Page 51 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters
“She’s miserable by nature,” he says. “She knows she did us wrong, and she’d rather scorch an entire planet than admit the role she played in her own suffering. People like Jocelyn often end up alone, empty on the inside.”
“I know her kind all too well,” I reply. “She’s not the first bully I’ve come across.”
Carlos shakes his head. “Frankly, I was an idiot to ever think that?—”
“Hey, man. What did I say about bringing up the past?” Beck interjects, tapping him on the shoulder. “Leave it where it’s supposed to be.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes the past keeps knocking,” I say and give Carlos a soft nod. “For what it’s worth, I think we all have someone in our history who we’re deeply ashamed of choosing at one point or another. We can only take the lesson as it’s given and move on.”
“Look at her,” Dax quips, beaming with pride. “Beautiful and wise. A delicious handful through and through,” he adds.
His hand slips under the table, giving my thigh a good pinch. It’s enough to make me squeal, then laugh as the heat rises upto my cheeks. “Behave, good sir. We’re in public. Plus, Luke’s coming back,” I tell him.
“Everything okay?” Leo asks upon reaching our table.
“Yeah, all good,” Carlos replies as he gets up. “I’ve got just about everything I need to start making some calls and get the ball rolling.”
“Thank you,” I reply.
“Don’t thank me yet. I just hope I can do something about it. But in the meantime, word of advice—steer clear of Jocelyn, if you can,” he says. “There’s no telling what she might do. I doubt she’ll want to cross the guys by having you arrested by the Devon PD right away, but I know she’s got her sights set on you. She’ll find a way to hurt you.”
“I can see that.”
“Jocelyn won’t get past us,” Dax assures him.
But Carlos doesn’t seem that confident—not in their ability to protect me, but in her ability to always get what she wants. “Keep her safe. I also recommend not being out in public for too long. I mean, the diner is fine, but the less exposure you have, the better,” he adds. “I told the Devon PD you’re not here, but someone else might have access to the bulletin board or someone could hear something through the grapevine, you never know.”
I’m inclined to agree. “Better safe than sorry. I’ll keep a low profile.”
“And when I have a concrete angle for this whole Marcus thing, I’ll let you know. I will need whatever proof you have against him then,” he replies. “Please, Olivia. If I’m going upagainst a highly influential sheriff, I’ll need all the ammo I can get.”
“I know, and I’m completely on board. We just need to make sure that the people you bring this to are clean and willing to help.”
“Fair enough.”
We watch Carlos walk in the opposite direction that Jocelyn took. I can’t spot her anywhere. It’s as if she’s evaporated. Good. I’ve had enough aggravation for one day, and it’s barely even noon.
Leo gives me a long, thoughtful look. Somehow, I think he can tell that there’s something else going on with me. I’m not sure how, but it worries me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him first.
“Nothing. You said you were hungry, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, Luke and I were going to grab some pizza slices from Uncle Giacomo’s food cart. Would you like to join us?” he asks.
Luke gives me the sweetest, most hopeful look.
“Would I? Why, I would love to!” I exclaim and get up to join them.
“I’m going for a triple pepperoni,” Luke says.
“I’m thinking pineapple,” I reply.
“Pretty sure that’s a crime against humanity,” Luke says, swift on the return, making me laugh wholeheartedly.
Once more, the semblance of normalcy comes over me and fools me into thinking we might be able to make this work after all. Perhaps the dragon doesn’t have too many heads, and we can cut them off one by one, until I can finally live the soft life I’ve always imagined for myself.
