Justice Burning (Hellfire #2) Read Free Page B

Ryan’s. He’d rented it.
    She didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. Pulling the paper from the envelope, she handed it to Deputy Grayson. “Is this what you were looking for?”
    “Yes, ma’am. Please step out of the vehicle.”
    “Am I being arrested?” she asked, her pulse hammering through her veins. If he arrested her, would he have the right to search the vehicle? So much for independence. Phoebe could see that she would have to call her father and get him and his expensive attorneys to bail her out of jail.
    “No, I hadn’t planned on arresting you.” He tilted his head. “Should I?”
    Phoebe widened her eyes. “N-no. Of course not. I haven’t broken any laws.” She crossed her fingers behind her back. Except one. Grand theft auto. Although, it was a rental and the man who’d rented it was in it, so she really hadn’t stolen it. Had she?
    “I can’t remember if driving under the influence of a wedding dress was covered in the police academy.” Deputy Grayson’s lips twitched. “But driving without a license is against the law. I won’t arrest you if you step out of the vehicle and allow me to escort you to town. When you obtain that license, you can drive.”
    “Oh. Well. I guess I could send for it. But I can’t have you tow the vehicle and change the tire. You see, because I don’t have my purse, I don’t have money or credit cards to pay for the work.” With the registration papers in hand, she pulled the keys from the ignition, gathered her skirts and stepped out of the convertible. “Couldn’t we just leave it here for now?”
    “Sorry, but we can’t leave it on the road.” He held out his hand for the registration papers. “Well, this helps. Since this is a rental car, the agency should foot the bill for the towing and the new tire. All it will take is to call them and get them moving on it.”
    “How nice.” Phoebe stared at the trunk, wondering what the rental car company would think about the excess luggage they’d find when they came to collect the vehicle.
    No, the body couldn’t be there when the rental car company arrived. Phoebe had to get Ryan out of the trunk before anyone found him. “If the rental car company will take care of the repairs, shouldn’t we leave it here for them to collect it? Maybe they have their own wrecker service they like to call,” she suggested.
    “There’s only one in Hellfire. Since you’ve also bent the front bumper, you might have damaged the radiator or something else in the engine. The car really needs to be checked before you get back on the road.”
    The man clearly wouldn’t let the damned car sit on the side of the road.
    While she stood there arguing, another vehicle appeared on the highway, heading in their direction. Phoebe dragged in a deep breath and blew it out.
    A wrecker drove past them, turned around, passed them again and then backed up to the convertible. Painted on the side of the truck was the name Grayson’s Auto Shop.
    Phoebe fought to keep from rolling her eyes. She raised her brows and stared at Deputy Grayson. “A relative of yours?”
    The deputy smiled, causing the butterflies in Phoebe’s belly to flap. “My brother.” Grayson nodded toward the driver of the vehicle. “If you’ll ride with me, then my brother will take care of your vehicle.”
    “Thanks, but I’ll ride with the tow truck,” she said.
    “Are you always so argumentative?” Deputy Grayson asked.
    “Not usually.” She’d never argued with her folks. Today had been her big day to break all the rules she’d grown up with. And what had it bought her? Potential jail time!

    N ash put the woman’s nerves down to having wrecked and—by the looks of her—being late for a wedding.
    Hers .
    He found himself thinking it was too bad. She was pretty with long dark red hair tumbling around silky, smooth shoulders. A guy would be lucky to get a pretty thing like her for a wife.
    “Is there someone I need to call?” he asked,