Cain stood at the same time as Sly, and it was when my eyes followed him I noticed the red and blue flashing lights throughout the alleyway. Noticed the sound of doors slamming, and footsteps running toward us. Heard the shouts of, “Put your hands in the air!” and “Hands where I can see them!”.
It made me feel numb.
The three of us complied, slowly raising our hands, but within seconds, Noah was there.
“You idiots, put your guns down,” he grunted to the officers around him. His eyes never left me, pulling me in for a tight hug when he made it to where I was standing. “Are you okay?”
I nodded my head against his chest, letting myself close my eyes for just a second before I released him and stepped back. “Yeah, I’m fine. Took you long enough.”
Noah looked around, taking in the scene in front of him. “I was all the way down at the station. Got here as quickly as I could. What happened?”
“Where were the guys that were supposed to be keeping an eye on the place?” Cain growled, finally saying something.
I watched him, looking his body over thoroughly for any indication that the blood he had all over him may have been his, but saw none.
“Who’s the cop here?” Noah snarled back, glaring at Cain in a way I knew was meant to show who was in charge, but had me laughing on the inside.
I could feel the pissing match begin, and while Noah was a big guy—probably six foot one, and muscular—Cain was a beast in comparison.
“The piece of shit who’s been spiking drinks made his way to Andromeda,” I cut in, tired of their macho male bullshit. “He hit on me and I turned him down, and when I walked away to serve a table, he spiked the soda I had on the counter below the bar. I saw him do it, and apparently, so did Cain.” I glanced in his direction, unsurprised to see he was already looking at me.
“I handled it,” Cain added.
“Evidently,” Noah retorted snidely. “Wish you could have left him alive. It would have been a helluva lot easier of a report to write up, so thanks for that.”
Cain’s hands balled into fists at his side, something that Sly took note of. He slapped his hand against Cain’s chest in warning.
Cain pushed his chest forward against Sly’s hand, but didn’t try to step past it. “You wouldn’t need us if you did your jobs right.”
“You’re really pushing your connections, Michaels,” Noah snarled back. He stood up straighter, his hands mirroring Cain’s as they balled at his sides.
These two, I swear to God.
“I won’t apologize for protecting Rose.”
“You never have to apologize for protecting Rosie,” Noah said, his tone softer this time as he glanced at me. “Just try to think of my workload next time you decide to murder someone with your bare hands. Makes my job a lot harder when the P.D. has to cover your shit up. You guys may help us do the dirty work, but at any point we can easily put you away foryourcrimes,if we wanted to.”
Cain grunted, but before he could respond, Sly cut in. “Thank you, officer. Can we go now? I’m sure Rosie would like to check on her employees and guests of the bar, and I’m sure you have to attend to this.” He gestured to the dead body laying behind us.
Noah nodded curtly at Sly before pulling me in for another hug. He kissed the top of my head affectionately. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I’m always okay. Your misplaced faith hurts, buddy.” I squeezed his midsection tight before adding, “But seriously, where were your guys tonight?”
He exhaled deeply with what I knew was a sigh of regret. “I’m sorry. There was a rollover accident on the highway and they were the closest squad car. We had to send them.”
“That sucks,” I said, and he simply nodded.
Sly’s warm arm slid around my shoulders as I stepped away from Noah.
“When she’s done, take her to my room,” Cain demanded, then turned to speak with Noah. Their bodies twisted toward the dead guy, their voices hushed.
Sly led me through the alley and back into the bar. I met Indy’s concerned gaze the moment the door opened, and she practically sprinted to get to me, throwing her arms around my neck as her body collided with mine.
“Are you okay? I saw what the guy did, then what Cain did, and then you went after him, and I couldn’t just leave the bar, but holy shit, Rosie, that guy slipped something into your drink.” She couldn’t take a breath fast enough, and her words slurred together as she held me tight.
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but don’t kill me…” Her voice trailed off, and she released me, shuffling slightly on her feet.
