Page 69 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“How was I supposed to know that?” I asked.

His lips pursed and his face became even more cross, if that was possible. “You were supposed to walk in here like any normal person would and see for yourself.”

“Well, would you walk into a place when it looked like a guy was waving a gun around, just to see if your eyes were lying to you? What if he did have a gun and I’d done that? Then we’d both be hostages right now,” I defended.

Levi finished his phone call and reached toward me to point in my face. “You’ll regret this.”

Connor turned back to Levi and pushed his arm away. “Stay away from her,” he growled.

I shut my eyes as more angry words flew. The fear of Connor being shot was replaced by the fear of them using their fists to kill each other while I helplessly watched. When I heard a siren pull into the parking lot I almost sank to the floor with relief.

“I can’t believe you actually called the police.” Connor’s voice rose a notch.

“Of course I did. That little devil woman assaulted me,” Levi announced.

“I never touched you,” I cried as two officers streamed into the lobby and quickly took in the scene.

I had shrunk back out of arms’ reach of both men, and stood with my hands clasped together while the two large and irate men were standing nearby. One of the officers yelled at them to back away from each other while the second came to me.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” he asked.

Levi went off like a rocket. “You’re asking her? She’s the one who did the assaulting. She came in here with this tire iron and tried to take my head off,” he boomed. I looked up in time to see him pick it off the floor and wave it above his head.

“Sir, drop the weapon,” the officer near him ordered briskly.

“This is the weapon thatshetried to use on me,” Levi insisted, but he dropped it to the floor.

“Was anyone injured?” the officer near me asked.

“She was pushed.” Connor’s voice was like ice.

The officer glanced at him and then turned back to me. “Who pushed you?”

“Um, it was more of a momentum thing, you know, in the heat of the moment.” It was hard work shoving the words out over the rock in my throat. My hands trembled so hard that I tucked them into my jean pockets. The adrenaline let down was fierce.

Levi jumped in, his voice rising again. “She attacked me unarmed and unprovoked.”

“I thought he had a gun,” I returned, but for the first time it came out sounding unsure.

One of the officers—McGowen, according to his badge—looked to Connor. “Was there a gun involved?” Connor shook his head and McGowen looked back to me.

I sighed deeply. “I think we’d better start at the top. This is going to be a really great story for you to tell around the station.”

“I’m pressing charges against her,” Levi declared before I could say anything else.

I speared him with a glare. “You were yelling at Connor and waving something silver around. I thought it was a gun.”

“It wasn’t a gun.” Connor entered the discussion. His voice hadn’t relaxed at all, and his eyes were strained. “It was a part he bought for his truck that wasn’t working.”

“He was yelling at you,” I stated. “And it wasn’t the first time.”

“What do you mean?” Officer McGowan asked.

“A week or so ago I saw Levi yelling at Connor downtown. Then the other night while I was cleaning here, he came and banged the door down, asking to see Connor. I sent him away. Now today he’s in here waving something around and yelling again. I had every reason to believe Connor was in danger.”

“So instead of calling for police help, or making sure her eyes aren’t playing tricks on her, she picks up this”—Levi kicked the tire iron— “and decides to go vigilante.”

“I couldn’t let you hurt him.” My voice rose, and my hands balled into fists in my pockets.

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