Page 26 of Issued

“Here, let me show you the way.” I make another move to go for the woman, but once again, Tony keeps me in place.

“Easy, girl,” he murmurs. “Trust me when I say, she’s not worth getting your hands dirty.”

I make due with a glare instead. If I had claws, they’d be fully out right now. Brittney had no right to out Jim like that. No right to touch him. She’s lucky I’m trapped between the table and my husband; otherwise, she’d be missing teeth already.

With a huff, Brittney makes way toward the front patio doors. Marge salutes her with a glass of whiskey, swirling the amber liquid around so that it dances in its glass container. “Bye, bitch.” When Brittney is out of sight, Marge turns to me and lifts an appraising brow. “Well, I do believe we’re going to get along just fine.”

Bear gives a little chuckle and casts his gaze at the ceiling, before he and everyone else turns to Jim, who’s gone silent. I chew on my cheek and swallow hard as the seconds tick by. Jim stares at his glass, unblinking. I sidle closer to him, my body leaning against him the slightest bit to let him know I’m there for him.

But he pulls away and glares at me this time. What the hell did I do? My cheeks, damn them, burn under his scrutiny. Anger mixed with hurt tugs at every muscle in my body, demanding release, but there’s nothing,nothingI can do to vent the horrible, suffocating mass of it. My chest, neck, and ears boil with the heat of one thousand fires, and I swear smoke must be rising off me. But he’s not the cause. Bear and Marge are whispering to each other, so I lower my voice and return his glare. “Don’t take what the stupid skank did out on me.”

“Drop it.” His words hiss out through clenched teeth.

“While you may be fine taking her abuse, I’m not. You’re my husband and I’ll be damned if anyone is going to talk to you like that.”

Jim jerks at my words as if slapped across the face. His hands ball into fists. He closes his eyes and his shoulders lift, then lower. When he opens them again, his expression is more relaxed. “I don’t want to make a bigger scene than we already did. I’m tired of people staring at me all the time, for the wrong reasons.”

There’s a sharp twist beneath my ribs. Jim’s a proud and tough man who’s probably humiliated at the moment. Which isn’t fair. The only person who should feel humiliated right now is Brittney. I sigh, and the last of my anger drains away. “I understand. Thank you for sticking up for me, by the way.”

“Thanks for sticking up for me too.”

His green eyes soften when they meet mine and I’m trapped, a prisoner to the emotions lurking just beneath the surface. Damn, I can almost imagine that we have a chance to make this marriage work.

An awkward silence falls over the table, until Bear clears his throat and we both turn to look at him. “Hey Jim, did you ever get a chance to finish the comic you borrowed the other day?”

“Comic?” I brighten, looking up at Jim with eager eyes. “I didn’t know you liked comics too. Which one are you reading?”

“TheHaloone,” Bear says, ignoring Jim’s stiffly shaken head. “You’re into the game, right? Jim’s a big fan too. I thought maybe if he was done with the comic, you guys would have something... nice to talk about.”

“Yeah, I loveHalo.” I tilt my head when Jim shoots Bear a death glare. “You embarrassed to be into comic books?”

The smile slowly slips from my face. Wait a second. How does Bear know about the comics I like?

Shit.

Oh, shit.

I’m practically hyperventilating, my vision going spotty. They were in my bedroom. What if Jim saw the scrapbook? What if they both saw the scrapbook? I could lose everything. My palms are sweating, and I can’t catch my breath. Thomas Byrne, the officer killed, was my dad’s partner and my godfather. He was the reason my father joined the task force.

Why did I keep those articles?

Oh, that’s right. So I don’t forget what Santoro has taken away, not just from me but others.

My heart rate spikes, anger replacing anxiety. I slam my hand down onto the table causing glasses filled with whiskey to slosh everywhere, and lean closer to Jim. “You have the nerve to sneak intomyroom and stealmythings?”

He stands up, the hard edge of his tone full of stubbornness and challenge. “If I need to get something from one ofmyrooms, I will.”

I stand as well and poke my goliath husband in the chest. “I know you don’t want to be married, that you were forced into the program. But I do want to be here. And we are married. And I’m your damn wife. So, treat me like it. And Brittney shouldn’t have been the reason I found out what is going on with you, how sick you are. You should’ve told me. Should’ve trusted me. I asked how many times?”

Jim slaps my hand away and shoves his chair back with enough force to send it crashing to the restaurant floor. He pales suddenly and sways. Beads of sweat line his forehead, his breathing becoming rapid and shallow. I reach out to lay a hand on his arm to steady him, but he stumbles out of reach.

Bear scooches his chair back and stands. “Jim, sit.”

Jim steps farther away from the table and rakes a hand through his hair. His gaze bounces between all of us, his lips pressed into a tight line. He closes his eyes and takes another backward step, then turns on his heel and storms out of the bar.

Chapter Eleven

Jim

---