With me at their heels, Ginger and Oz finally fucking storm through the sheriff’s office’s front doors. I’ve spent the last forty-five minutes imagining Yarrow panicked and suffering. I fully expect to hear her wailing as soon as we enter. Instead, the office looks relaxed. Well, until the cops and staff notice their visitors.

“Who was in charge of Yarrow Jones’ arrest?” Ginger asks in the loudest, non-yelling voice I’ve ever heard.

Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex slowly stands from his chair near the back of the office. Leisurely adjusting his belt, he makes a show of how fucking uninterested he is in walking to the front desk.

“I was the arresting officer.”

“Why was Yarrow arrested?” Ginger demands.

“The charges will be decided by the prosecutors’ office.”

“What I heard from witnesses is that a man attacked Yarrow and she defended herself from a potential sexual assault. Is that why you arrested her? Is self-defense illegal in Rawlins?”

“The assault victim did not attack Miss Jones.”

“And you know that how?” Ginger asks, leaning forward while Oz seems to get bigger when he crosses his arms.

“I was there. I saw the entire exchange.”

“Bullshit,” I growl, losing my temper at the thought of Yarrow locked in a cell. “You were parked too far away to see what happened. I was there, and you sat on your ass while she got harassed. You only reacted when she fought back.”

“Save your testimony for the trial,” mutters Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex.

Gripping the counter, I’m ready to jump over it and pound the cop. My fists can already feel his face breaking against them. Ginger glances back at the front door and then smiles at the deputy.

“I’m certain you’ve heard this before from your parents, but you’re terribly replaceable.”

Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex glares at her, and I catch the other officers brace for trouble. If they want a showdown, I can’t imagine Ginger will complain. As good as a brawl might feel—shit, it would feel fucking brilliant too—the crew has a different idea for solving the Yarrow problem.

“Am I interrupting?” asks Tommy Smith after entering the office.

The Rawlins mayor smiles at the crew and shakes Ginger’s hand. He flashes his too-white teeth at Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex and even waves at a woman at the back door. The guy is always selling. It’s the car salesman in him.

Sheriff Green bolts out of his office as if someone set off a rocket in his ass. He rushes toward the mayor and the men vigorously shake hands. I struggle not to roll my eyes and punch them both in the head.

“What can we do for you today?” Sheriff Green asks.

I tear my glare away from the men to scan the three cells in the back of the small office. From my position, I can’t spot Yarrow, but she must be in one of them. Is she in shock? Do they have her in a back room for interrogation?

“There seems to have been some kind of kerfuffle today at the Simpson Park,” Mayor Smith says in his flat, friendly voice. “I was informed one of the town’s investors was assaulted. Then in a mix-up, the poor girl was arrested and brought here.”

“Is that right?” Sheriff Green says, and his gaze flashes to Ginger whose smirk is as subtle as a raised middle finger. “Well, I can’t imagine why we would have made such a mistake. Let me see if I can get things rectified.”

“Shouldn’t that be up to the prosecutor?” Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex blurts out as if he were oblivious to the shift of mood in the room.

I don’t know who wants to punch the guy worse—Ginger or me. I do suspect I can reach him faster.

“Funny thing,” Mayor Smith says, still wearing that smile. “I talked to the DA, and Jeff Anderson made clear how his office would never file charges against a victim defending herself. Feel free to get him on the phone if you have any questions.”

Sheriff Green knows arresting Yarrow was a bad move. Ginger’s been throwing her weight around since the crew arrived. They’ve invested money in Rawlins, thereby expecting the same kind of special treatment the mayor and sheriff get. Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex fucked up royally, and his boss can’t figure out how to fix the Yarrow thing without throwing one of his people under the bus.

“I understand,” the sheriff says and walks to the back cells. “We’ll begin an investigation into how and why this mistake was made.”

The mayor somehow manages to smile wider, giving him a shark-like appearance. Ginger does a double-take at his larger grin before nudging Clove who rolls her eyes and whispers something to Pepper.

“I love a happy ending,” Smith says to Oz and me as if we’re his fucking drinking buddies.

“Me too,” Ginger announces. “I also love not being replaceable. Don’t you?” she asks the mayor.

His smile never wavers, but he catches her point. So does Deputy Douchebagasaurus Rex. Everyone in the room stops eyeing the mayor long enough to focus on the cell where Sheriff Green stands.

“You’re free to leave,” he says louder when the first time doesn’t get him a response.

Yarrow finally shuffles forward, holding her shoes, and yawning. She says nothing to the sheriff who mumbles an apology about mistakes made.

“You have the right to remain silent,” she says while walking toward Ginger. “Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law.”

“That’s my girl,” Ginger whispers and hugs Yarrow to her.

My presence feels so pointless, yet I need to see Yarrow is safe. I feel invisible standing with the others while Ginger holds Yarrow. Then the broken girl catches my gaze and stares overly focused on me.

I have no damn clue what Yarrow’s thinking, but she clearly isn’t scared. I see no anger in her blue eyes either. If I had to guess, I’d say she feels challenged. She watches me in the same way the club brothers do when someone mentions who takes the biggest craps.

Yarrow’s caught on to my interest, and I’m curious as hell at what she plans to do about it.