I swallowed past a lump in my throat, feeling awful for even making that earlier teasing comment.
“Did the kid live?” I whispered.
He looked over at me, seeing the torture in my expression.
“He did,” he confirmed. “The uncle started to come to CrossFit the very next day. Wanted to get into better shape after that.”
“And did he?” I pushed.
Taos grinned. “He did. He’s at the gym all the time now. He’s competing in regionals next month, actually.”
I smiled, happy to hear that the ending was good.
“Vlad isn’t old enough to be doing that yet.” I paused. “But now I’m going to make sure that I look every single freakin’ time.”
Taos winked at me just as he pulled into the parking lot of a small hole-in-the-wall diner that I’d never seen before.
I tilted my head and stared. “I’ve been here for three and a half years now,” I mused. “And I’ve never seen this place before.”
“Cop hangout,” he said. “Not many people know about it, because the people that do frequent it don’t want to have to deal with other people’s shit.”
A laugh shot out of my mouth, and I could do nothing but shake my head as I got out of the car.
Before I could even open the sliding back door, Taos was there, expertly removing my nephew from his car seat and pulling him toward his chest.
I opened the opposite door and snatched Vlad’s diaper bag before looping the strap over my shoulder.
By the time I was situated, Taos was beeping the locks and waiting for me to catch up before he headed into the diner.
When I breached the entrance, it was to find the entire place filled with cops. Not a single one of them had their back to the door.
My mouth formed into a smile that I quickly hid when the waitress glanced at me suspiciously.
“Two today, Taos?” the waitress asked, sounding like she was mad that Taos had brought me.
I instantly stiffened.
“Three,” Taos corrected, bouncing the little boy in his arms and causing him to giggle.
That giggle caught the attention of an older gentleman that was seated at the bar. The bar that was facing out instead of in, forcing the waitress to come around the side that would usually be designated for staff and serve them from the other side.
“What you got there, T?” the older man asked.
“Chief Wilkerson.” Taos jerked his chin toward him and caught my hand, guiding me through all the tables full of cops toward the older man.
I smiled at the older man whose eyes immediately came to me.
His gaze went to the baby in Taos’ arms, then back to me.
He narrowed his eyes, and I wondered if he recognized me.
I recognized him.
This was the chief of police of our small town.
I’d gone to him months after my assault, given him a few things that I wanted him to give to the officer who saved me as a thank you, and had given the older man a hug before leaving.
At that point in time, I was still healing. Still had a pink scar on my chin from it being split open, then stitched up.
“Chief, this is my… this is Francine. Fran for short. She’s in one of my CrossFit bootcamps, and has graciously volunteered to drive me around town for the next two days while my car gets a tune-up. This is her nephew, Vlad,” Taos introduced us.
A little wave of disappointment rolled through me at how he’d introduced me.
It wasn’t wrong. I was indeed driving him around, but I almost wished I’d gotten a little… more.
But we weren’t more.
We weren’t anything more than what he’d said. Even if I wished that to be different.
“Ahhh.” The chief smiled. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you.”
He tilted his head slightly to the left, as if he was trying to see me in different lighting to ascertain how he knew me.
I had a feeling it wouldn’t take him long to figure it out.
He looked like a very intuitive guy.
My face might not look the same, but my hair and body, plus a couple of pounds, did look the same.
He finally looked away, and to the man at his side.
“Have you met Wilhelm Schultz?” the chief asked Taos.
Taos looked toward the man beside Chief Wilkerson and shook his head. “No, I have not.”
“He’s your replacement.” The chief’s eyes gleamed.
Schultz, who looked mildly interested before now, jerked in his chair. “You’re Taos?”
Taos nodded as he held his hand out to the other man. “I am.”
I glanced between the two men, curious as to why that comment by the man was said the way it was said.
I eyed the other man intriguingly.
He was tall. Actually quite a bit taller than the older man at his side.
He had curly brown hair, a trim beard, and eyes that looked like they would see straight into my soul.