Page 46 of Demon
“Cause if you’re going out, someone needs to be with you.”He tilted the top of his head toward Gavin.“He said you might go for a run.I’ll get changed and go with you.”
She shook her head.“You don’t need to do that.I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will be, because you won’t be alone.”He didn’t argue, just got up and went for the bedroom and his bag.He needed to pull out his shorts.This wasn’t the first time he was glad he’d gone ahead and gotten the concealed carry running shorts.He’d hadn’t had to use them for actually running, at least not before today, but he’d worn them, and carried his pistol in them, while playing basketball and they’d done great.
He was on his way from the bedroom to the bathroom to change when he passed her in the hall.
“Take your time, I’ll be ready when you are,” he said, ignoring her snarl as she turned into the bedroom.Her caffeine hadn’t had time to kick in, or at least not all of it, she would be better later, he was sure.
24
Ronnieusedherannoyanceat Demon and Gavin insisting someone needed to go on her run with her, to fuel her workout.She was an adult, she could do things on her own.She didn’t need a babysitter twenty-four/seven.As she exercised and the caffeine from her pre-work out and the one cup of coffee she’d had before heading in here kicked in, her mood lightened.
By the time she finished her routine, she was no longer cranky, but she still didn’t want to go.She never did.She pushed through anyway.
“Ready to go?”she asked the boys as she walked through the living room to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Sure.”Demon stood, doing a few stretches while she tipped the bottle back and took a pull.
She let herself out, not bothering to wait for Demon, but she didn’t need to, he was right behind her.
“How far you going?”Demon asked as they started out making their way through the subdivision.
“I have a route, it’s about three miles.”She glanced over at him.“Think you can keep up?”She couldn’t help the challenging tone.With a body like his, he did something to maintain it, and she didn’t think it was just lifting and moving cases of liquor.
“Bring it.”
She cocked one brow at him, then kicked up her speed to what she normally ran.Not fast but fast enough that it made conversation difficult.
Her body screamed at her to stop, but she ignored it and kept going.She needed to be able to move and move fast when she went after someone, she reminded herself.This wasn’t about looking better in her jeans.Thinner thighs never seemed to happen, no matter how hard she worked out.Her peasant stock genes kept her plump and ready for the next famine, that thankfully she’d never had to survive through, though there had been a few times when she’d survived on peanut butter sandwiches.
That hadn’t happened for a while, and running like this three times a week was part of how she kept it from happening again.It took a good mile before her body gave up trying to convince her she was dying.By the time they’d finished the second mile, she was doing pretty good, and she felt like she could do this all day.
Ronnie knew better but she would take the feeling while she had it.They’d just hit the mile three mark and were almost home when a car backfired somewhere nearby.Ronnie was used to it.She heard one coming through here frequently enough that she figured it was someone who lived in the area.She wasn’t prepared when a weight hit her body, knocking her to the ground, then covering her.
Fighting the weight, trying to get away, was her first instinct.It wasn’t until a knee hit something soft and the weight on top of her grunted, that she realized it was Demon.
“What’s going on?”she asked, still pushing against him, trying to get free.
“Gun shots.Be still.”
She shook her head “That was an engine backfiring.”How could he mistake that for a gunshot?
“Hush, firecracker, I know a gunshot when I hear one.I want to make sure whoever it was isn’t shooting at you before we move.”
They lay there for what felt like an hour, but was probably no more than a minute or two.When the sound didn’t come again, Demon lifted his head and looked around.After several seconds, he pushed himself up off her then held out a hand.
“Come on, let’s go back to the house.I want to get out of the street first thing, then we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
Ronnie put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet.She rolled her neck, then her shoulders, then started toward home.Her legs didn’t like it but since they were less than a quarter mile from the house, she would survive.
She forced herself to keep moving with silent promises of more coffee and something to eat once they got home.
Twenty minutes later, she was entering the code into the lock on her front door, Demon pressed so close behind her she could feel the heat from his body.
“I know you want inside,” she said as she hit the enter button, “but you can give me a little room.”She opened the door and stepped inside.
“I was covering your back.”
