“And why would Juliet need a bodyguard?” the sheriff drawled.
“Ow! Shit! Fuck! What is that stuff? Liquid fire?” the roller-skating devil woman yelled.
Juliet jumped and looked behind her, stepping away from the sheriff, although she kept her hand twisted in his shirt.
Jealousy bubbled in his gut. It was a hard pill to swallow. He didn’t want to feel this way about her.
Liar. She’s a liar.
“That’s none of your business, sheriff.”
“If one of my citizens is in trouble, then I need to know.”
Juliet tugged on the sheriff’s arm and he leaned down so she could speak quietly into his ear. Great, so she’d talk to him too? What the fuck?
The sheriff studied him as Juliet spoke then he nodded and patted her hand gently. So, he got to touch her too? Without her even flinching?
“All right. Juliet said that it happened like you said. Still need that license and registration and a quick statement. Kiesha, you’ll be going home for the day.”
“I’m going to work,” Kiesha argued back.
“You’re not.”
“You need me.”
Good God, don’t tell him this woman was a deputy?
“We’ll be fine without you for the day.”
“No, you won’t. I’m indispensable,” Kiesha replied.
The sheriff started muttering something under his breath as Brick reached into his truck for his license and registration. When he walked over to hand them to the sheriff, he caught Juliet’s worried gaze. She looked close to tears.
“Right, I’ll run these, then we’ll head to the station,” Ed said. “Ryan, can you take Kiesha home?”
“Yep,” the medic replied. Obviously, they all knew each other well.
“I’m taking Juliet home. She’s pale and needs to rest,” Brick said stiffly. “You can take our statements there.”
“If Juliet’s going home, I’m going with her,” Kiesha stated.
Juliet shook her head. He wasn’t sure what part she disagreed with. But he hoped it was with the roller-skating devil coming home with them.
Ed leaned down as she spoke to him again. Brick’s ire rose until he was certain his blood pressure couldn’t get much higher.
“Juliet wants to go to work. You sure, honey? I can call Darin and tell him what happened.”
Juliet nodded her head.
“You’re not going to work,” Brick stated.
Ed’s eyebrows rose and he could feel the attention of the other two people on him.
“Who are you to boss her around?” Kiesha stated. “She can do what she likes.”
“I’m her bodyguard. I have the final say on what is safe.” Brick turned to look down at Juliet. “You’re pale and shaky. You need to go home and rest.”
He expected immediate acquiesce from her. Especially when the sheriff nodded and glanced down at her. “He’s right. You don’t look so good. Maybe Ryan could check you over.”
“I’ll touch you as little as possible,” Ryan told her gently.
Did they all pander to her quirks? Juliet shook her head at the medic, leaning into Ed slightly.
“Want us to call Xavier?” Ed asked. “He could meet you at your place.”
Xavier. The guy who was written as a point of contact in their instructions from Juliet’s brother. Brick’s curiosity piqued at the mention of his name. He fully expected Juliet to agree.
But she shook her head again.
“You don’t want Xavier to check on you?” Kiesha asked, walking over to them. Well, she was limping, but he wasn’t sure if that was because she’d hurt her foot or the two different shoes on her feet.
Maybe Sterling was right. There was something odd about this town.
“Why? Did something happen? Was he a jerk? Want me to slash his tires? Because I have a knife that will do it.” Kiesha’s voice was fierce and his eyes widened. Was she for real or joking?
The sheriff rolled his eyes up towards the sky. “Lord, help me. Why me? Why?”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” Kiesha told him. “You know you love me.”
So, they were a couple? That explained some things. Although if his woman had been lying on the ground injured, then nothing would have stopped him from going to her as soon as he came on the scene.
Of course, that wouldn’t be his woman, lying there injured, as he would never allow her to roller-skate along the road like that. If she needed to go anywhere, she’d go in the safest vehicle he could get for her. Preferably with him driving since he was a bit of a control freak.
“Like a sister,” the sheriff said dryly. “You cannot go around slashing people’s tires.”
“Can if they’re assholes.” She looked over at Brick’s tires. “Nice looking tires you have there, bodyguard boy. They look new.”
Brick glared at the crazy woman. The sheriff suddenly stepped between them. He shot Brick a look.
“Do not look at her like that.”
“If my tires are slashed, I’ll know who is to blame,” Brick warned. “And if you won’t arrest her, then I’ll go over your head.”
To his surprise, Juliet slid out from behind the sheriff to glare at Brick. She pushed her finger against his chest. Then she pointed at the truck and stomped her foot.
Kiesha burst into giggles. “Ooh, someone got told off. And by someone half your size. You go, Juliet. Never seen you tell someone off before. Must mean you’re making her real angry, bodyguard.”
He glared over at the crazy woman.
“Juliet, we’re going. Get in the truck. Sheriff, you want a statement, come to the house.”
Instead of moving towards the truck. Juliet folded her arms over her chest and shook her head.
“Whoa, girl, I’ve never seen you like this before. I like it. You’ve got sass. Ed, did you know Juliet had sass?”
Ed just shook his head, staring down at Juliet thoughtfully then over to him.
“Juliet, do you not want to go home with him?”
Great. The last thing he needed was the sheriff trying to run interference.
“She’s coming home with me. Her brother hired me to protect her.”
Ed and Kiesha both flinched. What was that about?
“Ed, I’ve got to go.”
Ed waved Ryan away. “I’ll get Kiesha home. Reuben hired you?” The sheriff looked worried. “Juliet, are you all right? Are you in danger?”
Now he was taking him seriously?
Juliet shook her head then patted the sheriff’s arm with a smile.
“I’m coming to stay with you,” Kiesha told her abruptly. “Is this dude staying at your house? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come over right away.”
Juliet turned to the woman and said something to her quietly that had the other woman looking even more worried. “There’s two more of him? How have you not murdered them all?”
What the hell?
“Juliet, we’re going. Now.” He knew he sounded like an asshole. Both the sheriff and Kiesha scowled at him.
But the only one he stared at was Juliet. She shook her head at him again.
Disobedient brat. She knew the rules.
“Yes.”
Another shake of her head.
“Yes.”
Brat was testing his patience.
“Do you think his head is going to explode?” Kiesha mock-whispered to the sheriff.
“Think it just might. Don’t think he’s used to hearing the word no.” Amusement filled the sheriff’s voice.
“Juliet,” he warned.
This type of disobedience couldn’t be allowed. If he gave an order, he expected it to be obeyed.
Their audience watched on with rapt attention as Juliet took a step back from him and shook her head once more.
“Wow, I’ve never seen Juliet defy anyone. You must be someone real special,” Kiesha told him, eyeing him. “Or just a class-A asshole. But Reuben is an asshole and she loves him.”
Juliet shot her friend a look.
Kiesha raised her hands into the air. “Sorry. It’s true, though. I’ve known the guy for years. He’s an asshole to everyone except you.”
Juliet’s gaze narrowed. She obviously wasn’t happy with the other woman talking about her brother like that. He was just happy to have her ire away from him.
“He offered to help with Georgie after she came out of the hospital,” the sheriff said.
“That’s right,” Kiesha said. “That was weird.”
Who was Georgie? Actually, it didn’t matter. He didn’t care. He was done.
Just then, a red truck drove slowly past them. The windows were tinted so he couldn’t see inside it. But something about it made Kiesha mad as hell. She held up her fist, shaking it at the truck.
“What do you think you’re staring at?” she yelled as the sheriff tried to soothe her. She started moving after the truck. “You come back here, Jonny Jacks!”
The truck continued to move away.
“One of these days, I’ll get my revenge. See how easy it will be to drive around on slashed tires.”
“Lord. Help me now. Juliet, where do you want to make your statement?” the sheriff asked.
Juliet leaned up to whisper to the sheriff and Brick swore his vision went red.
“Good,” the sheriff said to her. Then he looked at Brick. “She said you’ll both come to the station later. Don’t make me come looking for you.” The sheriff turned the dark-skinned woman towards his truck. “Come on, Kiesha. I’ll take you home.”
“But I want to go with Juliet and watch her make the big guy sweat some more. I’m pretty sure that vein in his head is about to pop. I don’t want to miss the popping vein,” Kiesha whined.
“None of us do,” the sheriff added. He got her into his truck then turned to Brick and Juliet. “Juliet, you sure you’re okay with him?”
Juliet nodded, to his relief.
“You know where I am if you need me.” The sheriff sent Brick a warning look. What was he warning him about? He was being paid to take care of her. He wasn’t going to harm her.
“Juliet, we’re going home,” he said in a low voice.
And that, as far as he was concerned, was that.
11
Brick pulled up into the parking spot behind the library.
How the fuck had this happened? He’d fully intended to take her home. But then she’d pulled out the big guns.
When he’d told her they were heading back to her place and there was going to be no arguments, she’d pulled out her phone and brought up her brother’s contact, turning the screen around so he could see it.
Brat.
Rich, spoiled brat.
But she’d gotten her way. However, he wasn’t happy about it.
He turned to her as she undid her seatbelt. “We’ll be having a talk about this when we get home.”
She rolled her eyes at him. He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Even he could hear how ridiculous he sounded.
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned as she moved her hand to the door handle of the truck. She looked tiny sitting in the huge bucket seat. “You need a booster.”
She eyed him warily. As though he was losing it.
Maybe he was.
Maybe he was having some sort of episode or he was in the middle of a nightmare.
“Only a nightmare would explain this,” he muttered.
A flash of pain entered her eyes, and he could have kicked himself. He went to apologize but she held up a finger, pointed at him then at the door imperiously.
“Sure thing, Duchess,” he snarled. “I’ll get right onto it.”
He got out of the truck, slamming the door. Then he paused to take a deep breath.
You’re being ridiculous.
You’re the one who insisted she wait until you opened the door. Now you’re mad at her for wanting you to open the door.
Yes, but it was the way she’d done it that had pissed him off. Or at least that’s what he told himself. Because when she got all sassy and bossy, well, part of him thought it was cute as fuck.
Screwed. He was so screwed.
She didn’t know what had put his panties in a twist this morning, but Mr. Grumpy-Butt had turned into Mr. Unreasonable-Grouchy-Surly-Butt-Pants.
A sigh escaped her as she stared down at the ass encased in those pants.
Damn, it was fine.
Focus, Juliet.
She was over an hour late to work. Her friend nearly got run over by her bodyguard. Although that was more Kiesha’s fault than theirs. Still, it had shaken her when she’d seen Kiesha on the ground. She couldn’t stand for anything else to happen to someone she loved.
Just the thought of it . . .
“Juliet? You okay?” Brick asked in his gruff voice.
What? Like he cared. He’d been like a bear with a sore paw all morning. And worse than usual. Usually, his blunt manner was tempered by an awkward sort of caring. But there was a coldness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
Because he thinks you’re a liar.
Well. She kind of was, she guessed. She’d agreed with him when he’d asked if she had a medical reason for not talking when there wasn’t exactly one . . . it was more that she was fucked up.
But she couldn’t tell him that. Because it was humiliating. Because it meant telling him about the past. Because she knew he’d turn away from her.
So instead of trying to communicate the whole fucked up mess inside her head, she shrugged.
His shoulders tightened and he turned away, his jaw tense. He didn’t want to know. He was just here to do a job.
“Juliet?”
The irritated voice of her boss broke through her morose thoughts. She jumped with a gasp and felt Brick stiffen beside her.
“Who the hell is this?” Darin demanded, coming into the break room where she’d been stashing her handbag into her locker. She slipped her phone into her pocket. Technically, they weren’t supposed to have their phones on them. But everyone did.
“I’m her bodyguard, Brick. And watch your language when you’re talking to Juliet.”
Darin’s cheeks went a blotchy red at Brick’s firm reprimand. She sighed. No doubt he thought he was helping. But he wasn’t the one who had to work with Darin once she no longer had bodyguards. He could be a vindictive little creepazoid.
“I thought that other guy was her bodyguard.”
“He is. She has more than one.”
Darin’s eyes narrowed to slits. He already looked like a weasel. Now, he looked like a weasel sucking on a lemon. “Juliet, I’d like to see you in my office. Alone.”
“Not happening,” Brick said.
“Brick, was it?” Darin sneered. Today he was dressed in a waistcoat which just seemed to emphasize his pot belly. And the small amount of hair he had was slicked over his bald spot in an awful-looking combover. Whatever he used made the top of his head all greasy, so whenever he was under a fluorescent light, he almost glowed. “This is a private conversation. As Juliet’s employer, I’m going to have to insist on speaking to her on her own.”
Brick crossed his arms over his chest.
With a sigh, she grabbed her phone out.
There’s a window. You can see in. He’s a dick, but he won’t hurt me.
“What did she say?” Darin demanded.
“If she wanted you to know, she’d tell you,” Brick replied.
She wasn’t sure if that was more of a jibe at her or at Darin. Although the way he glared at her boss, she was guessing it was aimed mostly at Darin. Still, she felt a mix of sadness and defeat mingling inside her. Maybe she should have gone home. Called in sick or something. She certainly felt nauseous. Rubbing her stomach, she followed Darin the dick, into his office.
Brick stood outside but kept an eye through the window.
“Charming, isn’t he?” Darin sneered.
Feeling brave with a door between him and Brick, was he? S
he had to hide her grin. She was confident that Brick could take Darin with one hand tied behind his back. And Darin knew that too.
“Where is the other bodyguard? I didn’t give approval for all these bodyguards coming in and out of the library, Juliet. Just how many do you need, anyway? What kind of trouble are you in?”
She just stared at him, waiting for him to get to the point.
“Because if it’s something that could endanger my patrons, I’m going to have to ask you to take a leave of absence. I’m responsible for the safety of all the patrons and staff who work here. So, I’m sure you understand.”
That sick feeling in her stomach grew.
It wasn’t that she loved this job. She didn’t. Gladys and Darin did their best to make it a crappy place to work. And while she mostly did shelving and research, there was still interaction with the public, which stressed her out.
But if she lost this job, she knew she wouldn’t find another. Not without Reuben’s help, and she wanted to rely on Reuben as little as possible. For both of their sakes.
Losing this job would unsettle her routine even more than it had been. She couldn’t handle that.
Can’t you?
Hadn’t she been handling all the disruptions like a pro? But this was a temporary thing. On a day-to-day basis, she needed more stability or things started to unravel. She just didn’t know what to do.
Usually, Darin wouldn’t be brave enough to risk Reuben’s wrath and do something like this. But this time, he actually had a good point. If she was truly in danger, then being here could endanger someone else. That obviously made him feel safer.
“Now, you were also late today, which normally I’d have to give you an official warning about. But if you’re reasonable about staying away while there is some threat,” the asshole made quote marks with his fingers as he said the word threat as though she was making it up, “then we’ll call this the first day of indefinite leave, and there’s no need to put anything official on your record.”
Awesome. So now he was blackmailing her as well.
With a nod, she stood and walked numbly to the door.
“I knew you could be reasonable, Juliet. I hope you’ll explain this to your brother.” He blanched. “Please, when this is all over, let me know if you want your job back. But I’m sure you understand that we might have to hire someone else in the meantime.”
Her Daddies’ Saving Grace Page 9
