Page 9 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

“No choice in what?”

“Coming to this fucking group.”

“Ah. So, that’s your issue. You have a chip on your shoulder.”

“The only thing on my shoulder is my head.”

“I bet you have a really thick skull.”

ChapterTwo

Aaliyah was usedto dealing with pig-headed men. But because of her father and his extended “family,” she couldn’t escape them. He was a man who liked to share his opinion loudly and didn’t care what you thought about it.

So, yes, she was used to dealing with stubborn people.

It had to be in the blood, since her teenage son was taking after his grandfather and not after his own even-tempered father, who he never got to meet.

Devyn had this mistaken idea that his opinion was the only one that mattered in her household.

He was wrong.

A fifteen-year-old didn’t dictate her life. Neither did a fifty-seven-year-old.

Luckily, she wasn’t afraid to tell that to either of them.

Since the tall man before her didn’t react at all to her comment, she tried another tactic. “You never shared your name in the meeting.”

“I gotta go.” He turned back toward his Harley.

“Since you already know my name, can you at least give me yours?”

His broad shoulders stiffened. “Why?”

This guy… Was it even worth trying to break through? If she pushed, would he lock himself down even tighter? “I guess the question is, why not? Is it a secret?”

“No.”

“It would be the first step to opening up.”

He spun on her. “That’s the problem.”

Damn.

Because of how he resisted her attempts to get him to talk, she was surprised when he asked, “Why here?” Actually, it wasn’t really an ask but more of a demand.

She’d allow it.Thistime. But she wasn’t going to tolerate a one-sided conversation.

“When Bonnie decided to move south for her retirement, she asked me to take it over.” She raised both hands along with her shoulders in a shrug. “So, here I am.”

“Here you are,” he repeated. “But Bonnie said that already. I mean whyhere. In Shadow Valley? Don’t you live in Pittsburgh?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore. Once I had my second child, my place was too small, and I wanted to move closer to my father and his family.”

“Hisfamily? Isn’t his family your family, too?”

Interesting how he picked up on that particular detail. It smelled as if he was a cop. He actually looked like one, too.

She was pretty good at sniffing out cops.

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