Straight Flushed (Hot Pursuit #1)(14)

“My heart can’t take this.” He shook his head and his chest quickly rose and fell as he took rapid breaths.

“Gabe,” I sighed.

“You could work for me.” He looked up expectantly, but his unwavering gaze made my heart race.

I laughed. “You’re joking.”

“It’s not so crazy. You were going to school to get your degree in business before you switched majors. You’d love it, and we’d get to spend more time together.”

“I’d love to spend more time together but working for you sure isn’t the way I’d like to do it.”

“I need you to consider it. Just think about it for a second.”

I didn’t need half a second, my response was automatic. “No, absolutely not. I was made to protect people. That’s why I survived what happened in college. This is what I was born to do.”

“Then who’s going to protect you when you’re out there, huh? I don’t trust that loose cannon partner of yours to do it.”

“I don’t need anyone to protect me. I protect me. Are you serious right now? I can’t believe you’re saying this.”

He put his hands on his armrests and slowly lifted himself from his seat.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Diana, this is life taking another bite out of you to show you what you’re made of, and you weren’t made to do this. There’s something better for you—safer for you—out there than this.”

If my cheeks were warm before they were now blazing scarlet. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me.” He ran shaky hands through his hair. “I think I need some time to reevaluate our relationship. I—I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

I sat for a second with my mouth hanging open. “Well.” I huffed. “If this is the way you’re going to react when the going gets tough then I guess reevaluating our relationship is something we both can agree on.” I hoped my words would snap him out of his stupor, but he scooted his chair back against the wall and remained in the same state. “Are you really leaving me? Now?”

“Yes. I have to.”

My heart was in my stomach and a fist seized my throat. “What are you doing? Are you breaking up me?”

He looked down, and I watched in disbelief as he walked out. The sound of the curtain rings pulling back echoed off the walls. I stared at them, waiting for him to burst back through and tell me he’d overreacted. In my wildest dreams, I never would have predicted my evening would have ended this way. My heart was breaking. He couldn’t have just broken up with me.

I started to hyperventilate. The pain of each breath reminded me that it was a bad idea to get upset. I inhaled as deeply as I could and held it. My eyes welled, and the first tear rolled down my cheek, then the curtain to my room opened.

I instantly perked up, but when I saw it was Vance, I blocked my face and wiped the tear away.

“I saw your douchebag of a boyfriend walking out of here all pissy. What’s up his ass?” Vance asked.

I didn’t want to talk about it. It would be a pointless conversation. Vance didn’t like Gabe as much as Gabe didn’t like Vance. Vance would only fuel the fire, and it didn’t need any more heat. “Nothing,” I said.

“Your face doesn’t look like nothing.” He leaned in closer, worried. “Are you crying?”

“No, I’m not crying.” Anger bubbled inside me to repress my sadness, and it needed an outlet. Seeing Vance’s face made a scene from the crash flash in my mind. “Can I ask you a question?” My heated tone announced a warning.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, hesitantly.

“Why did you grab me and tell me to get down on the floor after the accident?”

He looked at me as if I’d asked him why the sky was blue. “Because that was the safest place for you to be?”

“Do you think I’m good at my job?” I crossed my hands over my stomach and twiddled my fingers.

“Are you nuts? Of course you are. You’re the best.” He smirked. “Well, maybe second best.” He finished the statement off with an exaggerated wink.

I wasn’t in a joking mood. “Then why’d you do that?”

He shrugged. “Because your side of the car was pinned against the tree and two guys were walking toward us with guns drawn. You weren’t going to open your car door and fire back at them. Being on the floor was the safest place.”

“Hmm, interesting. Would you have done the same thing if I were a man?” I was grasping at straws, but I needed a fight. This lame bait was the best thing I could come up with since I couldn’t physically punch anything.

He squinted and wavered before answering. “Di, are you taking a little trip to crazy town?”

“No, answer the question.” I snapped.

“I feel like I’m walking into a girl trap.”

“Knock it off. If I were a man, would you have been as scared as you were out there today?”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “I would have been. We’d been in a high speed chase, our car was wrapped around a tree, and two guys started shooting at us. I wasn’t about to shit my pants, but I’ve been in more pleasant situations. My adrenalin was pumping. I was concerned for everyone’s safety in that car. You were only one of the three I was worried about. But honestly, you being a man or a woman has nothing to do with how I felt. You got me?”