Tank (Moonshine Task Force Book 2)(59)
As I head up the steps to the station, Holden comes barreling out the door. “You okay?” His face is a mask of anger and what appears to be frustration.
He motions for me to follow him behind the building. “We got a threat at the house last night and I’m trying to track who’s doing it without Leighton finding out.”
“Gotta be her family, man. They’re scared to death she’s going to give them up.”
Holden turns around, putting his hands on his hips and looking up at the sky. “The shitty part about this whole situation? She’s not giving them up, she refuses to talk about it, but you and I both know her family won’t believe that, ever. The only way I’ll get them away from her is to either arrest them all, or beat the shit out of them,” he shakes his head, chuckling darkly. “That’s somethin’, ain’t it? A man who’s sworn to uphold the law, looking to beat the shit out of another human being.”
“No,” I answer quickly. “It’s not. Sometimes it’s the only thing you can do.” Immediately my mind goes back to the night I confronted my sister’s ex-husband, Stephen.
“I saw her face, you motherfucker. I saw what you did to her. Did you think I’d let that shit go? You think I’d not listen to her?”
I advance on him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off his feet, and shoving him into the nearest wall.
“Trevor, aren’t you sworn to uphold the law, not break it?” he taunts me.
“I’d give it all up for her, and you know it. You think it’s fun to beat on someone smaller than you? Does it make you feel like a man? How about you beat on someone closer to your own size. You get one free shot, and then I’m going to tear your ass up.”
A part of me half expects him to not do it, he’s a lot of all talk and not much action. I’m surprised when I feel his fist connect with my cheek. When it does, I feel my rage explode and I go to town on him. As I feel his skin break and his bones crack, I think of my sister’s black eye, the wounded look on her face, and the way she’s changed since she married him.
I know this asshole is to blame and he’s going to pay tonight. Luckily not with his life, but maybe by the time I’m done, he’ll wish he had. For once I’m going to let the control I normally have over my anger and emotions go, and he’ll wish he’d never met my family.
“So what do you suggest?” Holden’s voice brings me back from my memory.
“You protect her,” it’s as easy as that for me. “Anyway you can, whatever you have to do, you protect her. If there’s anything I’ve learned in the past few months, it’s that we as humans are capable of amazing things, especially when we’re pushed to the edge. Ask yourself what you’re willing to do for her, because I know exactly what I’m willing to do for Blaze.”
“You love Blaze,” he reminds me.
I lean in close, because I respect the man in front of me. He’s my boss, but he’s also my friend. “Holden, don’t kid yourself. You’d do whatever it takes to keep her safe. You and I both know that.”
I give him a wave as I go into the office, ready to finish out my shift and get home to the love of my life.
EPILOGUE
Tank
August
“I didn’t expect to see you here today,” I lean over kissing Blaze, who looks gorgeous in her sundress and sandals. The turquoise color she’s picked makes her look like The Little Mermaid with her red hair.
“I gave a talk at the high school about mental health awareness,” she explains, putting a bag on my desk. “Then I went and got a piece of pie from The Café, because when your arms aren’t available, chocolate and coconut make it all better.”
I get up from my seat, enveloping her in my arms. “Why have chocolate and coconut when my arms are yours whenever you need them?”
She burrows her head into my chest, and like always, it makes me feel like I’m the strongest man in the world. To know this woman counts on me to be her anchor in the storm that’s sometimes our lives is the biggest blessing I’ve ever received. “You okay?” I kiss her on the forehead.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Sometimes it’s hard to talk about her, but I’m really proud of the work I’ve been doing in the past few months.”
I’m proud of her too, more than proud of her. She took something that would have broken a lesser person and is making a difference in the community. There are open forums now on mental health, where people who are suffering can come to speak to counselors without fear of repercussions. She’s being the change when before she didn’t know how to be. “You’re doing amazing things, and I’m beyond proud to call you my girlfriend.”
“Anyway,” she runs a hand over her face. “I stopped by The Café to get my pie and figured you and Ryan might like some lunch.”
“You’re going for girlfriend of the year. Did you bring us pie, too?” I start rifling through the bag she’s put on my desk.
“Did I hear pie?” Ryan asks, rubbing his stomach as he makes his way into the squad room.
“You did, I brought you two lunch and pie.”
We sit down to have lunch with her. I enjoy my time with her now more than I ever have. We’ve been through a lot, she and I. Finding our way back to each other, living through a medical emergency, and doubts that could have torn us apart. We’ve thrived through all of it, after that first hiccup. She’s stuck by me and I’ve stuck by her. One day soon I’m going to give her my last name and make it legal, but for now I love the life we have. It’s got to be right for the both of us, and it’s not right for her yet. She has work to do, people to save.