Page 57 of Freedom to Love

Brynn trembled. She panicked. She nearly fainted. And then she came back, refocused and weighted with determination. “Because I’m in love with you.”

Silence.

Kat slowly removed her hand from hers. Then, gently, it was placed on her shoulder. Brynn turned and found Kat’s eyes searching hers madly. Heat kissed her cheeks.

“What did you say?” she whispered. She blinked quickly, the way she did when she was in disbelief.

“I said,” Brynn said, voice trembling, “that I’m in love with you.”

Kat inhaled and then grabbed her by the arms. “You have no idea what that just did to me do you?”

Brynn’s dizziness intensified. “I have a pretty good idea.”

Kat looked around, then glanced at the door. “Want to get out of here?”

Brynn sighed. “More than anything.”

Kat opened the door and led her out with her hand on the small of her back. They hurried down the brick walkway, beyond the buoyant balloons, and out onto the street. The sun had just set and the streetlights were winking to life. Kat reached for her hand and Brynn took it, warming inside. She felt good, safe. And then with a glimpse of approaching men, it all came crashing down.

She stopped, frozen.

Mo and his sons walked up slowly, meeting them head on in the street. They didn’t appear to have weapons, but that did little to control Brynn’s sudden panic.

“What are you doing here?” she asked hurriedly, releasing Kat’s hand. But Kat grabbed hers again and held tightly. A quick glance at her showed a stern flexing jaw, heat on her cheeks, and a determined flash to her eyes. “Mo?” Brynn was desperate to quell the situation, whatever the situation was. Kat was about to blow and that would be bad, very bad.

Mo held Kat’s stare. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “We came to see what this party is all about.”

Brynn again tried to release from Kat, but Kat wouldn’t let her. “Mo, this is a party for Deputy Damien. You know, Sergeant Vander’s partner who was shot?”

He smiled. “Yeah, I know who he is.” He tugged on his Red Man tobacco ball cap and rubbed the scruff of his growing beard. He’d cleaned up since their encounter at the house, and he and his sons stood in jeans, worn cowboy boots, and T-shirts. She couldn’t help but notice that Kat wore it so much better.

“Question is,” Mo said, finally looking at Brynn. “What are you doing here? And why in the hell are you holding her hand?” He turned slightly and spit. Her cousin Marty laughed. He was always a little shit, picking on Billy, taking advantage of him.

She glared at him. “Don’t you have barns to go break into and steal from?”

He stopped laughing. “Least I ain’t no queer.”

Heat exploded inside her, and she clenched her fist and took a step forward. “No, you prefer your right hand. God knows you can’t get anyone else to touch you.”

He squared off with her, wad of chew in his jaw. His eyes, hazel green like hers, were beady and sinister. “Watch yourself, cousin. If you weren’t kin…”

“What? You’d hit me? Nice.” She looked at Mo. “You must be so proud.”

Kat squeezed her hand and turned as a few of her colleagues approached from behind.

“Everything okay, Vander?”

“It will be as soon as these fellas turn tail and leave.”

Mo scoffed. “What? Ain’t ya’ll gonna invite us in?”

“We’ll treat you just like you treat us. So what do you think?”

He looked at his boys and laughed. Then he looked at Brynn. “We just came for what’s ours. Brynny, let’s go.”

She closed her eyes and stepped back and touched Kat’s arm with her free hand in an obvious embrace. “No.”

He reared back in obvious disbelief. “What?”

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