Gina's Private Police Force [Men of Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (3 page)

The woman’s dark blue eyes flashed her anger at his words but he saw the smirk on her face disappear quickly. Realization finally sank in, or at least Connor hoped it had as sadness glazed over her features and her shoulders seemed to sag under its weight. He could see tears begin to pool within her eyes before she turned her head away.

“Yes, Sheriff,” she whispered, sniffling a bit. “I understand.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Connor said, suddenly calmer. “I have tried to be as nice as possible since your father ran off, but I hope I didn’t do or say anything to lead you on.”

“No, you never did. It was me. I acted horribly. I’m so sorry.”

Believing her was easy since he had known her for so long, but he didn’t need her jealousy to rear its green head at him. “I am interested in Gina, and right now, she is in trouble. Did she ever talk about her past or anything?”

The blonde head shook negatively at the question. “She didn’t talk to me about her personal life. She came to work and as soon as her shift was over, she was gone. You might want to talk to Glen. They talked sometimes. He seemed to have taken a shine to her, too.”

Jealousy bristled below the surface in Connor. There was no way Glen was going to horn in on his and Jared’s woman. Calming himself, Connor touched the platinum strands that hung down around Tanya’s ears. “I know you dye your hair. Did Gina?”

Confused at the question, Tanya nodded. Connor released her wrist and instinctively the woman brought it up and began to rub it with her other hand.

“How do you know that she did?” he asked curiously, trying to see any telltale signs in her hair.

“There were a few times when she let the roots get too long.” Then smiling, Tanya went on. “I swear, men don’t notice a thing when they have the hots for a woman.”

Releasing the strands, Connor stood up, placing a foot or two of space between them. “What color is it really?”

Thinking a moment, she remembered. “It’s a golden blonde. I remember I was surprised that she would dye it such a dark color compared to her real color. It made her seem pale.”

Connor thought of Gina’s pale blue eyes and skin and realized that the chestnut color did seem too dark for her. She must really be trying to hide if she went that dark. No one would think twice about a brunette in a diner, working.

A sigh escaped the man, his shoulders a bit hunched in defeat. “Thanks Tanya. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“Naw. Always been a fantasy of mine, though it ended a lot better,” the girl said with regret even as she smiled. “Gina’s a lucky girl.”

The waitress re-entered the diner, going back to her duties and leaving a sulking Connor out on the sidewalk. Turning, he leaned against the wall, raising his right foot up against it. Watching the everyday bustling of the town, he had to wonder what caused Gina to not confide in anyone here. Was she in trouble? Truthfully, neither he nor Jared knew much about the woman.

The bells clanged against the glass door as it opened and a flustered Glen stepped out followed by an irritated Jared. The bear of a chef stepped up into Connor’s personal space, his face inches from the sheriff’s.

“First you run off my best waitress and then you haul my other waitress out to interrogate in the middle of the lunch run. What is wrong with you two?”

“Tell me all you know about Gina.” Connor was abrupt with his request, staring the larger man in the eye.

Glen was about the same height as Connor, if not just a tad shorter. His girth gave him the appearance of a barrel. His torso was large while his legs were thinner than expected. When not wearing an apron, his t-shirts were always tucked in giving the false image of a pregnant belly. Since the man’s hair and beard had changed from blond to white in the past few years, Glen had been harassed by the mayor to play Santa Claus at the annual parade and festivities. Glen didn’t appear to like anyone so it had been a battle so far. Mayor Jennings was not giving up on the idea, yet. She confronted the man just about every day on the matter. The woman had faith in Glen although he didn’t seem to like people in general, so why would he like children any differently?

* * * *

Glen looked quizzically at the lawman, debating whether he should give any information at all. The hard angry look in Connor’s gray eyes made up his mind for him. He knew the information he was about to give would get him in trouble, not only with the sheriff but with the Feds also, and he knew a couple of them were hanging around lately.

“I have orders to get out and the kid is still too green to leave alone. Can we talk in the kitchen?” What was having a few lawmen in the kitchen? If he was going to condemn himself he might as well go against the health inspector, too, he thought.

“All right,” Connor said, pushing himself off the brick wall with his foot. “But you had better be honest with us, Glen. I have no qualms about shutting down the diner and putting you in a cell.”

A mischievous smile struck the man’s features, making it seem as if he was gentle and kind, before a cynical laugh erupted from him as he walked back into the restaurant. The other two followed him. Every eye in the place watched the men walk back to the kitchen and then the quietness that settled on the dining room caused an eeriness to descend as if everyone wanted to hear what was going on.

* * * *

Glen stepped up to the counter, looked at some tickets, and then turned to the grill. Breaking several eggs onto the hot surface, he took his spatula and waited to turn them. Connor shifted from one foot to the other. “How long has Gina been here?”

“About six months. She came in here July third looking for a job. I thought it was strange since most people are getting ready for the holiday. Here was this woman, nearly begging me for a job,” Glen explained as he flipped the eggs he was tending to. Grabbing a few pieces of bacon from the warming tray on the back of the grill, he arranged them on a plate and then dished the eggs onto it. Handing it over to the other chef in the room to finish it off, Glen broke some more eggs, this time into a metal bowl.

“Did she have all the correct paperwork?”

* * * *

Connor didn’t have to hear the answer. He knew it by the way Glen froze up momentarily while whisking the eggs. Guilt-ridden, Glen lowered his head briefly before looking the sheriff in the eyes. “She didn’t have a driver’s license or a social security card, Sheriff. She looked like a lost little girl so I took pity on her and gave her a job. I pay her in cash so no one can trace her.”

Jared stepped forward unable to suppress his anger. “Did she say she was in trouble?”

Glen shrugged his large shoulders as he poured the egg mixture into a skillet on the grill to create an omelet.

“Glen,” Connor said, softening his voice. “You know we care deeply for her. We know she is in some kind of trouble. We scared her off so I believe it has to do with the police somehow. Did she talk to you about anything from her past? Did she tell you where she was originally from? Any piece of information you can give us would be appreciated.”

The white-haired burly man turned to face the two men who were now standing side by side in the narrow space between the prep counter and the grill. “No. She was a very private person. I knew she was in some kind of trouble and for some odd reason, I felt she needed a place to hide, to get herself back together. Contrary to what everyone thinks of me, I’m not a heartless bastard.”

The two men had the grace to shudder at the older man’s comment. The man was a great chef but social graces were not part of his repertoire. Outside of the restaurant, everyone avoided the man due to his brusqueness against his fellow man. Connor had to wonder if Gina was the only one hiding a haunting past.

“So, she worked for you for six months and never confided anything in you?” Jared asked, bristling with Glen’s explanation. “Everyone shows some part of their true selves after a while.”

Turning to the grill, Glen tossed some chopped ham and cheese onto the omelet in the skillet along with a few chopped green onions before turning back to the protectors of the law. “I’m sorry, guys. I know I hired her without the proper paperwork, and I would do it again. But, she was very quiet. She was friendly to the customers but as soon as she was alone with one of us, she shut down. The minute her shift was over, she left.”

“Thanks, Glen,” Connor said, putting his hand out for the typical friendly gesture.

Glen shook the sheriff’s hand before turning back to the skillet to flip the omelet. The lawmen turned to leave but Glen’s voice stopped them. “Please let me know if you find her. I have become rather fond of the girl.”

The corners of Connor’s lips slanted up briefly at the thought of the softness of the man’s heart. “We will.”

The duo walked out of the kitchen area and met near silence in the dining room. Tanya turned to watch them make their way to the front door. When they reached the door and Jared pulled it open, Tanya called out, “Good luck.”

Connor turned back to her, gave her a quick nod, and then walked out into the cold morning air. Jared followed behind him and they got into the SUV and drove eastward toward the highway.

The car began to slow after it died making it difficult for Gina to direct the vehicle once the power steering went out. Trying to steer it to the shoulder of the road, she hoped she could get it far enough off the roadway to avoid any possible collisions. Finally drifting far enough into the snowy grass and, after causing her leg to ache from trying to apply the brake, the car came to a stop.

Silence filled the car since the radio had cut off when the engine had died. Checking the rearview mirror to see if there was any traffic coming before she got out of the car, she got out and headed around to the hood. Lifting it up, she checked the battery cables to make sure they were tight and found that they were. Shaking her head, she wished now she had taken that auto-shop class her father had wanted her to take in high school.

Going back, she sat in the driver’s seat and tried the engine. She knew it was bad since it didn’t even grind. The key turned in the ignition, but absolutely nothing happened. Tears began to slide down her cheeks. Nothing seemed to be going right for her lately. She had hoped against hope that the New Year would be good to her, but here she was on New Year’s Day itself, running from the home she had known for the past six months, and now she was stranded on the side of the road.

Cars flew by her on the highway, though few and far between since it was a holiday. They were going on their way in their own lives so why would any of them stop to help her?

Checking her cargo in the backseat, she made sure it was safe. Her whole life was packed into her car, again heading for a new destination, a new life. She was actually tired of running. A normal life is what she craved and two men back in Polson were offering that to her, but she couldn’t trust them.

Trust was a rare commodity with her. Even though Glen had been nice enough to give her a job with no questions asked, and he paid her in cash, she never opened up to him. Yes, there were a few times at the beginning when he casually asked her about her past, but she never spoke of it and he never pushed. In the past, other employers would constantly be asking questions of her, trying to trip her up even when she offered the slightest bit of information, so she stopped talking. She had come to the conclusion that this was how she was going to live for the rest of her life.

A knock on the window brought her back to the present. Wiping the streaks of tears from her cheeks, she looked out and found an older man in overalls and a faded blue flannel shirt standing next to her car. His bulk was large, well placed all over his body. Trepidation ate at her at that moment as there was something in the way he was glaring at her that screamed caution. The problem was she wanted to get on the road as soon as she could. No, she
needed
to get on the road as soon as she could.

Stepping from the car, she stood against the door when she closed it, arms crossing across her bosom, pushing the mounds upward in her shirt. The man leered at her chest, causing her to be more uncomfortable than before. Unfolding her arms, she reached for the door handle. “I appreciate you stopping, sir, but I have already called the local garage and they are sending out a tow truck. I thought you were them.”

The man took a step back as if offended, before stepping back up to her again. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just stopped to see if you needed any help. I tinker around with cars all the time. Perhaps it’s an easy fix. What happened to it?”

Watching the man through her sunglasses cautiously, she finally had to admit he could be her only hope at this point. Sighing deeply, she said, “Everything went out. It just totally died.”

Gina noticed either skepticism or amusement in the man’s face, which caused her to bristle with irritation. As if he realized he was under scrutiny, the man went around to the front of the car and leaned over the engine. Checking wiring and connections, he finally came up from under the hood, pulled a rag out from his back pocket, and wiped his hands on it.

“Why don’t you try to start her…let’s hear what she sounds like.”

Getting back into the car, Gina turned the key in the ignition. A faint click could be heard but nothing else. Trying it again, she heard the same thing. Frustration was building within her as she felt the tears threatening to fall again. Choking back a sob, she abandoned all defenses and rested her head on the steering wheel in defeat.