Page 127 of Challenge Me

When he came closer, I shook my head and backed up. “I don’t want anything to do with you. I . . .” My fingers dug into my arms.

“It’ll be different, baby.” When he reached me, he cupped either side of my face. “You forced me to live without you, and it changed me. I’ve been off the snow, I swear. Give me a chance to prove it to you.”

My hands slammed into his chest. Something changed in his expression, and it set off every warning bell. When he tried to move closer, I shoved him away from me. He stumbled, and his face hit the brick. I only made it a couple of steps before he grabbed my arm. With one hand over his bloody nose, he turned furious eyes on me.

He was about to say something, but he noticed the gun at my side. My arm was bent enough to aim it at him, and his eyes became calculating.

Once he released me, I stepped toward the bar. “Come back here and I’ll fucking kill you, Cole.”

Without another word, I threw open the door and walked inside. I ran right into something, and if my finger hadn’t been off the trigger, I would have fired.

Tommy grabbed the gun from me, his more extensive training and my disorientation making it simple. He didn’t say anything as he opened the door and peered outside. I heard the car pull away, which brought me a modicum of relief.

“What just happened?” Tommy demanded.

“I was taking out the trash.” I held my hand out for the gun, but he didn’t make any move to return it. With a huff, I walked away. “Don’t touch me,” I warned, expecting him to stop me.

“I thought you were taking a break.”

“Two birds.”

He stepped in front of me but kept a healthy distance. “You’re making it hard to do my job.”

“Your job is to keep the bar safe.” I gestured toward the front, then wrapped an arm around myself again. “Keep the patrons from getting rowdy and the burglars from getting greedy.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

“What I know is that I can take care of myself, which is what I’ve told Amir, Oli, Dean, and anyone else who has ever tried to do it for me.”

He assessed me silently for a minute. “Why are you this way?”

“I told you we’re not sharing our demons.”

With a grunt, he held the gun out to me. “If people care enough to protect you, let them.”

I took the gun and ran my fingers over the barrel. “You can’t rely on people to keep you safe. People leave, they change, they fail you, they fucking die. And then what?”

“Then you find new people.”

“How’s that working out for you?” When his eyes fell to the floor, I breathed a humorless laugh. “Thought so.”

I headed for the front, but his voice stopped me.

“I haven’t given up. That’s the difference between me and you.”

“Neither have I.”

“On myself, I mean.”

Continuing to the counter, I returned the gun to its holster. There was a girl waiting for a drink, so I jumped right into the swing of things. Tommy took his seat at the bar, but he didn’t say anything or even look at me.

Good. He was here to do a job. I didn’t need his bullshit commentary on things he knew nothing about.

Things were under control. Cole was gone, Clara had nothing interesting left to write, and Amir would be back in two days. Unless he’d found someone better while he was away, of course. Apparently, that was a concern I needed to add to my already full arsenal.

Chapter 34

Amir