Frustration and annoyance hurried her along the carpeted hallway. She ducked out the nearest exit and found her car in the parking lot. Once inside, it was all she could do not to bang her head against the steering wheel. She could accept that bad things happened. What she hated was when they were her fault.

“You gotta be tough if you’re gonna be stupid.”

The familiar phrase, spoken in her head by a voice from the past, made her groan. She was in really big trouble and she had no one to blame but herself.

Thirty minutes later she’d left Dallas behind and entered the city limits of Titanville. She ignored the sign that told her to go thirty-five and sped down the divided road. The crap pile that was her life got a little deeper when she heard a siren behind her.

Lexi pulled over and lowered her window. She waited until the deputy approached her car, then pulled off her sunglasses and sighed.

“If you’re going to arrest me, could you rough me up a little first? Then I could sue the department.”

“Because it’s a slow week?” the deputy asked.

“I’m running a little short of cash.”

“How much are we talking about?”

“Two million dollars.”

Deputy Dana Birch whistled. “I have a new twenty-percent-off coupon from Linens ’N Things in the car, but I don’t think that’s going to cover it.” She glanced at her watch. “Want to talk about it? My lunch break starts in fifteen minutes. I can meet you at Bronco Billy’s.”

Lexi nodded. “That would be great. I’m going to whine, though.”

“I’m used to it.” Dana sounded cheerful. “Now stop speeding. You know that really pisses me off.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

Fifteen minutes later Dana slid into the booth across from Lexi. It was early, only eleven-thirty, so the place was still quiet. Lexi had spent the time waiting for her friend studying the various Clint Eastwood movie posters on the wall. Bronco Billy’s celebrated all things Clint. His movies played endlessly on TVs scattered around, T-shirts and DVDs could be purchased and the “Do you feel lucky, punk” sundae was a regional favorite.