendoza said was true, a war could devastate this town.
I ducked my head out of my office and pulled in the closest officer. “What's your name?” I asked him.
He shivered in his boots as I sat back down on my desk. The skinny and frail man saluted me, his uniform immaculate and straight. “Moore, sir.” He quickly shook his head, sweat pouring down his forehead. “I mean miss.”
A tiny laugh escaped my lips. “At ease soldier, this isn't the army.”
Moore removed his hand from his head and rested it at his side. He still stood at attention though. Moore was the exact opposite of Johnson. What was he so scared of?
I looked over the files of the MC's. “Moore, you seem like a trustworthy guy.”
He nodded and grinned. “Yes, ma'am.”
“You can just call me, Sheriff.”
“Yes, Miss Sheriff.”
It was going to be a lot harder than I thought to get everyone on board for a female sheriff. “Moore, I have a big job for you to do. Do you think you can handle it?”
Moore gulped. “Well Sheriff Mendoza mostly kept me inside the station. Told me I'd do more harm out there than good.”
“Well there's a new sheriff in town and I need you to go out and set a meeting with the heads of the Devil's Hellions MC and The Death Merchants MC for tomorrow morning. Do you think you can get that done?”
Moore looked as pale as a ghost. He swayed back and forth, ready to pass out. Maybe I picked the wrong officer? Moore took a deep breath. “It would be my honor, Miss Sheriff.”
Moore saluted me again and I couldn't help but salute him back. “Dismissed, soldier.”
Time to rock the boat in Sacks County.