“You made my team appear like a bunch of idiots. Do you think I hire morons?”
Cole swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
Leo hung his head. “All right, assholes. Did you tell him to agree with everything I said?”
Saint and Shadow gazed at Leo as if surprised. Shadow pointed to his chest. “Us? Why would we do that?”
“Because he looks like he’s pissing himself right now,” Leo said, exasperated. “Come on, Cole, let’s get this over with.”
Cole climbed out of the vehicle and waited for Brody to jump down. His dog ran to Kassie and nuzzled her hand as if sweet-talking her. Kassie leaned down and gave him a scratch behind the ears as Cole approached her with his hands in his pockets.
When she straightened, she glared at him. “Do you know you scared half the citizens of Serenity?” she demanded.
“Edie said over half of them stayed home, technically I terrorized a quarter of them,” Cole made his case.
Kassie glanced at Leo as if to tell him he must be suffering from buyer’s remorse.
Leo cleared his throat. “What Cole means to say is he’s sorry for the way he responded.”
“Ivan entered and narrowed his eyes as he stalked toward me,” Cole explained. “I saw his weapon at his side and jumped to conclusions. When I told him to stop, he still kept coming.”
“I asked him to drop by and introduce himself. Didn’t I send you to the community center to get to know everyone?” Leo said, his voice sounding deadly.
“Yeah. But Kassie said you recently experienced some crime there, and she wanted everyone to feel safe,” Cole defended himself.
“They’re senior citizens. Two have already visited the ER, complaining of chest pain,” Kassie spat.
Cole rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out how to talk himself out of this mess.
“I apologize profusely. I didn’t mean to cause a commotion. I acted on instinct,” he explained.
“More like stupidity,” Kassie mumbled as Brody leaned against her and gazed at the woman as if she hung the moon and the stars.
“He’s new. You can’t fault him entirely. However, I did tell him the Russians stole his cookies,” Leo said, attempting to placate Kassie.
Kassie shook her head. “I don’t want him at the community center. He’s too impulsive.”
“Wait. Does that mean I can’t visit Hannah?” he asked.
“All volunteer rights are revoked until further notice. Until you can show some restraint, I prefer you stay out of my patients’ rooms,” Kassie said before walking away and heading back to the ER.
“You’re on the shit list,” Leo said quietly.
“Yes, sir,” Cole said, watching Kassie through the glass doors.
Leo hung his head. “Stop agreeing with me, damn it. I hired you because you seemed to have your shit together. You need to climb out of this hole you’ve dug for yourself, starting with Kassie.”
“What can I do? She’s banned me from the community center and won’t allow me to visit patients. How can I prove I’m not some erratic idiot?” he asked, panicked.
“I don’t know. You have a week to figure it out. Kassie’s the reason you’re here. I hired you, but she writes the checks for the dogs and training equipment. We work together. It’s not about the money. Everything we do here makes a difference in the community, to victims we haven’t met yet, and to our families. The contracts we accept keep our families secure. Kassie and Doc ensure we have the best bulletproof vests, the top-of-the-line equipment, which you’ll soon discover, and anything they think will help us succeed in accomplishing our missions.”
“I get it,” Cole said, hanging his head. “I’ll make this right.”
“Everyone has a bad day. Take the day and return to the cabin. We’ll see you at PT first thing in the morning,” Leo said, tiredly.
He nodded, feeling the lump in his throat growing bigger. Cole turned and headed toward the path leading to his cabin. He really fumbled things this time. His steps slowed as he neared his new dwellings. The place radiated peace and serenity, something he desperately needed, even more, knowing his stay seemed short-lived.
Waiting for Brody to use the bathroom, he leaned against a tree. Hannah’s green eyes haunted him and he didn’t understand why. It’s not as if she said anything or they conversed. The way she gazed at him made his heart ache for her. How long had she remained silent?
