Page 103 of Sheltered By Love

“Something needs to be done,” I mumble.

I didn’t expect Jax to hear me, but when I glance at him, he’s looking in the same direction. “I’m on it. You don’t need to get involved,” he says quietly.

I quirk an eyebrow as images of Jax smashing Ethan’s head like a pumpkin flash in my head. “Should I ask?”

Jax chuckles. “I just need a busboy, that’s all.”

Should have known he’d already been thinking about it. Jax always was the sensitive one of the four of us.

“You’ll have your hands full with your new girl and her bunny rabbit,” he adds with a slight smirk.

With a smirk back at him and a headshake, I decide to watch Felicity as she says goodbye to one of Nicki’s friends.

The sun is casting her in a golden glow, and her hair is blowing around in the breeze.

I’m staring and I don’t care if anyone catches me. After drifting for months, I finally feel like I can feel the ground beneath me.

Felicity’s my perfectly designed anchor. Her and her damn rabbit.

I hide my smile as Garrett takes the stool closest. “You see the weather report?”

I bob my head and look out past the breakers. “Going to get rough,” I say.

Jax hands him a beer and leans on the bar. “Since you’re off duty for the first time in years,” he says.

Garrett frowns and accepts the beer as he looks sidelong at me. “It hasn’t been years,” he says.

Jax and I answer in unison, “It has.”

Garrett doesn’t look convinced as he eyes me. “Sure you can tear yourself away from her for a few shifts this week?”

I glance at Felicity as she rolls her eyes at something Levi said.

“I need you to be Mr. March,” I say.

He gives me the stink eye. “Just because the brass thinks it’s okay I get my rod and tackle out doesn’t mean I do.”

I look at the death grip he has on his beer and laugh. “You’ll do it. You need a break.”

He takes a long pull of his draft, swipes the foam from his mouth, and curses. “Blackmail is a felony,” he mutters.

I ignore him and ask him something I never got around to. “What happened with Felicity’s fake alarm?”

He beckons Jax for another beer and lowers his voice. “That was a bone of contention between us and the Feebs. The guy who sold Felicity the fake alarm was giving them the leads. He was an FBI snitch, they wanted to take credit for that as well.”

That sounds accurate. The little experience I had with federal agents is they think small-town cops are hacks at best.

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider? We have the budget now.”

I shake my head. “It’s not about the money. And I’m here if you need me. You know that. But that’s your turf. I’d rather spend more time working with SAR.”

I know he’s disappointed, but I also know that after a few weeks, we’d be butting heads, and I’d either undermine his authority or he’d wind up firing me.

Me working when he isn’t is the wisest option for everyone in the Bay.

“You were always more at home on the water than anywhere else anyway.”

His head dips, he stares at the bottle and there’s a waver to his voice I didn’t expect. “You take after Dad in that respect.”

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