by Jo Davis
Drew smiled at that and visibly relaxed. Shane figured the boy would be fine after all, but, then, how could he not be among this group? These were the finest men Shane knew, and he’d take a bullet for any of them. He had done exactly that, in fact, last year when Tommy got himself into a scrape with one of Jesse Rose’s minions.
Shane turned to Zack. “And how’s Cori and your new little one?” Last year had been busy for the men of Station Five.
“They’re both doing great! I can’t wait to get home to my women,” he enthused. “And Evie is the smartest little girl in the world, so she’s going to give Ben a run for his money someday.”
“As if,” Six-Pack snorted. “But she is cute.”
“Speaking of, is Eve here?” Shane knew Cori and Zack had named their baby Evie after Eve Marshall, Zack’s best friend and his teammate at the station.
“No, she and Sean had other plans tonight. But Clay and Julian are back there with a couple of guys from the Fire Marshal’s office.”
“Great, it’ll be good to see them.” He clapped a hand on Drew’s shoulder. “Come on, kid. Let’s go see if we can whup some butts at pool.”
Shane gratefully took a beer Tommy handed him, and then they all went back to the game room. A fairly competitive match was in session, with Julian Salvatore yelling as Clay Montana sank two balls at once.
“Dammit, you fucker! I’m gonna kick your skinny, lyin’ ass! I can’t play pool,” he mocked in an exaggerated falsetto voice.
The other three howled with laughter, but the merriment was tempered when they spotted the teenager in their midst. “Oops, language check,” Clay said with a smirk aimed at Julian.
The man glanced between Shane and Drew and gave them an apologetic smile. “Sorry, amigo. Didn’t know we had kids in the house.”
“Dude, I’m almost seventeen,” Drew said in an affronted tone. “Besides, you think firefighters are bad? I grew up around football players.”
And there it was, the elephant in the room. The others shifted uncomfortably, apparently not knowing how to respond. Shane was about to change the subject when Drew tackled it himself.
“Yeah, I’m Brad Cooper’s son, and I’m proud of it. Now I’m Shane’s son, too, so save your condolences.” He gestured to the pool table. “So, who thinks they can beat me?”
Just like that, the ice was broken and they had a good time. To Shane’s surprise, Drew was a pretty good player and held his own. He’d almost won one game and was well on the way to trouncing one of the guys from the Fire Marshal’s office.
On his second beer, Shane asked Tommy, “Where’s Shea? Tucked in the bedroom with a book, trying to ignore the noise?”
“Hardly.” Tommy looked a bit uneasy for some reason. “She went out tonight.”
“Out? Like, to dinner?”
“No, she went to Boot Scootin’ with a friend.” Tommy called out to Drew, “Nice shot!”
The man was trying to avoid the subject. Shane frowned. “Isn’t that the country and western dance club on the river? Why the heck did she go there without you?”
“She and her friend wanted to kick up their heels, I guess. I’m not too worried, since I’m picking them up later.”
“Who’s the friend?”
“Jesus, Ford, don’t you ever turn off the detective mode?”
Suddenly he knew. “She and Daisy went out, didn’t they?” The man’s sympathetic expression said it all. “Son of a bitch.”
The idea of Daisy drinking and dancing the night away with anyone but him . . . God, it made him crazy! Mad enough to break someone’s face. Preferably whoever she was laughing and partying with right now.
It disappointed him, too. She’d run so far from him that she was going out, searching for someone else? Was that it? The pain in his heart was so damned bad, he wanted to die.
He was honestly falling for Daisy, and he had no idea how to convince her.
Or whether there was any point in trying any longer.
• • •
Daisy returned to their table and to Shea, who hadn’t danced to anything but line dances. It was sweet how her friend was so completely committed to Tommy that she wouldn’t even entertain the idea of a harmless one-on-one turn with another man. Then again, Daisy would be, too, if she had a good reason waiting at home.
Every man she’d danced with tonight had come up short in comparison to Shane. It was damned annoying as hell. The guys were attractive, a couple of them jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but none of them lit her fire. Not a single one.
The situation was hopeless. She was officially ruined for any other man except her sexy cop. That really sucked.
A burst of raucous laughter got their attention just as Daisy sat down. The two of them glanced over at a table of guys who’d gotten progressively drunker as the night went on. Not in the way of good-natured boys out having a good time, but in a way that put all of Daisy’s cop senses on alert. This was part of what was not fun about going clubbing—she was always an officer, no matter where she went.
The table she and Shea were watching was different than the others. Daisy had seen their kind all too often on patrol—guys who’d had a few too many and were getting loud. Their jokes were tinged with potty humor, and the tone was getting mean.
“Those jerks have obviously had enough,” Shea said, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
“Too much. I think— Oh, crap, here comes one.”
Damn, one of the jerks had caught them looking, and from his swagger and inebriated smile, had gotten the wrong idea about why. The man wasn’t very tall and was sort of average-looking with a bit of a beer gut and brown hair. He was maybe in his thirties. What wasn’t average was the cruel hint to his mouth and the gleam in his eyes. It made her nervous, and she worked to keep her poker face.
“Hey, pretty ladies,” he slurred. “How about a dance?” He looked to them both as if either one would do.
Charming. Not.
“I’m worn out,” Daisy said. “Taking a break. But thanks for the offer.”
“Me, too.” Shea’s smile was flat, a clear dismissal.
“Aw, come on,” he wheedled, sidling up to the table and slinging an arm around Daisy’s shoulders. “I’m short a dance partner. Let’s go.”
“No, but thanks.” Her words were clipped, less polite now.
The man didn’t take the refusal well. “I think you gals ought to loosen up and have some fun. Me and my boys will help you get that stick outta—”
Daisy shot to her feet and shoved him hard in the chest. “Fuck off.”
The man goggled at her for a moment before he realized his buddies were hooting with laughter at his expense. His expression morphed into ugliness. “You bitch. Think you’re better than me?”
“What the hell is going on here?” A big bouncer wearing a black T-shirt with the club’s logo on it stood there, scowling at the man. “You again?”
“This loser doesn’t know what the word no means,” Daisy informed the bouncer.
“That’s it—strike three. Get out and take those assholes with you.” He jerked a thumb at the man’s friends, who immediately began to moan about it being unfair. The group started to get loud, but three more bouncers joined the first one. All of them were huge, plenty big enough to kick ass and take names. That pretty much ended the confrontation. The original offender shot Daisy a venomous look as if his being ousted was all her fault, and then stalked off with his posse in tow.
“Sorry about that,” the first bouncer said with a grimace. “We have so much trouble with that shithead, the management is about to bar him from coming back. They will for sure after this.”
“It’s no problem,” Daisy assured him. “He’s gone now. No harm done.”
“Can I get you ladies a drink on the house to make up for the unpleasantness?”
Shea looked at Daisy. “We should probably go. It’s getting late.”
“Can I call a cab for you?”
“My husband is coming a
s soon as I call him, but thanks,” Shea told him.
The bouncer nodded. “All right. But here, let me give you this.” Digging in his jeans pocket, he fished out his wallet and removed a business card belonging to the club. Printed on it was a ticket for two free drinks. He gave them each one. “Just show this to the bartender next time you stop in, and they’re on us. We don’t put up with jerks like those—we want you to come back. Want me to walk you out and wait for your ride?”
“No, we’re fine,” Daisy said with a smile. She refrained from telling him she was a cop and could take care of herself. Too often men thought she was bragging or lying.
They thanked the bouncer and pocketed their cards. As they walked out under the awning, both of them shivered as the cold night air slid over their heated skin. Shivering, Shea took out her cell phone and made a brief call to her hubby, then hung up.
“He’ll be here in a few. He’s only had a couple of beers all night, so he’s fine to drive.”
“We could have cabbed it.”
“He doesn’t mind.”
“He spoils you,” Daisy teased.
“And I love letting him.” Shea gave her a hug. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me, too. I—”
A shout interrupted what she’d been about to say. Peering into the parking lot, she didn’t see who’d made the noise. Then a scuffle caught her attention at the corner of the building. It wasn’t as well lit over there, so it was hard to see, but it appeared that two men were getting into a fight.
“Shit,” she muttered. “I’d better see what that’s about.”
Shea looked worried. “Let’s tell that bouncer and let him deal with them.”
“I’ve got this.”
Daisy headed for the men, who were making a show of shoving each other, hurling insults. She walked faster, closing in on them, and then groaned when she recognized the jerk from the club as one of the men doing the pushing and cussing. Great.
“Hey, knock it off!” she called, going into cop mode. “That’s enough!”
“Daisy—”
“Look who it is,” the man sneered. “The stuck-up bitch wasn’t good enough to talk to me, and now she’s buttin’ in our business.”
“She’s the reason we got thrown out,” his friend accused, pointing at Daisy. Clearly he planned to take advantage and shift the blame. “It’s her you should be mad at, Len, not me!”
“True.” Len cocked his head at Daisy, stumbling to within a few feet of her. “I could be persuaded to forgive and forget, though.”
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned. Angry drunks were unpredictable. “I think you boys should get a cab home and forget all about this place for a good long time.”
Len shot an incredulous look at his friend and they both laughed. Len waved a hand at her. “She thinks we should shut up and go away. Is that what you heard?”
“Yep, ’bout right.”
“I think I should shut her up, and I know just how. Come here, sweet thing, and let Len give you something productive to do with your mouth.”
Moving faster than she’d given him credit for being capable of, he grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall, pinning her against the brick with his body.
“Get off me!” she hissed, fumbling in her back pocket for the leather wallet. Dammit, she should have identified herself sooner. “I’m a—”
Just as she brought out the wallet, Len knocked her hand aside, causing her to lose her grip on it and sending it skittering on the pavement. Shea dove for it at the same time Daisy kneed her assailant in the groin and shoved him forcefully. He shouted and was sent off balance, stumbling backward. Unfortunately, the knee to his balls didn’t hurt him—only sent his temper over the edge.
Len’s friend egged him on with vulgar insults at Daisy, and Len lunged. Shea screeched as Len grabbed Daisy again. She gave him a punch to the ribs just as Shea yelled.
“Stop! She’s a police officer!”
But the two were too far gone for reason. Daisy fell to the side, unbalanced by his weight, and the man hit the pavement with her. She winced as her palms scraped the concrete, and was about to push to her feet when she was wrapped around the waist with a beefy arm. She elbowed him in the stomach, and he released her with a vicious curse.
“Daisy! Look out!”
Again, she began to push up, and just had time to hear Shea yell before something hard smashed into the side of her head. Pain exploded through her skull, and she slumped to the ground, something wet and acrid flowing over her face.
“I’m calling the police!”
Then Shea’s shouts were joined by others, and the world disappeared.
• • •
Shane hadn’t wasted a second thinking about it when Tommy said the girls were ready to leave and asked if Shane wanted to ride along.
He wanted to see Daisy’s face when he showed up with her ride. And he also wanted to find out if she’d had too good a time with some fast-talking cowboy. Yeah, he wasn’t too proud to admit he was seething with jealousy. If she’d hooked up with someone else, he’d lose his damned mind.
So he’d left Drew having fun playing pool with the guys who were still there, and headed out. Now he was nervous as well. What if she resented him butting in on her evening? What if she honestly didn’t want to see him?
In just a few minutes, Tommy pulled his truck up next to the awning. The parking lot was still pretty full, the club in full swing. His friend frowned as he scanned the front.
“They were supposed to wait right here. I don’t see them. Do you?”
“Not yet.”
But then a movement ahead of them caught his eye. There appeared to be a fight going on in the shadows at the corner of the building, not quite out of sight. A chill slithered down his spine.
“Is that Shea?” he asked.
“What the fuck?” Tommy breathed. Putting the truck in gear, he sped to the corner. As he slid to a stop, they jumped out.
Shane jogged around the corner to see Shea yelling at two burly men who were apparently wasted. One was egging on the fight, and the other—
His gaze found the struggling pair on the ground at the very same moment the man found a beer bottle at hand. And smashed it into the side of Daisy’s head. She went limp, and Shane’s vision became a red haze.
In a few strides he caught her attacker in a flying tackle, taking him down. Straddling the man’s bulk, he pulled back his fist and let it fly into the bastard’s jaw, snapping his head back.
“You like hitting women, you motherfucker?” he snarled. “Make you feel like a real man?”
Before the drunk could answer, he hit him again. And again. This slime had hit the woman he loved. Yes, loved. His Daisy.
“Shane, that’s enough!” Arms wrapped around him, pulling him off the assailant. “He’s down! Don’t get in trouble because of this scumbag. Daisy needs you.”
Shaking himself back to reality, he looked for her. Shea was crouching next to her, helping her to sit up, examining her head. Shane hurried over to the women and his heart lurched. Blood was streaming down the side of her face from a nasty cut near her temple, and she had glass in her hair.
Dropping to his knees next to her, he pulled her into his arms. “Baby? Can you hear me?”
She moaned, head lolling against his shoulder, and tried to reach up and touch his face. He stopped her, pulling down her hand, and glanced up at Tommy. “Did someone call an ambulance?”
“I just did.”
“I called the police,” Shea said. “Just before you got here. Daisy, can you hear us?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m dizzy.”
“Easy, baby. Help is on the way.”
He cradled her against him, never wanting to let her go. If this was what happened when she got loose for a night of so-called fun, he’d never let her out of his sight again.
Red and blue lights cut through the darkness, and Tommy waved them over. The police arrived first, and Sh
ane wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or not to see Brian Cunningham get out, along with another officer.
“Ford? Hell, boy, you’re just a magnet for trouble lately.”
“I didn’t start any of it,” he pointed out. “I just got here in time to see that asshole assaulting Daisy and breaking a beer bottle over her head.”
“Shit, that’s Callahan? What happened here tonight?” Brian glanced around the group for an explanation.
Shea explained, starting when they were inside and the bastard, Len, wouldn’t leave them alone. They’d decided to leave, and then Daisy tried to intervene outside when Len and another man in his group were fighting over being kicked out. The other man had slipped away, not bothering to help his buddy once assault and cops became involved. The rest Shane and Tommy had witnessed as they drove up.
Shane wanted to kill Len. The fucker tried to get Shane in trouble for hitting him, but that argument went nowhere. Len had attacked a woman, and a cop on top of that. It didn’t matter that he didn’t realize she was a police officer—he could cry to the judge about it. Brian advised Len of his rights, cuffed him, and put him in the back.
“You came to get me.” Daisy clung to Shane.
He held her tighter. “Yes, and I’m glad I did.”
“Me, too. Shane?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m gonna be sick.”
“It’s okay, baby. I’m here.” He held her so that she could heave if she needed to, but she didn’t throw up. Thanking heaven for small favors, he was also glad when the ambulance showed up. He didn’t know anyone on this crew, but that didn’t matter.
Tommy knew some of them and they greeted him before making Shane move aside so they could work. He hovered like an angry grizzly, doing his best to remain calm as they checked her vitals and started an IV.
“We think it’s best to take Miss Callahan to the hospital to get that head wound checked out,” one of the paramedics said. “I suspect she’s got a mild concussion, what with the dizziness and nausea.”
Shane nodded. “Can I ride with her?”
“Sure. Let us load her first, and then you can climb in back.”
While they got her ready, Tommy spoke up. “We’ll follow you to the hospital.”