Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 72856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72856 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
I winced.
“The reporter’s here,” I said. “She just went into the back hallway.”
Two of the men in front of me split off in opposite directions while Nico called it in.
“Got a runner heading towards the back,” Nico said into the mic at his shoulder.
I walked along the side of the garage to the driveway and noticed that the entire street was now lined with police cars.
Down the street beyond the police cars sat the ambulance, far enough away that Winter and Baylee wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire if the situation deteriorated.
“You can put your hands down,” Nico said. “Just head towards Downy.”
I found the redheaded officer in front of one of the SUVs with plans spread out on the hood in front of him, and headed straight for him.
Right about that time two more black clad figures rounded the house with the cute reporter in tow.
“I didn’t do it!” She cried. “I was just here to say I was sorry!”
Funny, if she’d done that earlier, it might’ve been believable.
***
“I had absolutely nothing to do with anybody’s murder,” Candice Paige, the reporter for the Kilgore Times, said. “I was just there to talk to her.”
“Why?” Luke asked, sitting back in his seat.
“Because she had a lot of good stories. But I told her I didn’t want anymore. After yesterday, seeing how all the KFD team members worked together with civilians to find that firefighter’s ring…well, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I came to tell her I was done,” she said.
A commotion at my back had me turning in time to see Mia barreling towards me.
She was dressed in her scrubs, and it looked as if she’d dropped everything to get to me. She only had half a face of make up on.
“Tai!” She cried, tears clogging her voice.
“I’m okay,” I said, catching her and pulling her into my arms.
Her mouth pressed into my neck as her arms went over my shoulders. My arms went around her ribcage, as I held on tight.
“I’m okay,” I said again as I held her small, trembling body.
“You scared the daylights out of me,” she said.
I squeezed her tighter.
“I’m okay,” I said again.
“Don’t you ever do that to us again!” Mia growled.
My brows went up and I set her away from me.
“Us?” I asked.
She pointed behind her with a thumb, and I just shook my head.
Jack was there.
As were the rest of the men that worked with him.
“Jesus,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Do you think it’ll be like this every time you go into a SWAT situation?” Luke asked at my side.
I looked over at him.
“I sure as fuck hope not,” I said.
“You weren’t even hurt,” Luke observed.
“No, I wasn’t,” I agreed.
“Maybe you should start weaning them off your tit now,” Luke joked.
Mia growled and leaned around me to glare at Luke.
Luke took the glare and gave her one back of his own.
“I’m not on his tit,” she snapped once the staring contest went on for a while.
Luke’s eyes lit with mirth.
“Are you sure?” He asked.
“Oh, trust me. If I was on his tit, both he and I would know it,” she snapped.
Luke laughed.
As did I.
And I couldn’t say it wasn’t a good one, either. Even if it was at the expense of my girl.
“Let me answer some questions, and then we’ll go home,” I said.
She sighed.
“Not in your truck we won’t,” she said, looking pointedly at the ruined tire of my truck.
I followed the direction of her gaze and winced.
No, I guess we wouldn’t.
Chapter 22
Unless she’s sitting on your face, her weight is none of your concern.
-Words of wisdom to any man dumb enough to ask a woman her weight
Mia
I walked onto the floor of my new job at the other hospital in Kilgore and immediately knew that this was the right place for me to be.
“You ready?” Masen asked.
Masen had switched jobs with me.
She hadn’t been getting the same treatment from the charge nurse and our fellow nurses, but she had my back, and I was appreciative of that fact
“Hey, you must be Mia and Masen,” a small woman about two inches shorter than me said.
I looked over at the woman’s nametag and smiled. “Yes, that’s us. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand.
“Call me Payton. And this is Cheyenne,” Payton indicated a woman behind her.
I looked up to find Cheyenne, Sam’s wife, standing there.
“Hi,” I said, waving.
She grinned. “I didn’t realize that you were who was coming today.”
I nodded. “I am. We started last week, actually. But we had to go through orientation and all that fun stuff.”
She nodded and turned to Payton. “This is Jack’s brother’s fiancé.”
The light dawned. “I knew you looked familiar!”
We’d actually seen each other in passing quite a bit, but it was when either of us were coming or going as we went to visit Jack and Winter.