Page 9 of The Coffee Shop

“You were covered in blood,” Luke answers apologetically. “We threw the blanket over you and were able to get them off without seeing anything. They’re in the wash, should be done any minute.”

“And it’s not our fault you’re not wearing a bra today.” Sebastian adds under his breath, smirking. Luke glares at him again.

“I never wear a bra,” I say matter-of-factly, because that’s just where I’m at in my life right now. I don’t give a shit, and it’s not like anyone at work notices after I throw on the apron anyway.

Both men’s eyes shoot up to me.

I mentally kick myself and quickly change the subject.

“How bad is it?” I ask, gesturing to the wound.

“The bullet skimmed your side. You might have a small scar, but no major damage. We’ll keep an eye on it.” Luke explains.

“What are you,doctors too?” I ask disbelievingly.

“We were trained as EMTs actually,” Luke says.

“Oh,great. My father is paying for his thugs to get certified these days? I guess business is booming, you guys must besoproud,” I say sarcastically.

“We arenothis thugs,” Sebastian growls out and I realize he’s…angry?

Now I’m hopelessly confused.

“Okay, fine. Answers,now,” I say forcefully. Luke looks amused by my demand, but Sebastion answers straight away.

“We were both cops.”

Well fuck.

“When Lu’s brother got himself into some deep shit, your old man helped out,” Sebastian explains.

“I didn’t want to have to arrest my own brother, even if the little asshole deserved it. Your father made it all go away, but I couldn’t continue being a cop after that. It just didn’t feel right,” Luke ads, and he looks…sad.

“And being a cop didn’t feel right without Lu.Hell,he got me through the academy. So I left too,” Sebastian adds.

“We retired, used our pensions to start our own business. Mostly bodyguards, some PI work. We’ve been doing that ever since. When your father reached out, asked us to keep an eye on you, we couldn’t say no. I owed him,” Luke says.

I stare for a long moment, letting the newfound respect I have for them sink in. It strikes me that they seem to hold themselves to a moral standard, not imposed by anyone but themselves. They’rehonest.

I’m not used to that.

“We’ve been tailing you for the last year and half,” Sebastian adds.

“What!?” I shout. Back to panic mode.

“Fuck, Seb,” Luke shakes his head, running a hand through his messy blonde hair.

“What? We’re stuck here for who knows how long,it’s going to come up eventually,” Sebastian shrugs.

“Hold the fuck up.Who knows how long?”I shout, looking between them.

“Cool man, real cool,” Luke says to his friend, looking exasperated.

“Iwould like to know how long! I can’t be stuck here! I have to pack and move and find a new job so I can pay my damn bills!”

“You’ll still have a job when you get back,” Luke says reassuringly.

“How do you know that?” I spit back.

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