Page 94 of Break

Trying to put her at ease, I pull the items she’s holding from her arms. “Are you getting these?”

Nodding shyly, she wrings her fingers together, eyeing the clothing like she’s unsure. “I shouldn’t spend so much, but I really could use it all.”

I reach out and grab her hand. “Then you’ll have them. Let’s get the rest of your stuff, checkout, and then go home. Think about what you want to do this afternoon. Max and Ethan may be late, so it’ll probably just be us until dinner.”

Squeezing my hand, she concedes. The whole purchasing process was much less stressful than I had expected, and we’re loaded up and pulling into the driveway at Max’s in just under an hour.

As the two of us are hauling out the last of the bags, we both turn simultaneously when we hear the sound of tires slowly grinding through the gravel driveway. I notice Mina’s easy smile falls into a frown once the squad car parks and Andy Harrow steps out of the driver’s seat.

I purse my lips when he slides his sunglasses off his face and looks slightly annoyed that I’m here. The workload is heavy at the station, no matter how many cops you have. I assume that a lot of these guys are annoyed at having to pick up some of the slack with my absence.

Not wanting to be a dick, I step forward and offer my hand. “Hey, man. What brings you out here today?”

“Mercer,” he greets me. “I had a few follow-up questions for Mrs. Reed here-”

“Bardot,” she corrects him quickly, interrupting mid-sentence.

His smile is forced, but he apologizes, which I appreciate. “Sorry about that. Would you mind going over a few things with me? It shouldn’t take long.” He looks at me briefly before focusing back on my girl.

My girl.

Grinning to myself, distracted by the thoughts of where we’re all heading, I lean down to brush my lips across Mina’s cheek. “I’ll grab these from you and take them inside so you and Officer Harrow can speak. Would you like me to join, or are you okay on your own?”

Harrow huffs with irritation, and I narrow my eyes at him to warn him off. Thank God, he catches himself quickly and holds his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, just been a shit day. Honestly, it’s not going to take long. She’ll be fine with me.”

Protective urges rise within me, so I don’t hold back my censure. “Shit day or not, keep yourself under control around civilians and victims. You know better than that.”

He nods his head once sharply, but I know I’ve annoyed him by the clenching of his jaw. I don’t give a fuck, though. This is his job, and if he’s as good of an investigator as Coop says, then he should be able to rein it in.

Mina’s sweet eyes look up to me, the surrounding skin crinkling when she squints against the sun. “Thank you for taking these in,” she says, handing over the bags and hanging them on my wrists, since my fingers are full. “I’ll be inside in a few minutes.”

Giving Harrow a warning look, I turn and walk inside, giving them time to speak alone.

Taking the stairs two at a time to her room, I deposit the rest of her purchases on her bed, looking over the massive pile of bags now threatening to slide to the floor. Max’s conversation with her this morning was entertaining as fuck. Ethan insisted she needed more things. Max insisted he pay. Mina insisted they were out of their minds if she would agree to it.

After Max explained Breaking Barriers would foot the bill, she started to come around to the idea, but still seemed uneasy. Ethan put his foot down when Mina tried to compromise by only getting a couple of items, and by putting his foot down, he simply said, “No.” The fact that she could scowl at him without worrying about backlash is what made me feel alright, finding joy in the whole argument.

Mina lost. I don’t want her to lose all the time. In fact, I want her to always have and get what she wants, but in this instance, I agreed with the guys. Sheneedsto have more clothes. This living out of a single duffle bag is crap, especially when we can more than afford it.

Smiling once more at the mound of new clothes, I make my way back downstairs to join them outside. This time, I hold the door open for Walter so he can amble his way out.

Pulling the front door shut behind us, my gaze jerks to Walt when a low growl rumbles out of his heavy chest. He’s picked his speed up, quickly finding his way to Mina’s side, with his eyes focused on Harrow.

I tense up as I walk toward them, watching the two of them closely. Stepping next to Mina with Walter between us, I place my hand on his back to calm him down. “Walt, easy,” I murmur, trying to rein him in. “It’s okay.”

Harrow gives the dog an uneasy look, but he hasn’t backed away. “That your dog, Mercer?” he asks, looking at Walt warily.

Mina’s hand settles on Walt’s head, and I can feel his muscles instantly relax under my hand as he leans into her. It’s like the damn dog just swapped personalities as he tilts his head back to look up at her, tongue hanging out and tail thumping on the ground behind him. She answers Harrow’s question. “Walter is Max’s dog.” Then, speaking directly to Walt, she pats his cheek. “He’s a good boy, aren’t you, Walt?”

I’m still not feeling great over Walt’s reaction, my eyes shooting back and forth between Mina and Harrow. “Is everything okay here?”

Mina’s smile is forced, but it’s Harrow that answers me first.

“I just wanted to wrap up a few loose ends with the investigation. Mrs. Reed here has been very helpful.”

“Bardot,” Mina corrects him for the second time, voice firm and a hint of irritation behind it. “It’s Bardot, please.”

He looks a bit irritated at being corrected, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he clears his throat and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Right. I’ll get out of your hair. Thank you for your time. I’ll see you around Mercer.”

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