Page 26 of Hard Knock Hero

“How long will it take him to get here?”

“Couple days, I guess? Assuming the weather doesn’t get bad again. And then there’s the bridge. But at least he’s moving instead of sitting in Virginia.”

Jessi stuck the lid on the box of candy and shoved it away. I didn’t like to see that frown. I wanted to keep our easy, meandering conversation going. “Do you have any more of your lemon tarts?” I asked. “Those are much better than this candy.”

Her smile turned shy, but I saw the pride beneath. “I took the rest to the sweet shop. Scarlett is selling them for me so I can make a little extra money. Though that’s probably not necessary any more if the diner gets going again.”

“But you’ll keep making the tarts, right? To serve here?”

“Sure.” She twisted the closed candy box back and forth on the table. “I have a bunch of flavors I’ve been testing out. Chocolate and pecan, coconut-mango. I’ve been perfecting the crust, too.”

I nodded. I understood that process. How people might say they loved a dish, yet I still might not be happy with it. “You have a vision for it, and you want to capture it.”

Her dark blue eyes flashed. “Exactly. When I really got started baking, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. I did pies and cookies and brownies. Different things for the diner. I still make those, because they’re always hits. But then I tried a tart recipe, and it just clicked for me. And then—” She rolled her eyes at herself. “Never mind. It’s not that exciting.”

“Tell me.” I wasn’t a baker, but cooking was something I could talk about endlessly.

She pursed her lips. “No. I don’t think I will. Because I’ve already told you a ton about me, and I know next to nothing about you.”

“You know plenty.”

She lifted her fingers, counting off. “California. Army. Chef. Friends who are cops. And…see? That’s next to nothing. A person is a lot more than just four things. I needdetails.”

“I guarantee that’s not interesting. I’m boring.”

“Too bad.” She spun the candy box. “You answer a question for every one of mine. Or we’re done. I’ll grab your blankets for you and say goodnight.”

I grunted.Done? I didn’t want to end the night yet. I wanted to talk cooking with her. Trials in the kitchen, failed experiments. Unexpected flavor combinations. I wanted to see that passion light up in her eyes.

“Okay, you win. You can ask—”

The high-pitched cacophony of shattering glass filled the air.

Shards rained onto us. Something heavy slammed onto the tile floor. Jessi screamed. I reached across the table. Grabbed hold of her and shoved her down, taking us both to the floor and under the tabletop. Time had slowed, as it always did when a battle started. It was a feeling that had branded my soul during my time as a soldier. Those were things I could never unlearn, even though I’d been out for years.

“Are you hurt?” I asked.

“No.”

I lifted my head. Through the window, I spotted a figure running. The brake lights of a pickup. “Get upstairs. Lock the door.”

“What about you?”

I didn’t answer her. Just pushed her toward the back of the diner, while I went the opposite direction. I flipped the latch on the front door, wrenched it open, and ran through onto the street.

The dark figure was way ahead of me. He jumped onto the tailgate of the truck. The truck’s engine gunned. It slalomed forward on the ice-slick road.

I was slipping too, my boots barely keeping traction.

But then the truck’s tires spun out. The back fishtailed. It gave me enough time to close the distance. The guy who’d just broken Jessi’s window was only halfway into the truck bed. I grabbed hold of his coat and yanked him out. He sprawled hard on the ice. He was wearing a ski mask, and I pulled it off.

It was one of the Rigsby brothers from last night. The third one, Theo. The youngest. He stared up at me in fear and shock.

At the same time, the truck’s tires had stopped spinning. The vehicle lurched forward before it managed to stop, swung into a wide u-turn, and started to come back to Theo’s rescue.

I had seconds.

I fisted Theo’s jacket and pulled him up until our noses were an inch apart. “She’s an innocent woman. What is wrong with you?” Theo looked too terrified to speak. So I kept going. “If you don’t stop this, then I won’t either. I’ll hunt you down. You’ll spend the rest of your days breathing through atubeandregretting you ever heard my name.” In that moment, I couldn’t remember what the hell my name was supposed to be. I only knew that I wouldn’t let this go. Because Jessi deservedbetter.

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