Page 61 of Deathmarch

It didn’t. She wasn’t going to deny that. “I’m glad you chose a different path in life.” She grinned. “But probably not half as happy as your mother.”

He grinned back. “She says I gave her all her gray hairs.”

And it wasn’t as if his current occupation was all that safe either, Allie thought. “Have you ever been hurt in the line of duty?”

“Once or twice. But I’ve taken more punches from drunks at the bar, trying to break up fights. We cut them off if we realize someone’s gone too far, but with some people, it’s hard to tell. The ones who grow more boisterous the more boozed up they are are easy. Frankie Hadley just gets quieter and quieter until he blows. That’s the type we have to watch.”

Allie vaguely remembered Frankie Hadley. “I was in the same English class with Frankie, senior year, high school. He drank too much even back then.”

They were directly across the street from the bed-and-breakfast, so they crossed the street. On a Thursday night, close to midnight, in a small town like Broslin, traffic was light.

Smoke drifted from the B and B’s two chimneys.

“Remember those bonfires in your father’s backyard?” Harper asked. “I thought I was hot shit because he’d invite me over to have a few brewskies with him and his buddies.”

“He was using you.”

“I know that now.” He paused when she couldn’t hide her distaste. “What?”

“I was scared of his buddies. The way they were looking at me. Commenting on my cute shorts, that I was starting to fill out my T-shirts.” Anger popped into her voice. “One of them asked me if I was wearing a training bra yet. That was…fifth grade, maybe? They were creepy assholes. I always locked my door when they were there. My father saw what they were doing too. He joked about it.”

“Christ, Allie.”

“Then you began to hang with them. And I just stuck to you. You made me feel safe. When we started to go out later,” she told him, “it changed things. My father wanted your help with his various criminal activities. He considered you an asset. He figured you were invincible. Too young to get into serious trouble. And your family being who they are, you could do things and get away with it.”

“To a point.” Harper laid a hand on her arm. It slid down as she moved, his fingers brushing over hers. “Did those assholes ever… You never told me.”

“I didn’t want you to pity me. I wanted you to love me. I had the biggest stupid crush on you.”

Harper escorted her up the front steps, all the way to the door.

For some reason, as she looked up at him, the wordsgood-night kissflashed into her mind.Body memory.How many times had they stood in front of her father’s rental like this? How many times had Harper kissed her under the flickering porch light?

The longing that swept through Allie took her by surprise. She cleared her throat. “Thanks for seeing me back.”

He nodded, his gaze fused to hers, burning with warring emotions.

For several seconds, neither of them moved.

Then he finally said, “Have a good night,” and turned away, walked back across the road.

The evening had been nice. He’d come to support her. He’d walked her back to the B and B. The change in him from town bad boy to good guy was real, Allie acknowledged for the first time.

She still liked him.

Thatwas a lot more difficult to accept.

Back in the day, they’d been a train wreck.

They were both different people now, a little voice said in her head.

Because she didn’t want to be pitifully staring after Harper, Allie went inside. But then she stopped instead of going up the stairs.Kennan.

She opened the door, then burst out into the cold again to ask Harper what would be the best time to stop by to see his brother at the pub, what shift he worked.

Harper was already across the street, so she scrambled down the steps as she called after him. “Harper! Hey!”

He turned and began to walk back, just as a black SUV pulled away from the curb.