Badge of Honor (The Town of Pearl 9)

“Could be retired military. Though I think Wyatt and his deputies would know for sure. Glad she didn’t decide to pop you one,” Orin said as he slapped Harper on the shoulder.

Harper shook his head at his buddy’s teasing.

“Shit, that would have truly sucked. You’ve been through war, fucked up major crazy secret missions, and even some dangerous jobs here on US soil, and this Terminator chick could have ended your life because she thought you were some pervert in the woods. Fucking scary,” Mace told Harper.

“Really fucking scary,” Orin added.

“Did you find out her name at least or maybe where she lives? Perhaps Wyatt should talk to her about carrying,” Mace wondered.

“Her name is Sally, and no I have no idea where she lives. It wasn’t a big deal. I think she realized she was safe and put it away as if nothing happened. It was her behavior and actions afterwards that keep me wondering about her.”

“Oh shit, you got the hots for this woman. Damn, who would have thought that gun play was your thing in the bedroom,” Mace teased.

“Fuck you, moron. That wasn’t it at all. She was very pretty, had a great body, and a sort of sweet personality,” Harper said.

“Sweet personality, my ass. She sounds like some psycho feminist on a power trip because she has a gun. You’re lucky she didn’t shoot your cock off,” Mace said in annoyance. He then started carrying on about women wanting to use men.

Mace didn’t trust easily and that was putting it mildly. He sure as shit didn’t date and never felt compelled to engage in a committed relationship. His sourness about women stemmed from his inability to commit. The military had ruled his life and their lives. Even after retiring they were st

ill putting everything on the line. Instead of for their country that they loved, they did it for kicks, the adrenaline rush, and the money. God knew the government didn’t take care of their soldiers the way they portrayed to the public.

Harper looked at Orin. His expression serious and dark like always. He had a distinguishing nose, a firm, muscular jaw, and very dark eyes.

“What’s up with you?” Orin asked Harper. Harper turned toward the woods, his thoughts still on Sally, the mysterious blonde from the woods. He laughed at his own thoughts. He was making her a mystery. Mace was probably right. She was more than likely some psycho woman with the need to feel empowered by drawing a gun on unknowing men. But as he thought that, it didn’t feel right at all.

“I’ve never seen you like this. Are you spooked from this woman getting the upper hand on you and drawing the gun, or are you interested in finding out more about her and seeing her again?” Orin asked him.

Mace stopped chopping wood.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Fatal Attraction could have been based on a true-life story. If Harper pursues this woman, hell, if he fucks her, she could go psycho and try to kill him, maybe chop his cock off.”

“Shit, Mace. Where the hell do you come up with this shit? Why are you such a callous bastard?” Orin asked.

Mace got serious and Harper could tell he was angry. He threw down the ax. “You finish up. I’ve got better things to do than stand around here and talk about some woman in the woods that got Harper all screwed up in the head.”

He walked away and Harper just stared at his back as he left.

“He can be such an asshole sometimes,” Orin said as he walked toward the wood and the ax.

“I’ll do that. I need to get things off my mind,” Harper took the ax.

Orin stepped back. “You know, if you like this woman, you’ll need to find out everything you can about her. Otherwise Mace will, and any little thing she has on her, Mace will bring up.”

“I don’t think we need to get all paranoid about this woman.”

“You don’t think so, Harper? How do you know she wasn’t sent here to hurt one of us or someone else in town? You know there are a lot of people who live in Pearl who do different types of work. Look at us. We dab in investing in small businesses and we get hired as heavies, gun-enforcing muscle for the Russian mob.”

Harper lifted the ax over his head and then onto the log of wood chopping it.

“It’s an honest day’s work, and it doesn’t compare to the danger we faced as SEALS.”

“Just watch your ass with this woman. Let me know if you need help tracking her down. I’m going to head back inside to see what jobs we have coming up for Storm.”

Harper nodded his head and then went back to chopping wood, wondering why Mace reacted the way he did, and why he was feeling as if he were desperate to meet Sally again. All Harper knew was that he’d never reacted to a woman the way he automatically did to Sally. He would find out who she was and where she lived. He was good at tracking people. He was a Navy SEAL.

Harper lifted the ax and continued to chop the wood until his mind went from thoughts of Sally to thoughts of food and feeding his belly. A glance around the area an hour later and they wouldn’t need to chop wood for months.

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