God, that would have been his head. Bo looked for anything to defend himself with. There was nothing in the cell but a toilet and the cot, both bolted down.
He was fucked.
“Don’t you dare touch him!” Mouse roared into the room. She practically threw herself against the bars, her arms coming through them as though she could catch the bigger man and keep him away from Bo.
“Mouse, you get back.” Bo wasn’t about to let that asshole get his hands on her.
“Lookee here, O’Malley. You got a mouse coming to your rescue.” Len hadn’t moved from his position. “Ain’t that lucky for you?”
“Do something,” Mouse demanded, looking at the deputy. “He’s going to kill Bo.”
Len sighed. “I’ll go get the Taser. It might take me a minute or two to find it.”
“I suggest you find it sooner, Deputy. You now have witnesses to your improper use of police force. I assure you, if Mr. O’Malley comes out of this experience with a single scratch on him, you will be looking at a police brutality charge.”
Bo looked out, and Leo Meyer stood beside the deputy’s desk. He stared at Len, and suddenly the bastard looked like he gave a damn.
Shelley Hughes came running into the room. “Beth, what’s going on? Why the hell does Brian Nixon have a weapon in a jail cell? Give me that.”
What the hell was going on?
Bo pushed that bastard Brian out of the way. He was way too close to Mouse. “Don’t you touch her.”
Leo stepped forward before Shelley could get her hands on Brian. The big former Navy SEAL hooked an arm around each woman’s waist and started to pull them away from the cell. Bo was about to express his gratitude when Mouse dug in. She tightened her hands around the bars.
“Let go, Beth.” Leo’s voice was calm, but there was a dark command behind it.
“Mouse, you let go!” Bo just shouted his command. And then he ducked again because Brian didn’t care that there were witnesses.
“Stop it!” Mouse yelled.
Leo used a little of that muscle of his, and Mouse didn’t stand a chance. Bo thanked whoever had taught Leo Meyer to work out. At least Mouse wasn’t in the line of fire anymore.
Brian lifted the nightstick, and Bo didn’t have a damn place left to go. He looked out at Mouse. Tears were streaking down her face. She struggled against Leo’s hold. Bo wasn’t sure what had brought Aidan’s friend to the sheriff’s department, but he was damn happy the man was here. At least Mouse would be safe.
Bo closed his eyes and waited for his skull to crack.
There was a pop and then the sound of sizzling and a loud groan. Bo opened his eyes just as Brian Nixon fell forward. There was a Taser dart in his back. His enormous body shook with the force of the electric current flowing through him.
Mouse had calmed, but Leo still had an arm wrapped around both women.
“You let him out right now, Len Miller,” Mouse demanded. “I’m going to hire a lawyer. I’m going to sue this whole county starting with you.”
“Now old Mouse is threatening to sue Len. And there’s a really attractive man here who won’t let go of Mouse and Shelley Hughes. Yes, I think so. It would serve Bryce right.” Wanda just kept talking.
“We don’t need your commentary,” Leo said to Wanda. He let both women go as Len opened the cell door.
Wanda looked up at him, utterly unintimidated. “You might not, but Patty sure does. Yes, hon, he’s very bossy. I think so. Just like Aidan. Uh-huh.”
Bo ignored her. He stepped over Brian’s still-twitching body and muscled past the deputy. He pulled Mouse into his arms. He’d never seen a more welcome sight than that pretty face looking up at him. Pretty? Hell, she was beautiful. How had he not seen it before? She wasn’t flashy like Clarissa, but she had the loveliest eyes, and her hair was soft. She usually wore it up, but now it tumbled all around her shoulders and down her back. He let his hands sink into the soft stuff as he pulled her close.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t get the message until this morning,” she whispered.
“It doesn’t matter.” He squeezed her, enjoying the way her breasts felt against his chest. She was so damn sweet. His dick was getting hard. The adrenaline of the fight was still riding him. He wanted to kiss her right here and now.
She’d come. She hadn’t been pissed off. He believed her. She just hadn’t gotten the message. And it looked like he wouldn’t even have to ride on her handlebars to get back home. The thought made him smile.
“I’m just glad you’re here.” He pulled back so he could look at her. Her eyes were still a little red, but there was a tremulous smile on her face. “I have so much to tell you. Can we go somewhere and talk?”
He’d thought about this all night. He had a speech prepared, and at the end, he was going down on one knee and asking her to marry him. There was no need to wait. He’d known deep down she was the one for him for ten years, since that night when she’d taken him in without a single question. She’d been his haven ever since. He’d just been stubborn and stupid and focused on the wrong things. He knew he should wait and buy her a proper ring before he asked, but now that the moment was here, he was brutally impatient to get on with the rest of his life.
“You ready to go?” a deep voice asked from the front of the room.
Bo knew that voice. He turned and saw Trev McNamara standing there, a ferocious scowl on his face. What the fuck was he doing here? Bo checked his temper. He didn’t need to start another fight. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation for Trev being here. There had to be.
Mouse tried to take a step back. She was so shy. Bo wasn’t going to let her be so shy anymore. He pulled her close again. It was time to start staking his claim.
“Did you try to ride that bicycle of yours all the way out here? Did Trev pick you up?” He looked over at Trev, not really giving Mouse a chance to respond. “Thanks for picking up my girl. I’m going to force her to get more comfortable driving.”
“I picked her up last night.” Trev’s eyes were on the place where Bo’s hands held Mouse.
“Trev was nice enough to give me a ride to pick you up. Leo and Shelley came along. Shelley was worried about you,” Mouse explained.
Bo noticed she wasn’t clutching him the way she had in the past. When he’d hugged her before, she’d practically inhaled him. She’d been starved for affection. Now he was going to drown her in it.
“Well, I’m fine. No need to worry now. What do you mean last night?”
Mouse pulled away. There was no way to mistake the fact that she wanted to stand on her own. Bo felt the loss of her warmth as she stepped away from him.
“Wanda, do you need anything else? Can we take him home?” Mouse asked.
Wanda pulled the phone away from her ear. “Are you sure you don’t want to hash this out here, hon? Bo seems to be in a fighting mood.”
“No one’s going to fight,” Mouse promised.
Wanda sighed. “Well, then I guess you’re free to leave.”
“Now, Wanda, I am the deputy here.” Len tried to reassert himself even as he checked Brian Nixon’s pulse.
Wanda wasn’t having it. “And I know your momma. How is she going to feel when I tell her you keep a bottle of whiskey in your desk? And I bet she doesn’t know about your card game every Wednesday night when you’re supposed to be at men’s bible study.”
Len waved. “You’re free to go.”
Bo got a nasty feeling in his gut. Trev didn’t look like a man who was doing a woman a little favor. He was staring at Mouse like he was going to pounce any second. Trev looked predatory and possessive. What had he meant when he’d said he’d picked her up last night?
“I’m going to take Shelley home. She’s been up all night, and I suspect her husband will wonder where she’s been. I’ll drop her off and meet you out at Aidan’s.” Leo put a hand on Shelley’s back. She had flushed at the mention of her husband.