Page 44 of Fighting for Brielle
“Thanks. I’m a lucky man. Now, about adopting Rosie. Is there a chance I might be able to?”
“There’s always a chance,” Cynthia replied. “Let’s get guardianship of her first.”
“All right.” Justice rose to his feet. “Thanks for breakfast, Mrs. Westfall. I’ll say goodbye to Rosie and see myself out.”
After promising Rosie he’d see her again whenever he was able, Justice headed into the station to check in with his squad. A somber mood prevailed, especially when the officers learned he’d been up all night watching over Rosie Dewitt in the aftermath of her brother’s bloodbath. They encouraged him to go home, and two hours later he finally took their advice.
* * *
Justice stripped down to his boxers and fell into bed with images of the slaughter he’d seen dancing in his head. It didn’t take long, though, for pure exhaustion to overcome him, and he slipped into a deep sleep. But not for long. Within an hour the repeated ringing of his cell phone penetrated his foggy brain.
“Chief McQuaid,” he croaked, barely able to focus.
“Oh, my God, Justice!” Brielle exclaimed. “I just heard the news. Are you okay? You sound terrible.”
Justice leaned against the headboard and scrubbed his face with his free hand. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I’ve been up all night and just went to sleep a little while ago.”
He must not have been convincing because Brielle replied, “You definitely don’t sound okay. I’m cancelling my self-defense class and coming over.”
“No, please don’t do that, Brielle. We need to stick to our plan to get an invitation to the next party on the mayor’s yacht. I just need to get some sleep. Will you come over for dinner? I’ll cook.”
“I’d love to. See you tonight. Rest, Justice.”
“I will. Looking forward to seeing you later.”
* * *
Getting ready for her self-defense class, Brielle heard Justice’s voice coming from her television. Drawn at first by its familiar, deep tones, she listened in absolute shock as he described the shooting spree that occurred in Laguna Beach during the wee hours of Saturday morning. That her first instinct had been to drop everything and rush over to take care of him surprised her. In one week Justice had affected her like no other man before him. She suspected in another month or two she’d be utterly lost. And anticipating being lost in his arms, in his eyes, in his body, caused her blood to race through her veins. Putting aside her romantic ruminations, she grabbed her things and left the house.
At the YMCA Brielle heard some of the members buzzing about what happened during the night. Most of them praised the LBPD, but a few blamed the officers for not doing enough to prevent the tragedy. A couple of women in her self-defense class broached the topic with Vivian Gage, who expressed her concern but nothing else. Brielle saw her frown at the women’s backs, clearly displeased by their comments. She wondered if Vivian shared her husband’s attitude toward Justice, and if she’d manage to finagle an invitation to the Gages’ next party on their yacht.
After ninety minutes of instruction, the women dispersed. Before Brielle had the opportunity to speak with Vivian, the woman headed into the workout area. Sighing because she’d literally have to stalk the mayor’s wife, Brielle started to pack her gym bag.
“Hey, Brielle, do you have a minute?” Shawna Gage asked from behind her.
Turning toward the fifteen-year-old, Brielle smiled. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I aced my geometry test yesterday,” the teen bragged. “Thanks to those tips you gave me.”
Brielle had spent extra time with Shawna after her self-defense class every Saturday to tutor her in math, and they’d bonded. “That’s great, Shawna.”
“And I have a boyfriend!” she confessed, blushing to the roots of her light brown hair. “We met in the computer lab. Drake’s on the baseball team. Wanna see a picture?”
“Absolutely.”
Shawna scrolled through the pictures in her gallery on her cell phone until she found the right one. She handed it to Brielle, who grinned at the blond-haired boy with a perfect California tan and bright blue eyes. He had a sweet air about him, and Brielle could see why Shawna liked him.
“Oh, he’s really cute, Shawna.”
She giggled. “I know, right? Drake’s a junior and really popular. But he’s not stuck up like the other popular kids. He’s down-to-earth and genuine. More to the point, he doesn’t make a big deal about my dad being the mayor.”
“That’s important,” Brielle agreed. “You know what? I have a boyfriend, too.” She reached for her cell phone and pulled up a picture of her and Justice taken at the Hollywood sign. The sunset lit his golden hair, making it blaze, and emphasizing his deep blue eyes. Looking at him like that made her heart beat faster. “His name is Justice.”
“Wow! He’s such a hunk, Brielle,” Shawna declared. “I like him so much better than your last boyfriend.”
Brielle chuckled. “So do I.”
“I’d really like to meet him. Wait, Justice? Justice McQuaid? He’s the new chief of police, right? I want you to meet Drake, too.” Her face brightened, and she snapped her fingers. “Hey, I have a great idea! Mom’s birthday is next Saturday, and we’re throwing this huge bash for her on the yacht. Why don’t you come with Justice?”
