Law smiled. “Becker and I just did. This morning. Haven’t you been watching the news? Your luck’s run out. You just admitted you left the scene of an accident without even bothering to call for help.”
Tice looked away. “A smart man would bet on a winner. He would want to see me succeed. It’s the only way to help Jori. Once in the legislature, I might be able to influence a way for Jori to receive a pardon.” He looked up, a glimmer of hope flaring to life. “You need me.”
“I’ll settle for a few years of your life. I’m coming after you with everything I’ve got. And don’t let an empty pant leg fool you. I will stomp you flat.”
“What is this about? A piece of ass named Jori Garrison?”
“It’s about justice. First, for your scumbag cousin. If convicted you’ll probably get a deal similar to the one Jori got, an opportunity after a few years behind bars for parole so you can start over from way behind. Maybe you’ll crawl past your mistakes. Maybe you won’t. At least Jori can look the world in the eye because she was innocent.”
Luke licked his lips. “We can make a deal. Twice what I gave Becker?”
Battise slowly drew in a lungful of air and turned toward the door. He might never be able to successfully back up every aspect of his bluff. But at least he had finessed the truth. Luke Tice had run his cousin Brody Rogers off the road out of jealousy.
How did a man live with guilt like that?
He didn’t have to wonder if Erin Tice would be able to. Whatever people believed or didn’t believe, he doubted she’d stay with a man who had killed his rival.
But then, he didn’t understand women well. There was one waiting for him now, though she hadn’t said so.
Law shook his head. He’d done nothing to deserve a woman as good as Jori Garrison. In fact, he had disappointed her more than pleased her. And yet she had come here, in an ice storm, to find him.
Fuck it. It was the way she looked at him, those big eyes that held a wonder and womanly affection he’d never before seen aimed at him. She thought he was a hero.
Maybe it was time he tried acting like the man she thought he could be.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“We’re getting lots of inquiries about our service dogs. And many new donations. Samantha’s heroism has raised Warriors Wolf Pack’s profile. So we need to discuss how to behave with the media.” Kelli looked up from her notes and smiled as Jori entered the staff meeting. “And here she is, our heroine of the hour.”
Jori blushed as she slipped into the room. “Sorry I’m late. I had to drive in from Little Rock this morning.” As soon as the snow had stopped the day before, her father had driven to Springdale and brought her back to her parents’ home in the capital city. She’d lost the rest of the day by sleeping it away. “What have I missed?”
“Only your face on every media outlet.” Maxine grinned. “The phone has been blowing up with questions about you, and what we do here. You’re a media darling.”
Jori noticed the other staff members were looking at her with a combination of awe and envy. It didn’t make her feel good. It made her feel different, not one of them any longer. Her parents’ faces had worn that same expression, mingled with worry.
“But we know the truth. Mostly, she takes up space,” offered Jeff, the only male staffer there. The jibe struck the right tone to bring the group back to earth with laughter.
“Which brings me back to what I want to stress this morning.” Kelli crossed her arms on the boardroom table and leaned forward. “We have several members of the press coming in to do interviews with us over the next few days. I’m concerned about how they’re already portraying Samantha in the news. What she did was extraordinary. Feel free to show off what our service dogs are trained to do. It’s quite impressive. But we don’t want to oversell their capabilities. It wouldn’t be fair to our veterans and their dogs. Is everyone in agreement?”
Everyone nodded. Maxine raised her hand. “So, like, are we to dress up a bit, for the interviews?”
“I’m wearing my best pair of jeans and a ‘cute top.’” Jeff raised his voice to falsetto on the last two words. A man who worked with women, he’d become a quick study in their vocabulary.
After going over the more mundane but vital weekly operational issues, the meeting broke up.
“Jori, do you have a moment?” Kelli pointed to her office. Once there she took up her preferred position on the edge of the desk. All three lights on her phone were blinking. With a sigh she moved to her doorway. “Maxine, hold all my calls for ten minutes.”
She returned with a frown for Jori. “How are you feeling? Any injuries?”