Page 215 of Come Back to Me

“Yeah. At least we won’t get any more noise complaints.”

“Until we have to hand it back to them.”

“We’ll have to figure out a way to tie it up in legal bullshit for the next decade. Did you see that laptop in the back office that we seized?”

“Dion said it was packed to the gills with spreadsheets. Does it gall you that the Mounties took over?”

“I don’t want that headache, do you?”

Marty shrugs. “Would be good to have something that isn’t related to saving kittens from trees. Today was pretty exciting.”

Out of the mouths of goddamn babes…

“Trust me, Marty, appreciate the quiet life. The other side of this godawful world isn’t for Pigeon Creek.”

Something flickers in his eyes. “I was going to enlist, but my mom asked me not to.”

“I wish my mum had asked me not to as well.” I stare at the sky. “You didn’t miss anything. Not unless you want nightmares for the rest of your life and the ability to see someone’s skull explode without needing a Pepto.”

He pulls a face. “I used to wish I’d at least see more than Saskatoon.”

“That’s what PTO is for. Do you know why I agreed to this job?”

“Most people think it’s because Korhonens are control freaks.”

“I’m pretty sure they also think we’re as dirty as my old man.” I grunt. “But no. I agreed because if I can protect this pocket of the country, if I can shield it from the nasty realities of life in today’s world, then that’s a cause worth striving for.”

His brows lift, but I clap his shoulder and stride toward my ride.

“You forgetting something?”he calls out.

I pause. “No?”

Marty turns and shouts, “Let him loose, Dion.”

Next thing I know, Brogan’s bounding out of the station and hurtling toward me at eighty clicks an hour.

How the fuck I don’t fall over is a miracle, but he stops bare inches away from me, skids, then bounds up around me.

“Clearly, he didn’t forget you.”

“Way to make me feel like a piece of shit, Marty,” I grumble.

“My work here is done, then.”

It’s probably inappropriate, but I flip him the bird. He cackles and strolls inside.

I drop to my knees and pet Brogan.

Then, I think about what he did today…

“You’ve earned a steak for dinner, my boy.”

Tee

Three days later

Unsurprisingly, after the whole shooting incident at the bar, the town was pretty riled up and things were busy for Cody.

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