Free Last of the Red-Hot Riders by Tina Leonard Page B

seemed to serve was to get the spotlight off the dead body. Then another possible motive occurred to her.
    If Judy kicked Cameron off the team, there’d be one less rider. With Ava trying to start a family, Judy’s team would be almost back to its starting point—while Ivy’s honky-tonk was well established and quite popular. Cameron met Saint’s curious gaze.
    “I’m sorry. I like to dance,” Cameron said, knowing she sounded defensive.
    He didn’t look happy.
    “It’s just dancing.”
    “It’s against Judy’s first rule.” His frown deepened.
    Ivy laughed merrily. “I say rules are made to be broken. Anyway, give the girl a break. She’s what, twenty-four years old?”
    “Twenty-five,” Cameron said automatically. “That’s not the point. Don’t you have any discretion at all?”
    “I do for my best customers.” Ivy’s eyes glittered. “But you’re not playing on my team, are you?”
    Cameron shrugged.
    “Sheriff, I think this whole matter is best forgotten, don’t you?” Ivy smiled languorously at him. “It’s not my fault someone misused his medication, any more than it’s Cameron’s fault that she can’t stay tied to Judy’s overly strict rules all the time, is it?”
    So Ivy’d thrown her under the bus to hold Steel hostage. Cameron felt ashamed that she’d put herself in a position to be used that way, so that Ivy could hurt Steel and Judy. Saint shot her a sympathetic look, but he clearly wasn’t happy with her, either.
    “It doesn’t work that way, Ivy. You know that.” Steel stood his ground as Ivy stepped closer to him, touched the star on his vest as an excuse to mold her hand against his chest. “Remove your hand, Ivy.”
    She did, to Cameron’s surprise.
    “It’s a shame you’re so blinded by my cousin, Steel. She has a lot of secrets, you know.”
    Cameron caught her breath. Surely Ivy wouldn’t give up Judy’s private secret. Steel would be devastated, knocked to his knees—and Ivy knew it.
    “Whereas all my secrets are in the open, Steel,” Ivy continued. “Everybody always knows where they stand with me. Can you say the same about Judy?”
    Suddenly Cameron realized that a crowd had packed around them, encircling them and blocking the door. Her scalp prickled at the unexpected press of men; she recognized several of the Horsemen, their faces menacing.
    Saint edged close to Cameron, took her hand. “Let’s go, Steel. We’ll wait for the coroner’s report and the autopsy before we say any more.”
    Steel didn’t seem inclined to leave. Cameron couldn’t remember a time the handsome love of Judy’s life had looked so grim.
    “Ivy, regardless of what the autopsy says, you and I both know you’re not running an establishment that’s obeying the laws of the state. I could cite you with any number of violations tonight, all of which would stick. And I’m sure if I looked hard enough, I’d find enough illegal drugs to see you behind bars for a while.”
    The bar went silent—but only for a second. A bottle flew, crashing against a wall. The Horsemen made their move, jumping on Saint and dragging Cameron away from him. But you didn’t grow up in a large family and not know how to hold your own. She smacked the daylights out of the man who had her by the arm—Fallon O’Rourke, Declan’s estranged twin brother—and gave him a swift kick with her boot for good measure.
    No one had laid a hand on the sheriff—except for Ivy. She’d cozied close up to him, keeping his attention on her. Jake the Snake Masters, the son of Wild Jack, who owned Wild Jack’s Training Center, was trying to get some punches off on Saint, who sidestepped them with ease. Which just made Jake madder, his punches more wildly off the mark. No doubt Jake had waited for months to get a little revenge on the Outlaws, especially after Trace had dispensed a bit of justice on him for roofying Declan.
    Cameron wasn’t worried about Saint—she was more concerned with keeping Ivy away