Page 34 of Guarding Bristol
Chapter Twelve
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Bristol finished upthe last of her patient charts and logged out of her computer for the night, stretching her arms over her head with a satisfied smile.After the longest week in forever, it was finally Friday night.The summer weather was still glorious ahead of the storm front expected to hit over the weekend, and she had two whole days off ahead of her to spend doing whatever she wanted.Including nothing, if that’s what she chose.
“Looks like someone’s excited for the weekend to start.”
She turned to find Brandon standing in the doorway in his paramedic uniform, grinning at her.“You know it.Are you outta here shortly too?”He’d only returned to work last year, having battled his way back from severe PTSD after being captured and held prisoner in Yemen during a deployment as a PJ.Then the whole ordeal with his partner, Jaia.She was happy that he seemed to be doing well and was certain that Jaia was a big part of the reason why.
“I wish.Nah, I’m just hanging out here waiting to find out whether we’re transporting a combative patient to another hospital.”
“Ooh, fun.”
He chuckled.“Never a dull moment.What are you doing here so late?”
“Covered for another tech and just finished up some admin stuff I was behind on.You guys are training this weekend, right?”Their Pararescue unit was based in Portland.
“Yep.With the storm moving in, we’ll be busy.”
“I bet.How is Jaia, by the way?And don’t say anything to her, but I’m thinking of coming to the book club event next weekend.I’m not what you’d call a hard-core reader, but I’m all for meeting up with my ladies and talking about books and life stuff over a glass of wine.Or two, I’m not fussy.”She hadn’t been to one of their events yet, but the group sounded really fun.Not all stuffy and pedantic like some book clubs she’d heard about.
“You should go.This next one’s some kind of fancy tea party in Beckett and Sierra’s garden.Jayne Eyre theme, I think she said.”
“Ohh, I read that one in college.Loved it.”Beckett and Sierra apparently lived in the most gorgeous Victorian heritage home overlooking the water.And who didn’t love a proper tea party with scones and tea and pretty plates set in a garden?Jaia also made the best authentic masala chai in the entire universe.Once you tried it, there was no point in having chai anywhere else, because it was bound to be a huge disappointment.“All right, I’ll message her.”
“Good.”He glanced away, lifted his chin at someone down the hallway.“Sorry, gotta go.Duty calls.”
“Yes, go.And don’t take any crap from that patient.”Not that she was worried.With his training and experience, and after all he’d been through, he could more than handle himself with a violent patient.
“I won’t,” he called back, already out of sight.
She grabbed her stuff and headed outside to the parking lot with a spring in her step.It was getting dark out, and she was starving.When she got home, she was starting her weekend off right by slipping into a hot bath and then curling up on the couch with a pizza to watch a movie she’d been wanting to see that had just released to streaming.Tomorrow morning, she’d get groceries for a few days in case the storm was bad enough that they lost power.
Because she’d come in at an odd hour to cover for the other tech, her car was parked far away from her normal spot, in a little alcove tucked into an odd-shaped pocket in the southeast corner of the lot.There were no lights there, so she pulled out her phone in preparation to turn on the flashlight app.
Three seconds later, she jerked to a halt when she spotted two men standing off near the tree line edging the lot.They stopped talking, their heads whipping toward her, and her heart jolted when she realized it was TJ talking to...Mark?
Her gaze dipped to the small bag in TJ’s hand.“What are you doing?”she blurted.She was not imagining this.
He shoved it into his pocket.“You shouldn’t be here.”
She glanced from him to Mark and back again, outrage shooting through her.He was buying drugs?Buying drugshere?After everything she and others had done to help him turn his life around?“Really?”she accused, fighting the wobble in her voice.Dammit, she would not cry.
“What is this?”Mark said, edging back a step.
Her gaze snapped to him.Narrowed.How dare he turn out to be a dealer?“He moved here to get his life back together,” she told him, anger and disappointment flooding her in equal measure.How could TJ give up his chance and throw it all away with everything he had going for him here?
TJ’s expression hardened as he stared at her.“You need to go.Now.”
She held her ground, refusing to look away.Damn him.She felt sick to her stomach.“I can’t believe you.”
“Enough.”Mark spun toward her, raising his arm.
A gasp stuck in her throat when she saw the gun pointing at her.She froze in place, too afraid to move, her gaze glued to the barrel of the weapon.
