Page 119 of Tequila Tuesdays

Fear morphed into anger, and I poked him in the chest. “You can be angry and pissed, and even break up with me. But at least you’re alive!”

He narrowed his eyes.

I poked him in the chest again and realized I was shaking. “You’d be alive,” I repeated.

He gathered me in his arms. “Harley, baby. No one got hurt. We’re okay.”

I was past listening to reason. “Every man I love fuckingdies!” I yelled. “And it’s my fault. Oh, God. You could have been shot. Jason is crazy, and he has a gun. I dragged you into this.”

He held me to him as I struggled in his arms. “Harley, you arenota fucking death harbinger. You don’t cause the men you love to die, so get it through your head. That’s complete bullshit.”

He felt so warm and strong, and I slowly stopped struggling. He was here, pissed as hell, but alive and whole. We stood there for a minute.

Damien stroked my hair, then he chuckled a little.

I stared up at him. “What are you laughing at?”

He brushed a strand of hair back from my face. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

Martin finally cleared his throat. “So, I take it you two are an item?”

Damien answered first. “Hello, Dickie. And, yes, we’re a goddamn item. Even though I want to shake her half the time.”

“Huh. Means you won’t get bored.” Martin turned to me. “Harley, I’ll send you my notes and photos in the next couple of days. Sorry I lost her for a few minutes.”

I pulled out of Damien’s arms and waved awkwardly. “Thanks, Martin. It wasn’t your fault, and I’m glad you’re okay too. You sound a lot better, by the way.”

“I feel better. Good luck, you two.” Martin chuckled, then lumbered off.

I turned to Damien. “I’m never dragging you into my cases again.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not,” I shot back. I was so happy he was okay, I hugged him again then turned to Shanda.

She eyed me warily. “Hey.”

I checked her and Bertie for signs of injuries again, then gave them both spontaneous hugs. “What happened after you hung up? How are you still alive?”

She jerked her shoulder. “When Jason kicked in the door, I ran him over with the stroller. Just like you said.”

I stared at her, unsure if I’d heard her right. “You… ran him over with the stroller?” I repeated.

“Yeah. When the lock broke and he shoved open the door, I pushed the stroller at him as hard as I could. He got caught up in the front wheels, then fell back and hit his head on the cement.”

My eyebrows shot up. “It actually worked?”

She looked at me incredulously. “You didn’t think it would?”

“Well, no. But I couldn’t think of anything else.”

We glanced over at Jason, who was handcuffed.

Damien put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “She was using the stroller to pin him down when I got here.”

Shanda looked a little pale. “He doesn’t weigh very much. And he probably expected me to be cowering in the corner.”

Damien rubbed my arm. “The police were right behind me. He must have hit his head pretty hard because he still seemed dazed.”

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