Page 16 of Laying it Bare on the Run

My heart dropped into my stomach with a sickening thud. It wouldn’t just be embarrassing to have his ex rat me out but if her look was any indication she was the kind of person to then sell me out to the highest bidder or even any bidder.

“Do you belong to Fitness Junkies? Cannon convinced me to go there when we started dating like six months ago.” She shot me a haughty smile. “It made for a more satisfying time in the bed room, if you know what I mean.” Her smile grew nastier.

Her jab gouged me slightly but I was too busy being completely relieved she hadn’t recognized me from the news to be fully offended.

However, Cannon was affronted enough for the two of us. “I’m not sure ladies discuss things like that out in public, Kerena. And we ended our relationship over four months ago. It’s rather spiteful to bring it up just because I’m out with someone else.”

Mike spit his beer across the table; Joe’s eyes widened; Ben busied himself with pouring another beer; and I barely contained a small giggle. Cannon not only managed to deflect her rude comments to me, his response filled me with a cheerfulness I hadn’t experienced in a while.

Her eyes lit up with anger. “Well, you weren’t that good in bed anyway.” She huffed as she stormed away.

Cannon shrugged his shoulders and took a long pull of his beer.

“Dude, you sure know how to pick them. No offense.” Joe gazed at me. “You’re beautifulandseem normal and pleasant to be around.” He shook his head. “She was a looker but her personality was as interesting as watching paint dry. It is all about her and she has quite a mean streak. Seriously, it doesn’t take much to be a decent human being.”

Joe’s eyes stayed on me and his forehead scrunched in concentration. “But you do look familiar now that bitch girl mentioned it.” His eyes lit up. “I know where I heard the name Harper before.” He swung his gaze to Cannon. “She’s the girl from the news today, isn’t she?” Thankfully, he had dropped his voice with his question.

I tensed in my seat, ready to bolt.

“It’s not a big deal and it’s all a bunch of bullshit.” Clasping my hand tighter, Cannon’s voice held a turbulent edge to it.

“Dude, I’m not telling you who to date but how well do you know her? You just met her last night, didn’t you? You have to be careful who you trust, man. Especially in our positions.”

The tension in my back increased and anger surged through my veins. “You don’t have a clue about the shit I’ve been through. And for the record, I wanted you guys to leave me the fuck alone last night but Cannon insisted on helping me out. So keep your opinions to yourself.” I seethed the words out between clenched teeth, not wanting to draw attention to our table. Two large groups had entered the bar while Joe had been sizing me up.

Cannon pressed a kiss to my temple. “I know you mean well, Joe, but she’s not like Arabel.”

“She’s the girl from last night?” Mike chimed in. “Well, I’ve never meant this more; you clean up well.” He shot me a teasing grin.

Despite my earlier irate outburst, I erupted into giggles. “It’s amazing how important basic things like soap and water are and how much you miss them when you are on the run.”

The guys at the table stared at me with their mouths agape.

So Cannon gave them the abridged version of my predicament. “I’ll give you guys more details at the station. I need to talk with Sarge too. Besides, we wanted to come out tonight to de-stress not add more stress.” Cannon wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“Sorry, Harper. I didn’t mean to be an asshole.” Joe gave me a warm smile. “Can I buy you another Coke?”

I hadn’t even realized I had drained my drink. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.” Feeling a little better, I picked up a pretzel stick, stuck it in the cheese, and took a huge bite.

After Joe ordered me another drink and another pitcher for the table, he turned his serious gaze to me. “But Cannon is my friend so I look out for him.”

“Joe is the most sensitive of the assholes I hang out with.” Cannon smirked at his buddy. “Go ahead, tell her why your panties were in a twist a few moments ago. It’s fine.”

He finished his beer. “About a year ago, Cannon had been dating a chick named Arabel. Well, we had no idea at the time that the only reason she was with him was to get into the station so she could steal evidence that had implicated her recent ex in a string of robberies. But I should not have judged you without all of the facts. But we’ve seen it happen. I apologize.”

“I was really into the chick so she had me completely fooled and almost got away with her plan. Thankfully, I caught her when she was pretending to head to the restrooms.” Cannon grabbed a mozzarella stick and popped it into his mouth.

“It’s okay. I can understand your reaction. And I’m so on edge that I often react without thinking too. I’m exhausted, physically and emotionally so I get it. No worries.”

“Although we’re nowhere near as exhausted as you must be, we can relate. We have been shorthanded at work and having our asses handed to us. It’s about time they got some more people hired so we aren’t run as ragged now. I’ve missed my work outs this week because of overtime.” Mike growled.

“Are workouts required for you guys?” I took a sip of my drink.

“No, but they are a really good idea.” Ben smirked around his mug. “Do you guys remember when Ted had to get out of his patrol car to chase down that perp across the park?” He took a pull of his beer. “After he caught up to him, we thought he was going to need an ambulance too, for some oxygen after his sprint. Ted started hitting the gym hard after that incident. Newbies.” Shaking his head, Ben chuckled and the rest of the guys joined in.

“Aren’t you guys all newbies? You can’t be older than your mid-twenties.” I knew Cannon was thirty two and found that hard to believe but these guys looked even younger.

“You’re too sweet, angel. But we’re all in our thirties. Did Cannon tell you he was younger so you’d be interested in his old man ass?” Mike winked at me. “That’s the only way he could pick up a young angel like you.”

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