Hold On(64)
Mia was right.
It was him who had fucked them up.
But with his history, she gave that first shit about what they had, it was her who needed to make all the moves.
Now it was too late.
Before he could speak, she kept doing it.
“I’m gonna talk to Gerard. We have to…I need to be free, because you and I need to sit down and talk things out.”
Garrett felt his brows go up. “You’re gonna dump your fiancé to take a shot at me?”
Her body moved in ways that shared she was gathering the courage to say her next.
“I’m gonna do what I need to do to work with you to get us back to us.”
“Thought I made it clear, Mia—there is no us.”
Hurt moved through her features, right on its heels, chased by stubborn.
There she was.
He’d always thought that was cute.
But Mia had a pain-in-the-ass mom who was a pain in Mia’s ass because she was just like her daughter. They both had a man in their life, Mia’s dad, who spoiled those bitches rotten. They’d been vying for his attention since Mia could cogitate.
But Justin McClintock loved both the females in his life and he had a lot of love to give. Through that, he’d taught his daughter if she wanted something, it would be hers.
She clearly now had decided she was serious with wanting Garrett back and wasn’t going to fuck around with making that happen, and the way she’d been taught, she thought that would just be so.
He watched her smile, and he couldn’t believe in their situation as it stood, at the same time he could because she was Mia, that her smile was smug.
“We’re the ’burg’s last Rocky and Tanner,” she declared. “The last Colt and Feb. There never was an end to them. There’ll never be an end to us.”
“Gonna go bad for you, you believe that,” he replied. “Now, go home.”
Done with this shit, he turned and had moved up two steps before he felt her coming up after him.
So he turned back.
He looked down his nose at her and stated, “Right. This is not gonna happen. I told you to go home and I did that repeatedly. I told you we were done. I told you that you were no longer welcome here. You follow me up these fuckin’ stairs, I’ll slam the door in your face. You knock, I am not fuckin’ with you, Mia, I’ll open the door, cuff you, and arrest you for harassment.”
He watched her eyes grow huge.
“I’ll take you in myself,” he continued. “You’ll be booked. I’ll press charges, woman. Not fuckin’ with you on that either. And I do that, your man in Bloomington will know you came to visit me. Everyone will know the state of play between you and me, that bein’ me makin’ a very public statement that I’m tryin’ to make now privately. We…are…” He bent slightly to her. “Done. Now, do not make me make a fool of you. I won’t enjoy it. But I sure as fuck will do it.”
He didn’t give her a chance to react or reply.
He moved up the rest of the steps, walked to his condo, and let himself in.
He locked the door behind him.
He took off his jacket and swung it on the back of a dining room chair.
She didn’t knock.
Finally, she was getting smart.
He took out his phone and checked it, just in case.
Nothing from Cher.
He felt his mouth get tight as he walked back to his jacket to pull out his smokes.
He needed one because Mia was in his shit, Cher was not, and he hadn’t had one since he’d stopped for lunch in Brown County.
The autumn leaves were phenomenal.
But he wished he’d seen them from his truck with Cher and Ethan in it with him.
* * * * *
Cher
Late Saturday Night
It was ten to midnight when I made the call.
I was pissed. I loved “You Shook Me All Night Long.” (Who didn’t?)
But I didn’t love it splitting the night on a continuous loop when my kid and me should be sleeping.
I turned on the lamp, grabbed my phone, and called the direct line that rang straight to the Brownsburg Police Department’s dispatch.
“Brownsburg Police, Jo speaking. May I help you?”
“Jo, this is Cher,” I told her.
“Hey, girl,” she greeted. “Everything good?”
“I’m understanding the government’s tactics with Noriega,” I shared.
“Damn, another party?” she asked.
“Yep,” I answered.
“I’ll get someone to cruise by,” she told me.
“I’d really appreciate that, babe. Your first beer’s on me next time you’re in the bar.”
“We can’t accept bribes, Cher, unfortunately,” she said through an audible smile. “But, just so you know, noise violations are part of a cop’s job.”