Tara Sivec: Shame on Him

Ted sighs and shakes his head at his sister. Before he can reprimand her more, we hear greetings called to someone out in the foyer. Turning around in my chair, I realize Kennedy gave me that alcohol ten seconds too soon. My blood is now boiling at the sight of the person who is strolling into the kitchen.

“Hey, Dallas. Thanks for coming over,” Ted says as Dallas walks up to him and they shake hands.

“No problem. I heard about it on my police scanner and was planning on heading over here anyway.”

Dallas turns away from Ted and smirks at me. “Are you sure Lawyer here didn’t shoot the guy?”

“Oh that’s really mature,” I fire back. I’m immediately disappointed in myself for letting him get to me.

It’s no secret to anyone that Dallas Osborne and I don’t exactly get along. He owns Osborne Investigations here in Granger, and Fool Me Once partners up with him every once in a while when we need backup on a case. We’ve known each other for about three months—three long months of hating the sight of each other.

A few weeks ago he helped Paige bring down one of the most notorious mob bosses in Indiana. One would think that since he helped out my friend and regularly helps out my company that I would be appreciative of him. Well, one would be wrong.

I might be more inclined to be nice to him if he wasn’t such a Neanderthal and an arrogant jerk. It also doesn’t help matters that he’s entirely too good-looking and knows it—over six feet of pure muscle and brawn with tattoos up and down his strong arms, short, messy, dark brown hair, and light gray eyes.

“Is there any particular reason why he’s here?” I ask Ted in annoyance.

“HE’S here because he was asked to be here,” Dallas answers with smugness.

Ignoring him, I stare directly at Ted and wait for him to respond.

“There have been a bunch of budget cuts lately and we’re shorthanded at the department. I asked Dallas to come over to see if he’d be willing to take on this case for us for the time being,” Ted explains.

My hackles immediately go up and indignation runs through me. “Excuse me? I’m the one who was delivering the subpoena and found the body. If anyone is going to take on this case, it’s going to be me.”

Kennedy pats me on the back in a show of solidarity and I glare angrily at Dallas, refusing to back down on this.

“Lorelei, I would love to hand this entire thing over to you guys, but my hands are tied. You guys just don’t have the right kind of experience for this sort of thing,” Ted informs me.

“Oh, and Mr. Caveman over there does ?”

My eyes still haven’t left Dallas’s, which means I get to see them light up when he smirks at me again.

Stupid man and his stupid smirk.

“Well, Lawyer, I used to be a police officer back in the day before I had to retire because of a knee injury. The department hired me to solve this case because of my invaluable knowledge. Which you are obviously lacking.”

I grit my teeth and clench my hands into fists to avoid punching that mocking smile right off of his too-good-looking face.

I want this case. I want to find out who killed Richard Covington and prove to myself that this is something I could be really good at. The fact that Dallas can just waltz in here and take it right out of my hands makes me ill.

“If you want, I could let you help me out. I can always use someone to fetch me coffee and type up my notes,” Dallas says.

Over my dead body.

“All right, Dallas, that’s enough. I like you, but don’t make me kick your ass,” Kennedy warns him, coming to my defense.

What is it about this man that ties me up in knots? I’ve turned down hotter.

“Sorry, Kennedy. She just makes it so easy,” Dallas says with a laugh.

Oh, that’s right. He’s a jerk.

“Dallas, if you want to follow me to the station, I’ll make a copy of Lorelei’s statement for you and also get you a copy of the ME’s findings,” Ted tells him as he heads toward the door of the kitchen.

“I’ll be right behind you in a few. I just want to check out the crime scene real quick,” Dallas answers.

Ted nods. “Take your time. Ladies, I’ll talk to you later. Lorelei, if you think of anything else, you can give me a call or just let Dallas know.”

Yeah, like that’s going to happen.

“You have my number. Feel free to call me anytime. I probably won’t take your call though, because I’ll be busy solving this case.”

Dallas salutes Kennedy before sauntering out of the room. I’m appalled with myself that I stare at his firm backside until he disappears from sight.

“All right, now that they’re gone, here’s what you’re going to do,” Kennedy says, startling me out of my stare. “You’re going to solve this fucking case and show Dallas Osborne where he can stick his Goddamn cockiness.”

I sigh and shake my head at her. “You heard your brother. I can’t work on this case because I’m not with the department.”

“Since when do I ever listen to my brother? Fuck him and fuck Dallas. Seriously, you should really consider fucking Dallas. That man is f-i-n-e , fine. And he looks at you like he’s picturing you naked.”

I scoff at her and roll my eyes. “You’re insane. He can’t stand me. And obviously the feelings are mutual.”

She raises one eyebrow. “Right. That’s why you stared at his ass when he walked away.”

I can feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment and I quickly look away from her.

Kennedy grabs my arm and pulls me off of my stool. “Come on, Paige is still waiting for us at the bar. We’re going to suck back a few drinks and come up with a game plan.”

I let Kennedy drag me through the house, making sure to keep my eyes straight ahead as we walk past the crime scene. Not just because I don’t want another look at the dead body, but because Dallas is currently bent over said body. It’s like his butt is trying to taunt me.

Sucking back a few drinks suddenly sounds like a great idea.

So, what is this game plan you speak of?” I ask Kennedy and take a sip of my white wine spritzer.

I wait while she polishes off her glass of draft beer, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth as she sets the empty glass back down on the table with a thunk.

“The first part of the plan is that you need to stop ordering that girly shit every time we come to the bar. It’s making us look bad.”

Paige laughs and I shoot her a dirty look.

“How is what I drink making anyone look bad?”

Kennedy rests her elbows on the table and leans toward me. “If you want to make it in this business and get Dallas to take you seriously, you need to stop being so . . . boring.”

I bristle at her comment and Paige reaches over to place her hand on top of my arm. “I think what Kennedy is trying to say is that you need to take some chances. Loosen up a little.”

Kennedy shrugs and signals the bartender for another round. “Sure, what she said. I know you want to break out of this mold your parents have put you in, but you can’t do that if you continue to do everything exactly the way they would. Drink some beer, curse like a sailor, and for God’s sake, stop using fucking hand sanitizer.”

I pause with the small bottle in my hand. “I could care less if Dallas Osborne takes me seriously. And really, Kennedy, do you have any idea what kind of germs are on this table?”

Kennedy rolls her eyes before dramatically thumping her head down on said table.

“The fact of the matter is, Dallas is in charge of this investigation now,” Paige states. “If you want to get anywhere with this case, you’re going to need to get into his head. Think like he would and do what he would do so you can be one step ahead of him.”