Page 28 of Tortured Tones

“I’m all for you having fun and can turn a blind eye when necessary. But I’ve also seen a lot of bad shit in my time. Keeping you and your friends safe, in all situations, is all I care about.”

“Have you always been in security?”

“No.” I kept my eyes focused on the path ahead, but my tone dropped. “I used to be a cop.”

“You did?” His toe stubbed a stone. He stumbled a step but kept running. “What happened?” He winced. “Wait, I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s okay.” I was in a much better place. Most of the time. What didn’t kill you made you stronger, right? “Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a cop like my mom and dad. But when mom got sick with cancer and died, I didn’t handle it well. I went through a rough patch and had a few ugly incidents at work that led me to leaving the force.” I didn’t need to go into all the heartbreaking and horrific details. “But I still wanted to look after people. I found Sam’s Security and have never looked back. The team I work with is amazing. They have my back more than the force ever did. We’ve only been together for two years, but they’ve become my family.”

“I’m the same with my band. We’ve been best friends for sixteen years.”

“That’s awesome you’ve become successful together.”

“It hasn’t always been easy.”

“Life isn’t. Trust me. I know.”

“But this run is. My jury is still out on whether you can keep up with me or not.” Just as we entered a clearing of dry grass, he shoved me on the shoulder. “See you back home, slow coach.”

I stumbled sideways but didn’t fall.

He took off at a sprint.

Ergh! Men! They had to learn the hard way.

Fire licked through my veins. Like a gridiron player, I charged after him and tackled him into the short grass beside the dirt path. As he landed on his back, shock flared in his eyes. I dropped my knee into his shoulder and pinned him in place. “Are we going to have this argument again, Mr. Tanner? Do you think I can’t protect you or keep up?”

“Fuck,” he hissed, raking in deep breaths. “Are you trying to kill me?”

I tilted my head to the side. “I can if you want me to.” I had a concealed knife tucked in my sock.

“Get off.” He pushed me to the left as he rolled to the right.

Before he could stand, I lunged for him again, pushing him forward onto his stomach. I drove my knee into the back of his ribs, grabbed his arm, and bent it behind him. Clutching a handful of his hair, I pinned his face against the ground. He wasn’t going anywhere. “I can do this all day, Cole. Do not run away from me. It is for your safety, remember?”

“I’m the one in danger here.” He wiggled but didn’t break free. “Alright. Alright.” He slumped and slapped his hand on the ground. “I surrender. This is not the type of rolling around in the grass I like to do with a woman.”

“Then be nice.” I play-pushed his face into the grass again, then let go of his hair and stood. “Now get your ass off the ground. It’s time to head back to the house.” I held out my hand to help him up.

He clambered to his feet and dusted himself off. With a huge grin on his face, he puffed and panted. “I’ve never met a woman like you.”

“What?” I brushed the dirt from my leggings. “Someone who won’t fall for that charming smile of yours?”

He straightened. “You think it’s charming?”

“You have a nice smile. Don’t push it.”

“Shit...a compliment. That’s a first.” He took off at a jog.

I followed. “Maybe you should run alone so I don’t have to put up with your shit or your talking. I thought you were supposed to be the quiet one.”

“Maybe the others are just louder than me.”

“Good point. Now . . . can we just run?”

With a nod, he took off down the hill. But he didn’t race. Win. We slipped into his yard via the side gate and warmed down, stretching by the pool.

After entering the house via the laundry room door, we ambled down the hallway. He nudged me in the arm with his elbow. “Glad you kept up.”

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