Page 55 of Fiancé for Hire

“Aaarrrgh!” Jada shrieked. Caramel toned arms and legs flapped around in distress under the weight of Ronald’s body sprawled on top of Jada, his boozed breath in her face. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Get him off me! I think he just drooled on my dress,” she screamed. “Toni, I’m going to kill you!”

***

Craig Logan pulled up to the Jenkins’ family estate, a colossal brick home that expanded half the block located in the Village of Indian Hill, a suburb of Cincinnati. A mere representation of the Jenkins’s wealth, the house stood out with every light shining through the cathedral style windows and illuminated the sky like fireworks on the fourth of July. Craig’s fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter, and he willed the mounting anxiousness in his gut to loosen up. Knowing he’d see Toni soon brought mixed feelings. On one hand, he couldn’t wait to see her, but on the other he wasn’t sure he wanted to put himself through the torture of seeing her without being able to hold her in his arms.

He pulled onto the property. Luxury cars lined either side of the circular driveway that easily accommodated fifty cars. It wasn’t until he noticed vehicles lining the paved driveway along the side of the house that he knew this was no small gathering, but what had he expected? The Jenkins family, well known across the state of Ohio, had probably invited everybody who’s anybody to the celebration.

He parked his car at the very end of the driveway, but didn’t make a move to exit the vehicle still unsure of whether or not showing up was a good idea. When Toni’s cousin, Peyton, insisted on him stopping by, saying how much the family had missed seeing him, he thought attending the party was a good idea. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

His cell phone rang and he slowly dug the iPhone out of his pocket, debating on whether or not to answer. He was already late, and it wouldn’t take much for him to change his mind about the party despite the fact that he’d driven forty-five minutes to get there.

He glanced at the cell phone screen and smiled. “Hello.”

“What’s up bro?”

“Hey man, what’s going on?”

The sound of his brother’s voice was a welcomed distraction. Two years older, Derek was more than his big brother he was also his best friend.

“Not too much, did I catch you at a bad time?” Derek asked.

“Actually I was just sitting here trying to force myself to go into Toni’s grandfather’s birthday celebration.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that was tonight. Why were you debating whether or not to go in? You already told Peyton you would be there and besides, I know you want to see Toni.”

Craig traced the ridged lines on the steering wheel with his index finger, going in and out of the grooves thinking about the night he and Toni parted ways.I can’t handle dating a cop, she had told him through her tears.That could have been you.

Craig and his partner of three years were both shot during a domestic violence call. He survived, but his partner hadn’t. Craig would never forget that hot summer night, neighbors screaming and blood everywhere. It wasn’t until he was lying in a hospital bed, with Toni by his side that his sergeant told him Julien hadn’t survived. Craig remembered holding Toni in his arms providing as much comfort to her as he could offer, considering he had just lost one of his best friends.

“You’re right,” he finally said to his brother, “I do want to see her, but I don’t know if I can handle being that close to her and then just walk away afterwards.” He used his familiar I’m-in-control voice, but at this moment nothing was further from the truth.

“So you’re still in love with her?” his brother asked.

“You know I am.” Craig toyed with the car keys that dangled from the ignition. He thought dating other women would take his mind off Toni. If anything, dating others made him want her that much more.

“Well, I guess you know what you have to do.” His brother’s voice permeated his thoughts.

Craig kneaded the tight knot that formed between his eyes. “And what’s that?”

“Give up the badge.”

He dropped his hand and pounded the steering wheel. “Damn, Derek, you act as if sacrificing my career is easy.” The knot in his stomach tightened. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for Toni, but what he did for a living meant so much more than just carrying a badge.

“Being willing to sacrifice your career is easy if Toni means as much to you as you say she does. Craig, it’s not like you’re hurting for money. When Uncle Sammy left you that house and enough money to do whatever the hell you wanted, I thought you would quit the force then.”

Craig tensed in his seat. “Being a cop is not about the money and you know it! I shouldn’t have to give up a job I love and one that I’m damn good at because Toni’s afraid I might die in the line of duty.”

Derek hesitated.“ Are you sure that’s why you’re still on the force? Or are you still fighting those demons? Trying to rid the streets of every single thug, whose goal in life is to attack and rape defenseless women.”

Craig gripped his cell phone tighter and clenched his jaw as he willed himself not to react to his brother’s words. Since the night he’d received the phone call that his fiancée had been raped and killed, he vowed to do everything in his power to make sure it didn’t happen to any other woman. And then when he met Toni and found out she had gone through a similar experience in college, his being a cop took on a whole different meaning. He had to do whatever he could do to protect the female population from bastards who thought they had a right to abuse women.

“Listen, I’m not trying to piss you off, but I think it’s time you realize that you are just one man. As sick as this reality may be, there will always be some butthole running the streets with evil intent. You can’t stop or catch them all.”

Craig rolled his shoulders and took a cleansing breath. He knew he couldn’t stop them all, but he sure as hell could try.

“Hey, I didn’t call to preach to you, but I did call to see if Jason and I could stay with you for a few days.”

Craig’s mood lightened at the mention of his three-year-old nephew, of whom his brother had sole custody. “You know you don’t have to ask. You guys are always welcome.”

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