Page 19 of Bite the Bullet

“She’s here so my men can keep an eye on her and my grandson. Is that all you called me for?”

This wasn’t going the way I hoped. I thought he would see sense and move them away from the danger, but he thought a bunch of criminals were better suited to watching her back.

“Like I said, your son asked me to look after her. I’m not a fucking babysitter. I don’t give a shit how you got me out of prison. I paid the price for that, even if it wasn’t intended to help you or your son in any way.”

“And you want me to know that you’re not going to look after them, to protect them,” he hissed as he stepped closer.

He was just a few feet from me now. I saw the evil in his eyes, the sadistic fuck that gladly brokered deals with the worst of humanity for a cut of the profits. There was nothing good about this man, and if he had his way, that kid would end up on his payroll by the time he was eighteen.

“I could have you arrested and thrown back in prison with the snap of my fingers,” he threatened. “When I got you out, it was with the understanding that I own you, not the other way around. My son—however useless he may be—fathered a child, and he means everything to me and my legacy. It would be wise of you to keep an eye on them, to make sure they’re safe.”

“It would be wiser to move them to a safer neighborhood,” I snapped, refusing to be intimidated by him.

I anticipated the move before it happened. He pulled his gun and pressed it against my forehead. I didn’t move, didn’t even flinch as he racked the gun. Death would not be the worst thing that could happen to me at this point. And while I didn’t have a death wish, I also wouldn’t back down to this fucker and let him push me around. It was the only way he would respect me.

“You have some brass balls, Jack. I saved your goddamn life and not only do you not thank me for getting you out of prison, you have the audacity to tell me what to do with my own flesh and blood.”

“Go ahead and pull the trigger,” I egged him on. “Do you really think this is the first time I’ve had a gun to my head? Do you think I’m scared of what you could do to me? I saw worse things in the military.”

“And yet you got caught murdering a cop in broad daylight.”

“That’s what happens when you turn to drugs instead of taking care of shit.”

The gun pressed even harder against my head, but then he holstered the weapon, laughing like he hadn’t just threatened to kill me in broad daylight.

“I knew I liked you. I have a job for you.”

“I already told you, I don’t work for you.”

He nodded his head from side to side. “We’ll see. One day, you’ll need some money, and I pay extremely well. When that day comes, you have my number.”

“And the woman?”

“She stays. For now,” he said, turning his back on me and heading back to his SUV. “I would consider it a personal favor if you kept an eye on them,” he called out without looking back at me.

In other words, if anything happened to them, it was on me. As the SUVs pulled away from the curb, I noticed more than a few curtains slipping closed across the street. They weren’t here just to watch the woman and her kid. They would be watching me, and if I made one wrong move, they’d call the boss and inform him immediately. It was the way the food chain worked. The only way to get them off my back was to make them fear me the way they did Baz.

That would come in time. For now, I had to play it cool and get as much intel on their movements before I jumped into the game. Only then would I truly be able to take them down.

7

SKYLAR

“I thoughtfor sure I was going to get a call that you weren’t showing up today,” Aaron jeered as I raced to meet him at the ambulance.

“I overslept,” I answered, hopping in the passenger side. “And when have I ever called in sick?”

“Never, but there’s a first time for everything.”

That charming smile he sent my way was one all the ladies fell for. He was your classic good-looking, suave guy who knew exactly what to say to a woman to get her to go home with him. And when he let them down easy the next morning, they never seemed to mind.

His blonde hair was just short enough for women to tangle their fingers through, and as he says—the scruff of his beard rubs them just the right way when he’s between their legs.I’ve never experienced it myself, and I would never go there since he’s more like a brother to me, but I could definitely see the appeal. And if that wasn’t enough to tempt any woman, the bright blue eyes that sparkled along with his smile would definitely do the trick.

He had been my partner on and off for over ten years, and that was after he trained me. He wasn’t easy on me and he didn’t hand out any favors. I had to earn my place in the department, and when I went to nursing school, he had my back, fighting with the department to keepme on the schedule. The hours were hell and the paycheck sucked, but it got me through to the end. If I hadn’t fucked everything up by sleeping with Rico and getting pregnant, I wouldn’t have to work as a medic two days a week anymore.

But I wouldn’t trade Parker for the world. And the one man that has always been on my side through it all was Aaron. Which is why working today, despite wanting to sleep in, has put a smile on my face.

“What’s the call?” I missed it since I was running into the station right as the call came in.

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