Page 35 of Fire for Effect

“Seriously? Did your parents not like you or something?” I was testing him, trying to see how sensitive he was. Getting someone pissed was a great interrogation technique, especially with a hostile. As kind as he was acting, I knew that bad guys could flip that on a dime.

“Taz,” I said.

“Taz?” he quirked a brow, then smiled again. “Did your Mom not like you or something?”

He turned my words back to me, and I laughed.

“I don’t know,” I turned back to the Jukebox again, looking for more familiar songs. “I guess it’s short for Trinity.”

“Trinity.” His lips parted, as he let out a breath. “That’s a… beautiful name.”

“I guess my mom started calling me Taz and it stuck. I thought it went away when I joined the Army, but they started calling me the Tasmanian Devil so…”

“You were in the Army?” He said with surprise.

I prickled. I hated this part, sometimes. The assumption that I couldn’t be in the Army.

“Special Forces,” I said, throwing back my shoulders and daring him to contradict me. A lot of men did, refusing to believe that the last bastion of combat arms had opened its doors to women. Too tough on the frail masculine ego.

“That’s impressive,” he said, with a satisfied nod. I couldn’t begin to figure out why. “Were you an 18C?”

Curiosity laced his features.

“Yes, I was, why do you ask?” 18 Charlie, Special Forces Engineer.

Under normal circumstances, I’d keep this information close to the vest, but if they were going to attack me, they might think twice if they knew I could fight back.

“Everything alright, here?” Griff was staring daggers at the old man. He slowly slid his arm around my shoulders and tucked me into his side. “This guy bothering you?”

I shrugged him off, giving him a glare. Cobra looked at Griff up and down, before scowling like he didn’t approve.

“Put it away guys,” I said loudly, then grumbled, “Before someone pokes an eye out.”

Griff wasn’t one to be easily dissuaded. He came forward and stood between me and Cobra, squaring up like they were in a pissing contest.

“Seriously, Griff, I’m fine.” I turned back to the Jukebox, more than annoyed at the impending sausage fest. “Go sit down before you start a fight.”

Some people might think that being the only girl in a room full of guys was a good thing. It wasn’t. I made a mental note to get more women in my life because men were just too dramatic. If I didn’t like the feel of cock, I would have started dating women long ago.

“I’ll be watching you,” Griff said it to me, but I knew it wasn’t for me. He was saying it for Cobra’s benefit.

“Keep it North of the belt,” I said as a joke.

“No promises.” His eyes flicked down my body and back up before he walked away.

I took the time to admire his backside with cheap, decidedly unfriendly appreciation. The man had a tight ass, and a gorgeous set of shoulders. There were ass men and breast men. There were ass, chest, shoulder, and arm women. And I was into all of it.

I was a sucker for a guy who could pump iron.

“That your man?” Cobra said, disapproval written all over his face.

“Nope. Just friends.”

“That’s some kind of friend.” He looked out the door, seeming to gaze across the street to where I’d parked my bike. “What about the other one? The fireman?”

“Nope.” I wasn’t going to give any more details on that.

I didn’t know for sure about Riley, but I knew that for all his faults, Griff was the best kind of friend. He may hate VD with a burning passion, but he’d still have his back no matter what. And at this point, he wasn’t really mad at VD anyway. He was just a standing reminder of his failure when it came to marriage.

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