Page 87 of Brooke's Bliss
Tate stopped at the only light in town.
Bailey could see Trev and Brooke gaining on and then passingthem.Brooke followed his boss, her arms crossed under her breasts and tearsstill clinging to her cheeks.
“I will enact protocol forty-seven in accordance with theintergalactic treaty of solar year 4750.7,” Tate replied simply.
He would give it to the deputy.The kid seemed unflappable.
Bailey tried to get Brooke’s attention, but it wasn’t likehe could knock on the window.Well, he had his head.He kind of tapped itagainst the window.“Brooke!”
“Mr.Kent, those windows are bulletproof,” Tate advised.“Iassure you no matter how hardheaded you are, you’re not going to break them.They are also compliant with safety protocols set forth by the Earth CouncilAgainst Hostile Aliens.ECAHA knows how to make unbreakable glass.That suckerwill hold a damnNoxilspawn, and those fuckers canemit acid when they feel like they’re in danger.”
Rye groaned, and his head fell back.“You’re Cassidy’snephew.I forgot.I don’t know whether to praise Nate for being smart or callhim intensely crazy.”
“Why not both?”Tate replied.“And protocol is whatseparates us from chaos.I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you, Old Sheriff.Ihaven’t been on the job long, and I’m living out at my aunt’s place for now.I’m going to be honest.I’m surprised at you.I was told you were a goodsheriff.I didn’t expect you to be in a… I can’t call it a bar fight.Dinerfight?Is that a thing here?”
She wouldn’t look at him.She stood beside Trev until theWalksign changed and then followed him.
“Everything is a thing here, Deputy, and it wasn’t a fight.Not really.It was setting boundaries,” Rye explained.
Had she been happy to be with that asshole?Had heinterrupted something she wanted?It hadn’t looked like it at the time.She’dpushed at him, but maybe she’d done that because she was trying to keep theirrelationship on the down low.
His heart ached at the thought.
Had she been using them all along?
“All right.So you saw red and couldn’t stop because youthought he was hurting Brooke,” Rye said.
“Well, that’s the truth,” Bay replied, watching Brooke walkaway with Trev.She was going to get to the Sheriff’s Department before theydid.
Shane was there, apparently, and so was Max, according tothe call the deputy made after shoving them both in the squad car.He’d beenkind of shocked at the time, but now he wondered why the hell his brother wasat the sheriff’s.
Would she walk right into Shane’s arms or ignore them both?Had he fucked this up for all of them?
At least she was going and not calling aFuberand heading home to clean out her stuff.
“Of course it is, but you have to finesse things,” Ryeencouraged.“You have to make sure to put the emphasis on her safety and not onyour caveman-like possessiveness, even though that is hard wired into you,brother.Women do not understand.If you want my sister to take your balls, youmention the wordshe had his hands on my woman.”
“But she is my woman.I’m literally supposed to protecther.”Bay didn’t see the problem.
“I think I’m with Old Sheriff on this one.Women don’t liketo be thought of as possessions.Unless they come from other planes.You see,there’s this fairy plane and the women there…” Tate began.
Bay turned to Rye.“Can we get him fired?Like can’t thetown vote?”
“Hey, I just got hired,” Tate protested, and the lightfinally turned green.
“We’re stuck with him for now,” Rye replied with a sigh.“But the good news is at some point he’ll get the shit kicked out of him byeither the mafia or an MC club or… We haven’t had a serial killer in a while.We’re due for one of those.The point is the young, shiny deputy is always theone who ends up getting his ass tortured.It’s practically a rite of passage.”
“What?”Tate asked, seemingly alarmed.“My auntie told me itwould be a cushy job.”
Rye grinned fiercely.“Your auntie lied, son.”
Tate turned his attention back to the road and slowlystarted making his way to the sheriff’s.
“Do you know who that was?”Bay asked.“I’ve never seen himaround here.”
Rye sat back.“I think that was her boss.I’ve never met himbecause we’ve never gone to New York.”Rye glanced out the window.“We’vealways made excuses, and they usually are about the kids.Damn it.I’ve let mysister have a whole life in a city thousands of miles away and I never visitedher even though Logan has invited us to stay with them.Why?”
He kind of thought he knew the reason.“Is it because you’reworried your wife is going to get to a big city and remember everything sheloved about it and wonder why she’s stuck here with two whiny-ass men and alltheir babies?”
