Page 31 of Never Give Up

“Woah, I was about to ring the doorbell and you just barreled into me. Cool your jets, short stuff.” Laughter warms his voice.

Even before my attack, Jake was one of my favorite deputies.

“Well, move your ass. I have to go to work.” I try to push past him, but he doesn’t budge. “Come on, move your ass. I need to go.”

“That’s what I’m here for; I’m your designated escort today.” He towers above as he looks down at me. His green eyes sparkle in the sun. “Call me your chariot driver.”

“I’m sorry, run that by me again. Designated what?” I stare. “You’re messing with me.”

“Nope.”

“Then I’m going crazy.”

“You’ll have a ride to and from work, and when we bring you home, we’re supposed to check the residence, sheriff’s orders. Today it’s me. So cheer up, buttercup, and get your ass in the cruiser.” His face, although it holds a smile, is entirely serious.

“A glorified babysitter, is that it?”

“I prefer knight in shining uniform, but you call it what you want. It’s happening. Orders.”

I’m not going to win. With a sigh, I turn around and open the door and shout, “Brandi! Jake is here to take me to work and babysit me all night. Don’t freak out when you see my car here.” And I shut the door again, glaring at my babysitter while I do so. “There. Are you happy?”

“Very, now let’s go. Are you even cleared to be driving yet?” The concern in his tone warms me.

Why he’s still single is beyond me. He’s such a great guy. But I suspect he’s been screwed over one too many times. Some women are tag chasers or badge bunnies. Dating and sleeping with officials just to cross them off some imaginary list.

I smile up at him and shock floods me when he brushes the hair from my cheek. He’s never touched me in the two years we’ve worked together.

“Um, I’m not taking any pain medication. So I can drive.” I look down at my feet, heat burning every cell of me.

I don’t look up again until the embarrassment subsides. I follow him to the cruiser, and he opens my door. When I’m sitting in the passenger seat, he winks.

I can’t hear anything over the purr of the engine and the air conditioner when his cell phone rings. Emotions war on his face as he answers the call. When he hangs up, he gets into the driver’s seat and slams the door.

“Sorry, you’re stuck on a call with me for the time being. Possible domestic. It’s on the way to the station, so Paul’s going to meet us there and take you in.”

I buckle in, wincing when the seat belt touches my abdomen. Jake notices.

“I’m sorry, Maya. I know it hurts.” He looks at me, his gaze filled with compassion.

“It’s okay. I’m made of tougher stuff than that. This is nothing.” I manage to push the words through clenched teeth.

I plaster on a smile and count the seconds until we arrive on the scene.

“So, I know you don’t want to talk about this, but we need to talk about Brian.” He flushes, tapping his fingers on the wheel. “I—”

He stops. And shifts on the seat. Like me, he’d rather pretend that night never happened. And Brian…

It hurts even thinking his name.

But I make myself say it. “Look, Brian isn’t something we ever need to talk about. He made his opinion perfectly clear. Don’t worry about me.”

“As messed up as this is, I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about him.” He sucks in a breath, and silence stretches before he continues. “He’s lost his shit since your attack. He’s been on a rampage trying to find information, and he’s convinced that he caused your attack.”

Shock tumbles through me, mostly because he’s even telling me anything about Brian.

They have a code, a brotherhood that belongs with the badge. Especially since Brian and Jake are best friends, I think Jake would protect him at any cost. Jake glances over at me, and a warmth brightens his eyes, one that tells me how deeply he genuinely cares about me.

But I have to correct him about Brian. Because I get what he isn’t saying, and he’s wrong. Brian might have done all that, but not just for me, and not in the way Jake means.

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