Page 25 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

She shook her head vigorously and launched herself from the gurney, practically climbing Coy to get away from everyone else around her. This wasn’t unusual behavior. These women had been abused and tortured by strange men and were now surrounded by them once more. Trust was hard-earned after what these women went through, and rightfully so.

“Hey now,” he said gently, grasping her hands in his again. “They’re here to take care of you. This guy right here is Finn O’Reilly.”

Coy was able to get her back on the gurney and patted Finn on the chest. “His only job in the world right now is to protect you with his life. He will not leave your side, and the only people he will let even remotely close to you are those who are there to help you. Okay?”

The woman looked between Coy and Finn warily but began to relax on the gurney and allowed Finn to put warm blankets over her, restoring her dignity while granting her comfort.

“You’re Rexly, right?” Finn asked and she nodded. “We were sent here just for you and because of that, saved a lot of other people who were here with you. You helped get them to safety too, and we aren’t going to let a damn thing happen to any of you. You have my word, honey.”

Finn knew better than to touch her, even with a friendly shoulder pat, so he extended his hand and gave her a choice to shake it or not. Choice was something that had been taken from her, and this was the first of many opportunities to give her back her freedom to choose. Rexly looked to Coy, who smiled softly at her and nodded in agreement as if offering her assurances. Smiling was a rarity for him.

Rexly returned the nod and whispered. “Thank you.”

She promptly took Finn’s hand but didn’t let it go, and he marched alongside her as the medics wheeled her away to a waiting ambulance. Finn tossed a wave to Coy with his free hand and that was Coy’s cue to leave.

He marched toward his parked car, unbuckling his extra holsters as he went. When he reached the beefy sports-like car, he popped the trunk and began to unpack the gear he wore on his body and tuck it away in his trunk. He pulled out a couple of hard plastic, or maybe it was metal, cases and started dismantling his weapons and cleaned each piece before putting them in their designated spots.

“What the hell man?” Killion asked as he approached with Wit at his side. “Going dark?”

Coy grinned and shrugged it off, as if Killion’s disappointment was amusing when really he knew it was reckless.

“Technically, I was on comms the whole time. You heard everything, I heard everything, just chose to run my op how I saw fit,” Coy said.

“Great teamwork, Stone,” Wit scolded. “I’d say that’s how you get people killed but you’re the only one who could’ve been killed on that one. What was this, a suicide mission?”

“Not even a little bit,” Coy said with offense. “I’ve run this kind of case a thousand times too many and know what I’m doing. Remember, I’ve been with Safe Haven a lot longer than either of you. Closed more of these trafficking cases than I care to count –– all successful, I might add. I didn’t need a secondary team. I would have called for it myself if I did.”

Safe Haven, an amalgamation of diverse individuals, united forces with BK Security to combat some of the most heinous criminals on Earth: perpetrators of human trafficking, domestic abuse, and similar offenses. Serving as a sanctuary for victims of these atrocities, Safe Haven enlisted a wide array of volunteers from various walks of life. Motel owners provided shelter, truck drivers facilitated swift and discreet relocations, while enforcers and assassins confronted the most malevolent abusers.

This volunteer-driven network, primarily comprised of individuals directly affected by domestic abuse or trafficking, aimed to rescue, and assist victims. Embracing anyone touched by these egregious crimes, Safe Haven welcomed the contributions from these truck drivers, motel owners, farmers, city dwellers, and individuals from all walks of life. This collaborative effort operated entirely off the record, extending its services freely to those desperately seeking an escape from dire situations.

The synergy between Safe Haven and the Keepers became apparent when BK Security identified an overlapping case, recognizing an opportunity to enhance the reach and effectiveness of Safe Haven. This realization prompted Wit and Coy to join the ranks of the Keepers, further strengthening the alliance between the two organizations.

Wit dropped his head and let out a deep sigh. “Nobody is saying you haven’t been with Safe Haven long, or that you don’t have the best interest of its clients and those we rescue at heart, brother. I’m just saying this rogue shit has to stop. The last body I ever want to pull out of one of these places is yours, man.”

“I know,” Coy said. “And I’ll never put you in a position where you have to. I’d never compromise the team or the people we’re here to save.”

“You sure you’re good?” Killion asked. “You went to that dark place, man. You need someone to talk to?”

“Sorry, Killion. I don’t have time to sit and chat about feelings over tea today, I have somewhere to be.”

“I didn’t mean me, asshole. I meant a professional.”

“Then definitely not. I’m good. I mean it. Sure, it stirs shit up for me, but there isn’t enough talking in the world that will ever make that go away,” Coy said. “I’m fine though, really.”

“You know we have resources if…”

“Not necessary, Killion, but thanks for the reminder.” Coy closed his gun cases and stowed them away, locking them in a safe bolted in the trunk of his car and trading them for a smaller case. He opened it and pulled out a smaller weapon that was already in a holster and slung it around his shoulders. “Y’all have my route. I sent it to your phones. If anything comes up between here and my destination, you let me know. I’m on it.”

“Send you more work? I thought you had somewhere to be?” Wit asked.

“I do.”

Killion clicked away at his phone screen, then said, “Got it right here. Says you’re heading south. What’s in… Texas?”

“Home.”

Two

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