Page 2 of Her Protective Mountain Man

I glance at myself in the bar mirror. “You need a drink.” I pour myself a beer and turn back to my drawer.

The whoosh of the front door opening causes me to turn. I thought I locked it, but of course I didn’t. I’ve been too lost in the fog of Weston’s charm.

“Sorry, friend. We’re closed.” I say to the two men walking toward me. They look strange from a distance in the dark lighting. As they approach, I realize they’re wearing ski masks.

One of them pulls a gun from his coat pocket and I instinctively raise my arms in the air. Even though daddy insists we keep a gun under the bar, I don’t even think to reach for it. Now, I’m stuck.

“We don't want to hurt you, honey.” The man says in a gruff voice. “But we will if you don’t hand over the cash.”

The other guy tosses a sack onto the bar. “All of it.”

My brain races. Strategic thought escapes me. Instead, I do exactly what they say and hope to God that they’ll leave quickly, and without doing anything stupid.

2

Weston

How couldDevon think I didn’t notice her in high school? She was, and still is, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. But she was always so tough, too cool for school. Even though we ran in different circles, I couldn’t help but be drawn to her, both then and even more so now. The curvy blonde with the bright blue eyes and deep dimples is the only reason I come into this bar. Hell, I don’t even like beer that much. I’ve never told her how I feel, but it’s about damn time I do. For a big, strong cop, Devon makes me weak in the knees.

I brush my dark hair away from my eyes, hoping I don’t look too tired from my last shift. I’ve been working like a maniac. That’s how you get promoted. We may have a privileged family according to most of Burly Creek, but we’re all damn hard workers. There’s a reason that our family is as prominent as it is, and it has nothing to do with luck. For us, it’s all about blood, sweat, tears, and a hefty dose of loyalty. I love this town and being on the force here is my greatest honor.

I wash my hands and head toward the door. That’s when I hear it. Another man’s voice reverberates through the room. Something in my gut tells me that things aren’t right. I crack the door slightly and strain to listen.

“We don’t want to hurt you honey, but we will if you don’t hand over the cash.”

My eyes widen. “Holy fucking shit.”

Devon’s being robbed. My jaw clenches. I bet she’s scared to death. Do they have guns? If anything happens to my Devon…

I take a deep breath and slowly open the door, careful not to make too much noise. With my back against the hall door I inch my way closer to the bar, far enough that I can survey the scene. It looks like only one of the men have a gun, but that’s one too many.

I take a step back and slide my cell phone out of my back pocket. I text my buddy, Anthony, who I know is on duty tonight.

Carver’s armed robbery in progress. Not a joke. Send backup NOW.

I reach into my waistband, and pull out my gun. My breath comes in ragged spurts, but I will myself to remain calm. Adrenaline fucks with my head, making me want to run out there, guns blazing. But I have to be a little more strategic than that.

I inch my way into the main room. With shaking hands, Devon fills the bag. I hope she doesn’t look up, doesn’t give away the fact that I’m here. I want to take these fuckers by surprise. The two men are so into watching Devon that they don’t even suspect I’m sneaking up behind them until it’s too late.

“Police! Drop it.” I shout to the masked man with the gun.

His head flicks in my direction, but instead of dropping the weapon he turns on me. The guy doesn’t have a chance, I fire my gun once, hitting him in the shoulder blade. He winces. The gun clatters to the floor. The other guy stares at me with wide eyes. He throws his hands up in surrender. I start to lower my gun, taking a hesitant step toward him, when he tries to make a run for the front door.

Bad idea, buddy. I fire a second shot, hitting him in the ankle. The man goes down, taking the nearest table with him. Both men writhe in pain. The first one starts to get up, but I push him back down with the sole of my boot. “Don’t even think about it, asshole.” He relents, and my breath returns.

“Are you okay?” I turn to Devon, her hands pressed against her ears, mascara running down her face. “You’re not okay.” I answer for her. Within seconds blue and red lights flash outside. Once Anthony and his partner make it inside I rush to her side.

“Devon.” I bend down and meet her eyes. “Talk to me.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. Instead, her watery blue eyes search mine. At this moment I want to kill the two men that did this to her. I want them to go to jail for the rest of their lives for traumatizing my beautiful woman.

Devon thrusts her body against mine, wrapping her arms around me tight. “Thank you, Weston.” Her body shakes with sobs. I set my gun on the bar, making eye contact with Anthony who’s dealing with those two thugs, then I wrap my arms around Devon, squeezing her so tight.

“You’re okay.” I say, and kiss the top of her head. Where the hell was I? I’m silently kicking myself for letting this happen. My nostrils flare. I should’ve been there to stop them, to protect Devon.

“I have to call my dad.” She says, pulling away. The spot where I once held her soft, warm body feels suddenly cold.

“Of course.” I take her hand and brush a lock of hair away from her tear stained face. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to.”

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