Page 3 of Kitten Kisses

Chase and Chadwick pulled out theirs. As they handed them over, Mike dropped the case and tried to make a run for it, but the sliding doors opened too slowly. Alex jumped and covered his mouth when Mike bounced off the glass with a loud thump and hit the floor.

Chadwick burst out laughing. “That was priceless! You bounced off of it like it was a springboard.”

Chase was grinning, a gummy worm stuck between his perfect, white teeth, but didn’t comment.

“Do you need medical attention?” Tattoo Sleeves asked as he knelt his hulking body next to Mike, who was rubbing his forehead.

“I want my fucking lawyer!” Mike pushed from the floor. When Tattoo Sleeves tried to help him up, Mike jerked his arm away. “Get your hands off me.”

“I’m here to help you,” the deputy stated calmly. “We can talk this out. Just tell me what would make things better for you.”

Mike let out a bitter laugh as he shook his head slowly. “Go screw yourself.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” the deputy replied in a relaxed tone. “This situation isn’t as serious as it may seem. It was a minor theft.”

“We offered to pay for the fucking beer,” Mike snarled. “Ask the prick behind the counter. We offered to pay an eighty-dollar tip for a better haircut.” He spat on the floor.

Alex took offense to that snide remark considering his mom was a hairdresser at the salon and had been the only one to ever cut his hair. He’d let her color his hair a few times in the past, but at the moment, it was his natural sandy blond with touches of dark brown highlights. Plus, his mom had taught him how to style it.

Mike needed to take that eighty dollars and buy himself a better attitude.

The deputy turned Mike around and cuffed him. “This is for everyone’s safety.”

“You’ll regret this,” Mike said through gritted teeth.

“Are you making a threat against a police officer?” he asked.

“Dude, know when to keep your mouth shut,” Chase advised, taking a bite of the worm.

Alex agreed. Though he wanted to see the footage from the security cameras to watch Mike hit the doors again.

Tattoo Sleeves carefully lowered Mike to the floor so he could sit. Then he talked softly to him, but it was clear Mike didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.

The deputy stood then began talking with Chadwick and Chase, while Dreamboat headed Alex’s way.

Turning around, Alex did a quick breath check, relieved it didn’t smell like the beef jerky he’d eaten an hour ago.

“How’re you doing?” he asked as he rounded the counter, crowding Alex’s already cramped space.

Alex looked at the nametag on his shirt. “I’m doing okay, Deputy Kingsman.”

He would still be Dreamboat to Alex.

“Can you fill me in on what happened?” The deputy’s charming smile threatened to take Alex’s breath away, especially under the weight of those piercing eyes and perfectly shaped lips.

Would Deputy Kingsman arrest him if he squeezed those impressive guns? And not the one in his holster…

“What if I tell you and they come back to harass me?” It was a legit concern. The other two were borderline, but Mike definitely seemed the vengeful type.

Seriously. Working the night shift with very little foot traffic left him vulnerable, especially to a hot-headed brat like Mike who might show up to “thank” him for cooperating with the police.

It might be Alex bouncing off the door next time.

Alex jerked his head back when he thought he heard a soft purr, but he brushed it off as stress getting to him.

“Does the owner keep a weapon under the counter?”

“A weapon? Like a gun” He’d heard many stores kept guns under their counters for protection, but luckily Gary didn’t have one. Guns scared Alex. “No, I don’t. And even if there was one under the counter, I would probably end up shooting myself rather than hitting a target.”

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