I left her place and walked the five steps to mine, wishing for more space because for as much as I talked a good game about doing the right fucking thing, I doubted I’d stick to my guns and stay away from her tonight. The best thing I could do was find one of the guys and have them occupy my time until I was confident I wouldn’t knock on her door and take her up on her offer.
I tried Lance, but he had plans with his wife. Luckily, Trevor answered on the second ring and was free for the night. We agreed to meet at the bar close to my apartment, the only place we’d manage to get a bit of privacy.
Since the bar was only a couple blocks away, I ended up walking there, needing the time to try and clear my head. Everything about Sophie confused the hell out of me, but to be fair, it wasn’t like any of it was her fault. I battled with my feelings toward her and the situation of her being my employee.
Why couldn’t Lance have hired a fat middle-aged man? I dismissed the question as soon as it formed. There was no way I would’ve tolerated the fictional man’s presence. Sometimes, I think the only reason I didn’t press harder for Lance to get rid of Sophie was because there was something about her I needed, even when I hadn’t realized it.
The thought came out of nowhere, but I was too emotionally drained to dissect it.
“Jackson!” Trevor shouted from across the bar, raising his arm in the air so I could locate him. It was busier than usual tonight, but I supposed that was to be expected for a Friday night.
“Hey,” I greeted, taking the stool next to him in the corner.
“I shouldn’t have agreed to meet you for a drink because you’re not supposed to have any alcohol during training, but you never call to get together outside the gym, so I figured something was up.”
“I’m just having one drink. That’s it.” After we placed our order with the bartender, I sat in silence, not sure what to divulge. If I told him how Sophie and I almost crossed a line, and not for the first time, he’d insist on firing her. He’d get Lance and Elton to back him up too.
“So, what’s up?” he asked, taking a sip of his beer.
“Something happened earlier today, and I wanted to let you know in case anything escalates.” I angled my body toward him, tapping the edge of the bar and stalling for more time. I teetered on the edge of telling him everything about me and Sophie or diving into a whole other topic, one that was also important.
“You gonna tell me, or do you want me to guess?” he asked, scratching the side of his head, his dark wavy strands falling right back into place.
“Sophie’s ex came by the gym. He was waiting outside when we walked up.” I answered his question before he asked. “We went for a run together after my session. Anyway, he made threatening remarks to her, and I stepped in.”
His eyes widened. “You didn’t hit him, did you?”
“No,” I said incredulously. “Nothing like that, but I did threaten that if he showed up again, he’d regret it.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“How was she after the encounter?” He shifted in his seat, his interest in Sophie prickling my skin.Calm down, he’s just asking to make sure she’s okay.
“Shaken up. She didn’t say as much, but based on his threats and the way she reacted, I’m sure he abused her.” My blood boiled at the suspicion that bastard laid a finger on her.
“Okay.” He looked off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. “Okay,” he repeated. “We’ll keep an eye out for him. What does he look like?”
“He’s about your height, maybe a little shorter. Dark brown hair, cropped style. Looks like your typical cop.”
“He’s a cop?”
“Yeah.”
Trevor’s shoulders deflated. “Fuck, Jackson. We don’t need that kind of heat right now.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You threatened him. You threatened a cop.”
“No, I threatened Sophie’s ex.”
“Same fucking thing. Fuck!”
“You said that already.”
“Well, I needed to say it again.” He rubbed his hands together, looking like he was devising some sort of plan. “Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to be smart about this. We can’t have anything come back on you. Not right now. It’s way too risky. He isn’t just some Joe Schmo off the street. You know how police protect their own. We’ll keep an eye on Sophie. If he shows up again, we’ll call the police, although I don’t know how much good that’ll do.” He paused for a moment. “Do you know if she has a restraining order on him?”
