“Oh, he could totally pull that off!”
Jenna tried not to groan. She’d probably talked just like that at their age. It was hypocritical of her to even try to lecture them. She turned her head enough to let her gaze drift out the side window pane. Jon’s profile was about half-visible from her angle, and a portion of shoulder she knew was attached to his friend, but that was fine. She hadn’t even caught his friend’s name.
She was no better than her employees, really, save for the fact she was keeping the thoughts in her head.
She bit the inside of her cheek. If she and Jon were true strangers, meeting for the first time, and he’d tried flirting with her, she would absolutely have flirted back. Hell, she might have flirted first if she could have gotten over the shock of the events sufficiently enough. If she thought she could survive a fling with him—presuming he was single—she might still. But she’d never been much for flings and she knew the damage Jon Johnson could do to her heart.
Distance was better. Safer. Smarter.
She was fine being alone at night. She’d learned the hard way that an empty bed wasn’t the worst thing.
Distance was better, but it felt like the most awkward forever before two cruisers finally pulled into the parking lot. No sirens, no ambulance, no sense of urgency.
Jenna blew out an aggravated breath and rose from the seat she’d claimed when she’d run out of fidgety tasks to busy herself with. “You two stay inside. I don’t know what they might need from me, so Eric’s in charge until I’m back.” He would have been if she had been free to leave like normal, anyway.
By the time she made it outside, Jon and his friend had the conscious and grumbling burglars on their feet. The cruisers parked as if they were pulling in for a midday pick-me-up, and to her displeasure, Drew Parker unfolded from the lead car. She really hadn’t known why she’d hoped he wouldn’t make the trip.He hadn’t missed an opportunity to ridicule or cajole her since middle school.
She didn’t recognize the other deputy, but that hardly mattered. It was always best to assume that anyone Drew showed up with was on Drew’s side.
Jenna met up with the men on the sidewalk only a few paces away from the door to her bakery. Immediately, she realized she had no idea where to look. She had no interest in staring at the burglars, whose faces revealed them to be close in age to her on-duty employees but absolute strangers. She would rather watch paint dry than give Drew the time of day. And while Jon was the obvious answer, Jon was the most dangerous of all. Because Jon was the one shewantedto look at.
Drew let out a loud scoff and planted his hands on his hips in an attempt to make himself look larger than his natural five-foot, nine-inches. The rounded belly he was already developing did help, but likely not the way he wanted. “All right, what the hell’s goin’ on here?” He raked a scathing glare over the four men, then shifted it to Jenna predictably. “If this is another one of your cries for attention, I swear I’ll lock you up. False reports are a crime, Jenna.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “If you hate me so much, why do you insist on showing up when my name is attached to a call?”
Drew’s lip curled over his teeth. “Someone has to—”
“Victim-blaming’s not really a good look for the badge. Parker.” The way Jon bit Drew’s name was enough to assure Jenna he hadn’t just read it off their former classmate’s lapel.
Drew twisted, nostrils flaring. “I am a goddamn Deputy Sheriff, you will not talk to me that— Fuck. Johnson.” A rush of air escaped him like he’d been punched in the gut. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
Jon’s friend snorted.
Jon didn’t blink. “And men who wear those stars are supposed to defend their citizens. Guess we were both wrong.”
Jenna bit back a smile.
Drew’s arms fell to his sides, hands curling into fists, and he took a large-enough step forward. Large enough to bring him into Jon’s space. Large enough to emphasize Jon’s superior height. Large enough to be considered socially inappropriate and aggressive. “I don’t care where you’ve been all these years, you little fucking prick,” he spat, “I am still a badge-carrying officer of the law and you will speak to me with respect!”
Jon’s eyes narrowed. A look of pure, unbridled disapproval settled on his face. With barely a movement, he passed the slack-jawed burglar in his grip over to his friend, then took a step forward. Nearly chest-to-chest with Drew, he pressed one finger against the star-shaped badge pinned over Drew’s breast. He did not lower his voice when he spoke, nor did he raise it. “You’ve got that backwards. Respect doesn’t come with the badge; the badge is earned from it.This”—he pressed hard enough to tip Drew backward—“is not a badge of entitlement. It is a reminder of the goddamnburdenthat has been entrusted to you. This piece of metal pinned to your chest is a responsibility you have agreed to bear every fucking day. Not when it’s convenient. Not when you’re bored. Not only for the people you approve of. Law enforcement is no place for little boys dressing up in their daddy’s uniforms because they think every day is Halloween.”
Shit.It was surreal to see Jon that way, speaking in such a hard and forceful manner. He commanded authority in a way Jenna could scarcely describe. His every word felt like a blow, as if he were delivering a beating without so much as clenching his fists.
Drew’s partner finally decided to make himself known as Drew took a stumbling step back, nearly off the curb. “Hey, that’s enough. Let’s get back on track.”
“Yes, let’s,” Jon’s friend said. He jostled the men he now held on each arm like baggage. “Dumbass on my right came in with the nine-mil and the go-bag, also on my right. He’s pretending he doesn’t speak English and cursing up a storm in Spanish, but gets offended every time I insult him, so he understands enough.” The man on his right arm immediately went silent and Jenna suspected the accusation was true. “Dumbass on my left led the charge with the forty-five, which he had leveled at Jenna when we intervened. An older gentleman named Neville was also witness to the whole thing, as well as some guy whose name we don’t know, and one of the kids in the bakery.” He shoved both crooks forward. “Here ya go.”
Drew made no effort to help his partner with the sudden armload of less-than-cooperative crooks, instead glaring between the men across from him. “And we’re just supposed to take your word for all this? That’s not how police work works.”
Jenna dipped a hand into her pocket and withdrew the slim flash drive she’d prepared for exactly that argument. “Here. Footage from the camera over my door. Caught the whole thing, at least up until the burglars were pulled out of camera range and subdued. But it’s enough to corroborate the story. Of course, myself and Eric are willing to make written statements, too. Not that you’ve asked. Steph was in the back and missed the whole thing, which I’m sure she’ll tell you.”
Drew swiped the drive from her as if he still thought she had cooties. He probably did. “And the other witnesses?”
“You remember Principal Neville,” Jenna replied. “Probably better than Jon does.” She couldn’t not smile at the barb. “The other man I only know as ‘Q’, it’s the nickname he gives when he orders. But he comes in at least four days a week, always in the morning. He’d already been here over an hour when this all happened.”
Jon spoke up again, the danger in his voice only slightly settled. “Q is Hispanic, early forties, same height as you, trimmer build, with dark hair down to his collar and a receding hairline. Thin mustache. He walked, so he’s staying local.”
Drew grunted. “You’re talking about that weird guy who bought the Leeland Estate?”
