Honor (Heroes of Big Sky 0.50)

“What kind of question is that?”

“After the injury, and given some of the shit we saw this summer, are you still content?”

“Yeah, it’s what I want. It’s what I know. And I’m fucking good at my job. Nina’s safest when she’s with me.”

“There’s no doubt about that,” Liam agrees. “I’m just checking in. It’s not an easy gig. Not everyone is cut out for it.”

“There’s nothing else I’m cut out for.”

“Tell me about the girl. I passed her in the driveway. She’s a little thing.”

“She’s a tiny bulldog,” I mutter. “She may be small, but she doesn’t put up with much, and she’s damn strong.”

“Have to admire that,” he says. “And she’d have to be strong to put up with you.”

I smirk. “Yeah, well, she put me in my place today. I’ve been a surly prick, and she told me to pull my head out of my arse”

“I like her already.” Liam laughs. “Anything else going on there?”

“Not yet.”

“Interesting choice of words.”

“She’s great,” I admit. “And I’m not usually one to mix business with pleasure. But I like her.”

Liam nods. “I’m glad. It would suck if she grated on your nerves.”

“Well, she does that, too,” I reply, thinking back to the Mariah Carey concert earlier. “But she’s here for a while. She’s having drinks with her cousin tonight.”

“Needed a break, did you?”

“Yeah, actually. Because I like her, and I’m not going to push myself on her.”

“So, you chose to hang out with me.” He presses his hand to his heart. “Aw. I’m touched.”

“I’m rethinking that decision.”

Liam laughs again and tosses his crust back into the pizza box. “You missed me when I was gone.”

“Maybe. There have been lots of new faces lately. How long are you two staying?”

“Until after New Year’s. Then, we’ll head back with Sebastian and Nina. And, hopefully, you.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears, my friend.”

Chapter 5

~Jordan~

“Extra salt on mine,” I say as Sidney lines the rim of a glass for our margaritas.

“How do people drink ‘ritas without salt?” she asks as she follows suit with a second glass and then holds them out for me to fill.

I pour the blended goodness into our glasses, add a straw to each, and then Sidney leads me to her living room. She sits on her couch, and I curl up in a chair across from her, sipping my tart drink.

“These are seriously delicious.”

She smiles and dips a chip into the guacamole.

I frown at the little designer handbag sitting on her coffee table. “What, exactly, do you use that for? It’s not big enough to actually be a purse.”

“It’s a clutch,” she says around another chip. “A conversation piece. And it’s big enough for a credit card, a bit of cash, and some lipstick.”

“And a condom,” I add with a sly smile. “Don’t forget that.”

Sidney giggles and sips her margarita. “It’ll totally hold a condom. Not that I need one lately. Boys are dumb.”

“Totally dumb.”

My lips are starting to tingle, and I’m only halfway through my first drink.

I’m a lightweight.

“Speaking of idiot boys, tell me about Jeremy.”

I scowl into my tequila concoction. I was diplomatic when I spoke about my ex-boyfriend to Nick. I don’t have to be quite so nice with Sidney.

“Well, it turns out, he’s a dick.”

She smirks. “Honey, Jeremy was always a dick, going all the way back to high school.”

“But he wasn’t a dick to me,” I reply. “It was a bad couple of years. He got more and more controlling.”

I tell her about the last big blowup, where he smacked me across the face, sending me into the dining room wall.

“Motherfucker. I’ll take his balls off the next time I see him,” Sidney says.

“Anyway, I honestly don’t care about him. I saw him at the gym the other day and felt nothing. I don’t even feel sorry for him. I mean, I don’t wish bad things on him, but I just don’t care.”

“Why would you? He’s a dick.” She walks into the kitchen and retrieves the pitcher of margaritas and refills our glasses. “Okay, enough about him. He’s ruining this pleasant buzz I have going.”

“Me, too.”

She plops back onto the couch, and her black cat, Luna, jumps onto the arm of the sofa next to her, eyeing me suspiciously.

“I feel like your cat is judging me.”

“Yeah, she judges everyone.” Sidney reaches out to scratch the feline behind her ears. “Don’t you, baby?”

And, just like that, Luna jumps down, flicks her tail, and saunters away.

“She’s a diva,” Sidney says with a shrug. “Now, tell me the juicy news.”

“I have juicy news?” My lips are all the way numb now, and I’m floating on a delightful buzz. “These drinks are potent. And delicious.”

“We’ll keep making more,” Sidney says and passes me the basket of chips. “And yes, you have news. Who is this Nick? And why didn’t I know about him before?”