Page 19 of Serve and Protect
Braggart purses his lips as he chuckles. “Oooo, I’m so scared.”
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, David,” Jennie says, “but you need to leave. Now. We have anagreement.”
“Ouragreementis expired, babe. I have every right to be here.”
She takes a shaky breath and lowers her voice and says, “Just go, David.Please!”
Braggart’s grin widens. “Oh, baby, you know I like it when you beg. You beg so sweetly, don’t you?”
“That’s enough!” I grab the front of Braggart’s shirt and push him back toward the doors. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Bullshit!” he says. “Half of this diner belongs tome.”
That announcement shocks the shit out of me.
Red-faced, Jennie turns and storms off, heading down the hallway that leads to the kitchen and her office.
Honestly, I’m so in shock that Braggart is able to break free of my hold and chase after her.
As I race down the hall, I can hear them shouting at each other. Her office door is shut, but I shove it open wide and step inside. He’s got her pinned up against the back of her desk, his hands gripping her arms as he shakes her.
“Get your hands off her!” I yell. I grasp his shoulder and yank him off.
Jennie slips around to the opposite side of her desk, well beyond Braggart’s reach. She’s breathing hard, her face flushed. She looks…scared. Not pissed or irritated, but downright frightened. Suddenly, her reaction to me last night at the tavern is starting to make sense. I’m pretty sure I know who hurt her.
Braggart turns on me, sneering. “You think I’m afraid of you? The town bastard? Hell no!”
I grab my handcuffs. “You’re under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
Dave stares at me, dumbfounded. “Me? What the fuck for? What did I do?”
“Assault and battery for starters,” I say. “Would you like to add on more charges, starting withresisting arrest? Please feel free. I’d be happy to oblige.”
He has the audacity to laugh. “It’s not assault and battery if shelikesit, Sheriff.” Braggart turns his gaze on Jennie. “Tell him, baby. Tell him you like it rough. This is just foreplay for us, man. We’re just getting started.”
When I hear a choked sob, I glance over at Jennie. Her hands cover her mouth as tears flood her dark eyes. She looks utterly wrecked. Humiliated.
Her pained eyes meet mine. “Let him go, Chris.” Her voice is barely audible. “Please. I just want him gone. I don’t want to complicate things.”
I stare Jennie in the eye, taking in her apparent fear. I want to arrest this asshole and charge him with everything in the book, but the pleading in her eyes stops me. “Stay here,” I tell her. “I’ll be right back.”
I twist Braggart’s right arm behind his back and march him out of her office and to the back door. I open it and toss him outside, hard, shoving him so he has to scramble to keep from faceplanting on the pavement.
“Consider yourself banned from this establishment,” I say. “If you come back, you’ll be arrested and charged with trespassing.”
“You can’t keep me away from my own damn property, asshole!”
I have no idea if he’s telling the truth or not, but before he can say another word, I shut the door in his face and turn the deadbolt.
When I return to the office, I find Jennie standing right where I left her. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s almost always so calm and collected, but right now she’s devastated. Tears are streaming down her cheeks.
“Jennie.” On impulse, I open my arms, and she rushes to me, throwing herself against me.
I have so many questions, but now’s not the time. First things first. “What did he mean when he said he owns this diner? Is that true?”
Jennie shakes her head vehemently. “No, that’s a lie. The diner is still in Granny’s name. I’ll inherit it one day, but for now,she’s technically still the owner. And when I do inherit it, David won’t have any claim to it. Our divorce was finalized years ago.”
“Sit down,” I tell her, taking her hands and guiding her to sit on her desk chair. I crouch down in front of her and take her ice cold hands in mine. “I know you’re upset, and I don’t want to pry, but honey, you’ve got to fill me in. What’s Dave Braggart doing here, and why is he calling himself your husband?”
