Page 6 of Hard To Stay

“Really? Is that a threat?” I asked wanting to clarify his statement.

“Oh, it’s not a threat, Detective. It’s a promise!” He said without a bit of hesitation, taking in our surroundings. I noticed his confidence drop a few levels when my buddies Sawyer and Lucas came up from behind me. Colton was an asshole, but he wasn’t stupid. Guys like him were always calculating the odds, taking cheap shots when they could get away with them and tucking their tail to fight another day when it was clear they might lose. I’d bet my small inheritance that he had just realized that he wasn’t going to win today. His pride meant too much to him to stick to his guns and slug it out.

“Is there a problem here?” Sawyer asked with his head moving back and forth between us.

Colton turned his face to my friends and smiled. “No problem.” he said in that cool, sarcastic tone of his. “I’m just having a friendly conversation with Detective Morgan here.”

Sawyer squinted his eyes and studied me, noticing my clenched fist by my side. “You sure about the friendly part? Because it looks to me like you are about a half second away from getting a fist in your face.”

Colton brought his hand up to his jaw, seeming unsure how to respond. “I assume these are friends of yours, Mr. Morgan. You haven’t even introduced them to me.” He said with a smug grin—what a controlling son of a bitch.

Lucas reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder. “What’s going on here?”

My muscles were so tense they were straining against my dress shirt. Colton was built but my experience was that gutless cowards who hit women were rarely willing to physically square up against someone who could actually put up a fight. We both knew that the odds were stacked against him and it was time for him to use his brains over his brawn.

Colton clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes on mine. “I’m afraid you’re overstepping your boundaries here, Detective. I would be very careful if I were you. The press doesn’t take lightly to the men in blue abusing their power.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing for both us that I’m not wearing blue, isn’t it?”

Lucas looked at Sawyer and then back at me. There was a smile playing on his lips when he spoke “That’s funny, because everyone knows you don’t look good in blue anyway.”

Colton didn’t like being the butt of anyone’s joke. In fact, he looked like he was ready to blow.

“Let me tell you something. Lexi belongs with me.” He hissed out. “I’m going to chalk up this conversation to a simple misunderstanding on your part. You can tell my fiancée that I’ll be back. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.” And with that he turned and walked away.

Once Colton was gone, Lucas spun on his heels. “What the fuck was that about?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling my pulse start to return to normal. “I’ll fill you in later.” I said then stopped and turned around. “Do me a solid and make sure that clown leaves the building. Please?” They both knew I was not one to lose my cool easily, so their curiosity was understandable. Instead of drilling me with questions, they simply nodded and followed Colton out of the building.

Once I was sure that he was gone, I walked over to the bathroom and tapped gently on the door. “You can both come out now. He’s gone.”

Abby greeted me, standing off to the side. “How did it go?” She asked as I made my way into the room.

Lexi rose from the chair, the relief I saw was all the confirmation I needed in knowing that I had done the right thing.

Meeting her ex had explained two things. First, he was an asshole of gigantic proportions and second, Lexi had every right to be afraid of him.

“Your ex-fiancé is quite the guy, huh?”

She ran her hands down her face in frustration. “God, I’m sorry to involve you in this mess.”

“Hey, no worries.” I put my hand out stopping her. “It’s fine. Besides, protecting and serving the public is my job!” I added with a wry grin trying to lighten the mood.

“Thank you, Detective. Is he really gone?” She asked hopefully. Her long eyelashes flickered making her look even more breathtaking than I remembered.

My grin faltered a bit. “He is for now.” I stressed, choosing my words carefully.

Her shoulders sagged when all I wanted to do was comfort her. “It’s okay, I know it’s only a matter of time before I run into him again.” She said sadly, reading between the lines.

Abby chimed in. “Lexi, don’t say that. You’re not alone anymore. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

Lexi bit down on her bottom lip, and I was suddenly turned on. What the hell was wrong with me? This poor girl’s life had been turned upside and my dick chose that moment to make an appearance.

“You’re right.” She piped up with the sound of determination in her voice. “I’m done being the victim here. I can’t run forever and he can’t make me go back. I won’t allow him to take more from me than he already has.”

I knew I was skating on very thin ice and her confidence was definitely a turn on. But she needed to keep a level head about this.

So, I told her honestly, “I’m not going to lie, he doesn’t seem like the type that’s going to disappear. But I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

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