Page 18
Story: Mine to Protect
Apparently not.
My cheeks burned as I shifted to stare out the windshield, hiding my embarrassment.
I was a stupid woman, inept at all things men.
Of course I read the signs wrong. He didn’t want me.
Who would?
“If security is your concern, I can take care of myself,” I said, attempting to hide my hurt and mirror his monotone.
“Really? She was an agent, had more training than you.”
I huffed in annoyance and shook my head while tapping the passenger window with my short nail. “Turn at the next right. Anyway, you underestimate me, Sergeant Mathews. We go through the same training as any officer of the law. Plus I’m a black belt, and I have Benny here to watch out for me, since you seem to be concerned about the additional workload.”
Only the tick of the SUV’s blinker sounded as the two men sat silenced. The tension growing taut with each rhythmic click.
Crap. That was too pushy. Was that too pushy? Maybe, but he needs to know I’m an asset to this investigation, not additional work for him.
“You have my vote,” Peters said as he navigated the SUV through the narrow streets. “And mine is the one that matters, so welcome to the team.”
A grumble of discontent rumbled in the back seat.
The corners of my lips turned up.
Take that, asshat.
Birdie, one.
Sergeant Mathews, zero.
* * *
The hollow thumpof my hiking boots against the aging, wooden porch steps followed theirs as Benny and I trailed the two men into their rental cabin. Somehow, inside was ten degrees colder than outside. Running my hands up and down my arms, I surveyed the front room. It was similar to mine, with a small kitchen equipped with the basics, which opened into an eating area and living room. The only difference was the two bedrooms where mine only had the one.
Both men disappeared into their respective rooms, followed shortly by the banging of bags being dropped.
The tips of my fingers tingled as they numbed in the frigid cabin.
Right. Might as well make myself useful. Surely they were cold too.
The precut logs I found on the porch were thankfully dry, protected from the light wintry mix by the overhang, and old, which was perfect for a fire. After grabbing a few, plus some tinder, I hauled everything into the living room and kneeled in front of the fireplace.
Too engrossed in the construction of a perfect teepee that would catch quickly, I failed to hear approaching footsteps.
“What are you doing?”
I sucked in a quick breath and shoved off the floor only to slam the crown of my head into the thick wooden mantle.
“Dang it!” I exclaimed, cupping both hands around my head to ward off the impending pain.
Wide, warm hands wrapped around mine, applying more pressure.
Even though the gesture was caring, bile rocketed up anyway, burning my throat. Flinging my hands down to detach the unwelcome touch, I retreated a few steps until my back hit the wall.
“Easy, boy. I didn’t hurt her,” Agent Peters said in a soothing yet frightened tone. “Hey there, Johnson, call off your dog, would you? I’d prefer my balls to stay attached to my body if you don’t mind.”
A few slow blinks cleared the moisture building in my eyes, blurring my vision, and I gasped. Benny stood between us, the dark hair along his back standing on end as he prowled closer to Agent Peters, teeth bared as he growled.
My cheeks burned as I shifted to stare out the windshield, hiding my embarrassment.
I was a stupid woman, inept at all things men.
Of course I read the signs wrong. He didn’t want me.
Who would?
“If security is your concern, I can take care of myself,” I said, attempting to hide my hurt and mirror his monotone.
“Really? She was an agent, had more training than you.”
I huffed in annoyance and shook my head while tapping the passenger window with my short nail. “Turn at the next right. Anyway, you underestimate me, Sergeant Mathews. We go through the same training as any officer of the law. Plus I’m a black belt, and I have Benny here to watch out for me, since you seem to be concerned about the additional workload.”
Only the tick of the SUV’s blinker sounded as the two men sat silenced. The tension growing taut with each rhythmic click.
Crap. That was too pushy. Was that too pushy? Maybe, but he needs to know I’m an asset to this investigation, not additional work for him.
“You have my vote,” Peters said as he navigated the SUV through the narrow streets. “And mine is the one that matters, so welcome to the team.”
A grumble of discontent rumbled in the back seat.
The corners of my lips turned up.
Take that, asshat.
Birdie, one.
Sergeant Mathews, zero.
* * *
The hollow thumpof my hiking boots against the aging, wooden porch steps followed theirs as Benny and I trailed the two men into their rental cabin. Somehow, inside was ten degrees colder than outside. Running my hands up and down my arms, I surveyed the front room. It was similar to mine, with a small kitchen equipped with the basics, which opened into an eating area and living room. The only difference was the two bedrooms where mine only had the one.
Both men disappeared into their respective rooms, followed shortly by the banging of bags being dropped.
The tips of my fingers tingled as they numbed in the frigid cabin.
Right. Might as well make myself useful. Surely they were cold too.
The precut logs I found on the porch were thankfully dry, protected from the light wintry mix by the overhang, and old, which was perfect for a fire. After grabbing a few, plus some tinder, I hauled everything into the living room and kneeled in front of the fireplace.
Too engrossed in the construction of a perfect teepee that would catch quickly, I failed to hear approaching footsteps.
“What are you doing?”
I sucked in a quick breath and shoved off the floor only to slam the crown of my head into the thick wooden mantle.
“Dang it!” I exclaimed, cupping both hands around my head to ward off the impending pain.
Wide, warm hands wrapped around mine, applying more pressure.
Even though the gesture was caring, bile rocketed up anyway, burning my throat. Flinging my hands down to detach the unwelcome touch, I retreated a few steps until my back hit the wall.
“Easy, boy. I didn’t hurt her,” Agent Peters said in a soothing yet frightened tone. “Hey there, Johnson, call off your dog, would you? I’d prefer my balls to stay attached to my body if you don’t mind.”
A few slow blinks cleared the moisture building in my eyes, blurring my vision, and I gasped. Benny stood between us, the dark hair along his back standing on end as he prowled closer to Agent Peters, teeth bared as he growled.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117