Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 71015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“Did they say anything?” I asked once we were in my car.
Grayson looked up from his spot in the driver’s seat, watching something.
Following his gaze, I saw Colby standing at the living room blinds, watching us.
“Nothing. He’s just a dick,” Grayson said roughly.
“Okay,” I agreed. Even though I knew that something had to have been said to elicit that kind of reaction out of the usually mild tempered man.
Chapter 9
Firemen do it hotter.
-T-shirt
Torren
“That guy’s such a fucking dick,” I seethed as I watched the stupid prick of a cop walk away.
“You can say that again. What’s his fucking problem?” Sebastian snarled, glancing down at the ticket in his hand.
“Who gives firefighters tickets when they’re on their way to a goddamn call?” Kettle snapped from his position in the passenger seat.
“One that’s pissed that I’m dating the girl he likes,” I supplied.
I was beyond pissed.
After the words that’d been exchanged on Saturday, I knew the stupid fuck was out to get me.
“I met up with Tru at Lowe’s this weekend. Found that guy practically pinning her to the rack when I stepped in. She clung to me like I was her lifeline. I later followed her home to replace her doorknob. When she was changing her clothes, the stupid fuck started spouting off about how they were an item and I was stepping in somewhere I didn’t belong. When I told him I wasn’t backing off, he got all pissy and told me I wasn’t going to like the results if I didn’t back off. Guess this was one of those results he was talking about,” I ground out through clenched teeth.
Even now, nearly a week later, it still had the power to piss me off.
Sebastian looked back at me, followed shortly by Kettle. “You’re fucking joking.”
I shook my head. “Dead fucking serious.”
“Well,” Sebastian said as he threw the ticket on his dash and pulled back into traffic. “Fucker doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”
***
“Hello?” I answered my phone as I stepped in through my front door.
“Grayson?” Tru’s sweet voice quivered through the phone.
I froze. “Yeah, honey?”
I’d given Tru my phone number the night I’d dropped her off at her parent’s place after we painted my living room.
I’d even had a beer with Frank, even though he still didn’t like me very much. This was the first I’d heard from her since both of us were busy at work. Especially me, since I’d pulled a 48 so Sebastian could take a couple days off to go up to visit the cemetery where his good friends were laid to rest.
“I think there’s something wrong with the door handle you replaced. When I got home, it was open again.”
I blinked in surprise. The door was sturdy, as was the frame. When I’d left, the door handle had been on there perfectly well. It wasn’t broken.
“How about I come pick you up for dinner, and take a look at it?” I asked as I dropped the bag over my shoulder down to the ground in the foyer.
She sighed. “That’d be great. It’s really starting to freak me out that it’s always open.”
What woman…or man for that matter…would like to come home to their home being open when that wasn’t the way they left it? I had a feeling that there was something else going on here besides a faulty door handle, but I didn’t want to alarm her without due cause.
“Be there in twenty,” I said as I turned around and headed back out the door.
“Thanks,” she breathed, before hanging up.
The entire way to her house, I thought about what she’d said about her door handle and tried to think back to when I’d tested the old one.
It’d been sturdy as well, which begged to mention…how was the thing open every night when she got home if she’d been closing it behind her?
I could see accidentally leaving it open once. But not the multiple times it’d been happening to Tru.
I drove past her sister’s place and waved, startling the sister who I’d never met, and had a good laugh the entire way to Tru’s thinking about the woman’s expression.
I got that a lot, so it wasn’t surprising. It still cracked me up to see how scared people would react when I’d come by. It was just something about the motorcycle, the cut, and the stature of a biker that people found intimidating.
Even when I was in my department uniform, I elicited that response out of people.
Which I should be used to after all these years, yet it still made me laugh each and every time.
I saw Tru as soon as I pulled up to her house.
Instead of going inside, she’d taken a seat in her car to wait.
Smart girl.
“Hey,” I said as I shut the motor off and she made her way to me.
“Hey,” she said. “Thank you for coming.”
I waved off her thanks. “You’re welcome. If my craftsmanship is faulty, I sure as hell want to know. My man card might need to be revoked if I can’t put on something as simple as a door knob.”
She snorted before turning to walk towards the house, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms, startling her at first.
I caught her easily and enfolded her into my chest, planting my nose into her hair.
She melted into me, burying her face into my neck.
I squeezed her a little tighter, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. “You okay, Tru?”
She nodded, not lifting her head from my chest. “Yeah. Just…worried.”
I could relate. I was worried about her, too.
“Let me go check it out, and then we’ll get going,” I said.
However, I didn’t move, and neither did she.
We stayed like that, her wrapped up tightly in my arms, until her friend came home.
With the boyfriend.
Oh, joy.
“Maybe your friend’s man can check it out. We can go straight to dinner,” I suggested quickly, wanting to get out of there before the brother decided to come over and make me remodel his face.
With my fist.
She snorted. “Bobby’s never done anything I asked of him. Or anything his girlfriend’s asked of him. It’s a miracle if he even picks his come towels up from the bathroom floor.”