Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“I’ll wait for you to finish work, then we can swing by your place and pick up your things.”
Her eyes roam over me, and I puff out my chest a little. I stare at her so she knows I’m dead serious, and once she nods, I cross my arms over my broad chest. “Fine,” she says like a defeated little bird. “Just stay out of my way.” She steps away from me and picks her broom up.
I give her a quick nod to let her know I’ll be watching, then casually wander around the aviary, staying close enough to keep an eye on her but trying to blend in with the tourists. My gaze sweeps the crowd every few minutes, half-expecting that jerk of an ex-boyfriend of hers to pop up. But it’s mostly families and bird enthusiasts milling about, so I relax—just a little.
As I stroll through the aviary, I’m bombarded with more bird facts than I ever thought possible. Apparently, cockatoos can mimic voices, and Yellow-naped Amazon birds like Chester are some kind of mischief geniuses. I smirk as Chester entertains another group, causing a kid to break into fits of laughter. I never realized how much went into these shows—or how many kinds of birds there are.
A couple of hours later, as the afternoon sun filters through the trees, Briar finds me by the parrot exhibit. She’s got that tired, drained look about her, cheeks flushed from exhaustion. “I’m ready,” she says. Her lips are pressed into a firm, stubborn pout, her nose scrunched just slightly in distaste. I can tell she’s not happy. But I don’t care. I’m here to protect her ass, not become her bestie. And what a fine ass it is, if I’m being a hundred percent honest.
“Great. Let’s get out of here,” I say, motioning toward the exit. As we start walking, I add, “I’ll also need to know your schedule—can’t protect you if I don’t know where you’re gonna be.”
She tilts her head slightly, thinking it over. “What do I do with my car?” she asks, a small frown forming on her lips.
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll drive you back to get it later, or better yet, I’ll have someone pick it up for you,” I say with a shrug, leading her toward the entrance where the tourists are thinning out.
She doesn’t argue, but there’s that little spark of independence in her eyes again, like she’s not entirely used to someone taking care of things for her. It’s kinda cute, honestly. But underneath it all, I can tell she’s relieved, even if she won’t admit it. She’s tough, but everyone needs a little help sometimes, whether they like it or not.
I pull out my phone, sending a text to Riggs, from the BRAVO team and work out the details with him to pick up Briar’s car from the zoo.
Normally, on missions, I’d opt for a safe house, but I’m not too concerned about an overzealous ex-boyfriend. The guy’s not exactly a criminal mastermind. After going through the file on him, I’m pretty confident he doesn’t have the skills to hack into the DMV or track down where I live. He’s all bluster and no brains.
If by some miracle he does manage to find us, I’ll ask Dean to set us up in a safe house. But until then, I’m confident I can keep Briar safe while this mess gets sorted out. Dean’s working on the restraining order and gathering the evidence needed to arrest him. The legal process just takes time.
And let’s be real—how many criminals actually respect a restraining order? Not many. So yeah, we’re being extra cautious. Keeping Briar close, making sure she’s not alone, and always watching. It’s my job to protect her, and I don’t plan on letting some petty ex get in the way of that.
We walk through the zoo, and past many different animals. I clear my throat, wondering how to phrase my next question. “Why do you work here?” I ask her, wondering what would ever make somebody interested in cleaning up after birds.
She stops walking and blinks up at me. “What do you mean?”
“Listen, I know you come from money.” Our services aren’t cheap and her parents are wealthy. “So, why shovel bird shit for a living?”
“I love birds. One day I hope to be a bird trainer and get to be able to work with the birds directly.”
“You love birds, huh?”
Her eyes sparkle as her face lights up into a smile. “More than humans.”
I continue walking, checking our surroundings as I do. Always on the lookout. “I get that.” Which I do understand. People are messy. People take a lot of work to handle. Birds are probably much easier.
They’re little and hang out in cages, how hard can that be to handle.
We make our way to the parking lot, and we wait until Riggs arrives to handle Briar’s car.