Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
I finish my lunch in the nick of time. We get another call, and that leads to another call, and it’s just before three when we finally drive the rig back into the station. I open the door and practically crawl out. I’m walking up the steps when Burke comes in with the captain. “Collins, we need to see you in my office.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. Roman looks at me, confused. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell him, trying to ignore the way my heart is hammering in my chest.
I walk up the stairs and step into the office. Burke sits in the chair in front of the captain’s desk.
“Sit,” Scooter tells me, folding his hands together on the desk.
I take the other chair. My body feels like it’s going to collapse. “Is everything okay?” I ask him, then turn to Burke.
“You tell us,” Burke replies. “We heard someone slashed your tires yesterday.”
“Um, yeah, but—”
“You didn’t come and tell me,” Scooter states.
“It’s not a big deal.” I try to get my voice not to tremble. I can’t break down and tell him it was my father. Who the fuck in their right mind would admit that fact out loud?
“Someone vandalized one of my paramedic’s cars, and you think it’s not a big deal? You are supposed to be safe doing your job.”
“Captain,” I say softly, “I am safe.”
“And I have to find out from Burke that three of your tires were slashed.” Burke nods his head slowly.
“Captain, honestly, I wasn’t keeping it from you. I just didn’t think anything of it. I figured that a couple of kids in town were up to some mischief.”
“Is that really what you thought?” Burke asks me.
I can feel my face flush, knowing I probably shouldn’t lie to a police officer, but I don’t have any fucking choice. “Yeah. It’s fine, though, I’ve got it covered with Brock.” I run my hands down the front of my work pants. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring it to your attention. I just . . .”
I can tell Scooter has other things to say to me, but he keeps them to himself. “You have other things on your mind.” He raises his eyebrows. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I take that as my cue to get up, and I fly out of the chair. “Will do.” I glance at Burke. “Have a good day.” I practically run out of the room.
I won’t ever do that again. The next time, I’m not hiding anything from them, no matter how they look at me afterward.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
THEO
I walk into Brock’s shop to an empty reception desk and the sound of tools from the back. Brock comes through the door from the garage bay, wiping his fingers with a gray rag.
“Hey,” I say, “I’m here to pay the bill.”
“What bill?”
“You know exactly what bill.” I put my hand on the counter. “So let’s speed things up. Just tell me how much it’s going to be.”
“What’s in it for you?” He looks suspicious. “And there is a wrong answer.”
“We haven’t told anyone yet, but she’s having my baby.” His eyes narrow. “So I’m going to be taking care of her from here on out.”
“You have got to be shitting me.” I don’t know if it’s a question or a statement.
“I am not shitting you.” I’m running out of patience. Today has not been the best day, and it’s starting to go further downhill very fast. Fuck, I was already at the end of the hill, now I’m just digging a hole to bury someone in it. “Why don’t you just tell me how much she owes?”
“There is no bill.”
Now it’s my turn to glare at him. “I’m taking care of her. So how much does she owe you?”
“If you hurt her,” he growls, “I don’t care how much business you bring in to me. I will—”
I hold up a hand. “You think I’m going to hurt her? Fuck, anyone who is lucky enough to catch her eye and keep it”—I take a deep sigh—“it’s fucking life-changing.”
“There’s not a lot of things the world gives to Collins,” he says, and I ball my hands into fists. “But her heart is pure. Anyone who gives her a chance will see it.”
“You are telling the wrong person,” I snap. “You should be telling everyone else who treats her like garbage because of”—I grit my teeth—“her fucking parents.”
“So you know her parents?”
“Had the displeasure of meeting them last night when they showed up at my house.” His jaw gets tight. “Took a five-minute conversation to get the gist of them. I take it you know them?”
“I’ve had a run-in with them more than once over the years. He went to school with my father, and was a couple of years younger than him. Gave him a job to help him out. He ended up stealing money from the register, along with some parts that were here one day, gone the next.”