Bullets & Bonfires

“Kimber pulled her Cujo thing. If it were Chris, he would’ve been crazy to stick around. I’m sure he didn’t expect me to have a dog, so I doubt he’ll be back.”

He stares at me for a long time, studying my face. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ll decide if it’s nothing. Spill.”

I let out a sigh and fiddle with Kimber’s leash that’s still in my hands. “Chad used to give me pink carnations on our anniversary.”

He grits his teeth. “When was your anniversary?” His jaw’s so tight he can barely spit out the question.

“September.”

That seems to relieve him. “That fucker’s still in jail. I called down there yesterday to be sure. Obviously he needs his visits and phone calls monitored better,” he mutters as he grabs stuff out of the refrigerator to start breakfast.

“Wait? You called the jail?”

“God damn right I did. They’re supposed to give me the heads up if he makes bail.”

I blink a few times, not sure how to process that. “Thank you.”

Some of his irritation seems to drain out of him. “Can you think of anyone else who would’ve left the flowers?”

I consider his question, but come up blank. “No.”

He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the counter. “I’ll look into it. If anything else shows up, you have to tell me immediately.”

“After our four-pawed menace made her presence known, he’d be stupid to come back.” I scratch behind Kimber’s ears and she lifts he head as if she agrees.

Uncertainty and exasperation still surround Liam. Maybe it’s better if I offer up the full truth. “Liam, I didn’t say anything, because we…you and I just…I don’t want to keep bringing up my ex all the time.”

“Hey,” he says, pushing off the counter and joining me at the table. “This isn’t a matter of not talking about our exes so we don’t hurt each other’s feelings. I’m secure enough to know how you feel about me.” He takes my hand, forcing me to look in his eyes. “This is about keeping you safe.” One corner of his mouth lifts. “If it makes it easier, why don’t you inform Deputy Hollister about anything pertaining to your case. That way you only talk about the fun stuff with your boyfriend.”

The distinction pulls a chuckle out of me, but in a way it also makes it easier for me to separate the multiple aspects of our relationship.

“Well, in that case, Deputy, I took some pictures.” I pull up the pictures on my cell phone to show him.

“Good job. Send those to me.”

At least I finally did something right.

“Are we good?” he asks, leaning over to place a kiss on my forehead.

“Yes.”

While we’re finishing breakfast, my phone buzzes, and I pull it out of my pocket.

I glance down at the text. “It’s Emily. She wants me to go out with her tonight.”

He focuses his penetrating gaze on me. “No.”

“Excuse me?”

He sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “I have to work tonight. I can’t go with you.”

“Who said you were invited, Officer Buzzkill?” I tease.

He huffs out a laugh. “This the one who wanted to go to the Lantern?”

“Yes.”

“Christ, that place is a shithole. We get complaints from there every weekend.”

“Liam,” I say softly. “I’m not asking your permission to go out with my friends. I’m sorry. But I’m done doing that.”

He reels back, staring at me for a few seconds before speaking. “Bree, it’s not because I’m trying to control you. I want you to go out and have fun with your friends. I don’t want you to get hurt. There’s a difference.”

I turn his words over in my head. He’s sincere. His concern comes from a good place. “I didn’t mean…I lived that way once. I won’t do it again. That’s all.”

“I understand that,” he says, using obvious restraint in his choice of words. “I don’t like that you ran into Chris, and this shit with the flowers. It’s creepy. I want you to be careful.”

“Right. You’re right.” I peek up at him. “So, maybe it’s better that I’m out with a group of friends instead of here like a sitting duck?”

Boy, I’m really pushing Liam’s buttons this morning.

“Okay,” he says slowly in a way that means it’s not okay at all. “Can I say something without you getting mad?”

“Maybe.” I cross my arms over my chest and nod at him to continue.

He sighs. “Remember what Sully said about not putting yourself in danger? I don’t want you taking unnecessary risks because you want to prove how independent you are.”

“It’s just a nightclub.”

“In a rough area of town.”

“I’ll be with a group of girls.”

His stares at the ceiling, probably asking the universe to send him extra patience. “Promise you’ll stick together?”

He really is only worried about my safety and I regret acting so prickly. I need to work on recognizing the difference between unhealthy control and acceptable concern. “Maybe you can meet us there when you’re done tonight?” I try to hide the pitiful hopefulness in my voice, but it creeps in anyway.

His hard cop face relaxes into a semi-smile. “Yeah, baby girl. I can do that.”

By mid-afternoon, I’ve persuaded Aubrey into joining us too. Liam chuckles when I call to tell him I’ll have one more girl with me who knows how to kick ass.

Emily arrives in my driveway before sunset and I hurry out to meet her, careful not to trip in my high-heeled sandals. She climbs out of the car to hug me and wolf-whistles when she steps back. “It’s unfair that you have such killer legs,” she says, eying my gold short-shorts with envy.

“I’m not sure I should show them off when I’m this pale, though.” I fiddle with the white, sparkly tank top. “Do you think this is too much?”

She runs her hands over her own short, red dress. “Nope.”

“Damn, I thought this place was casual?” I nod at the dress. “You look hot.”

Her lips curl into a satisfied smile and she gestures for me to climb into the car. A few of her friends are with her and she introduces us as I cram myself into the back seat and try not to flash my butt to the entire neighborhood.

“I need to look for my friend, Aubrey, when we get there,” I remind Emily.

“No problem.”

Liam wasn’t kidding about the neighborhood. It’s outside the town limits, so I probably haven’t been here since high school and even back then it wasn’t the safest area. The club itself isn’t much better and I cast a suspicious look at Emily as the doorman waves us inside.

Even though she’s a tiny, doll-eyed pixie, I manage to spot Aubrey right away. She runs over and hugs me like we haven’t seen each other in months instead of days. “Holy hell, I’m glad I have pepper spray in my purse,” she shouts into my ear.

I introduce her to Emily and even though they’re exact opposites, they seem to hit it off. While the location is questionable, it’s nice to be out, socializing with other women my age like a normal human being for a change.

“So, tall, dark, and deadly let you out of the house?” Emily asks after the other girls head off to the dance floor. “Do you have a curfew?”

“No, smartass, he’s meeting me later.”

Her eyes widen. “I was joking. Wow, you seem to be moving fast with him.”

Emily had heard plenty of details about my relationship with Chad during our group therapy sessions. She’d also heard the counselors caution us about getting into another relationship right away. Part of me wonders if I can trust her not to rat me out at our

next session.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” I explain, wanting her to understand what Liam and I have isn’t a rebound or a mistake.

“Oh, this is the one who was running hot and cold.” She nods knowingly. “If that was still going on, I was going to suggest you bring a guy home tonight to make him jealous.”

I blink and stare at her. Even if Liam and I hadn’t…gotten together, that’d be a level of childishness I’d never stoop to.

“Well, I’m going to sample the goods.”

I raise an eyebrow. She’d heard the same advice I had during group. “Not all of us have a knight in shining armor waiting for us at home,” she explains.

“Be careful.”

Emily assures me she’ll be fine and pushes her way into the crowd.

I scan the room, seeking a familiar face. Aubrey’s in the corner involved in what appears to be an intense discussion with an older guy whose features I can’t quite make out in the low lighting. A steady stream of people comes in through the front door, filling the place to capacity.

Emily’s in the center of the room now. I nudge and squeeze my way through a sea of grinding couples to reach her and her friends.

It’s fun to let loose, even if I can’t get quite as loose as Emily. Her enthusiasm for everything makes me happy we met, even if it was under crappy circumstances.

After a few songs, she drags a tall, lanky blond guy over to me. “This is my friend, Shane,” she shouts over the music.

We end up dancing in a large group, but eventually the others leave to grab drinks. Shane and I keep dancing. The guy has panty-melter written all over his face, but he keeps a respectful distance.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he shouts over the music.

“I do.”

He nods even though I’m not sure he heard me. I’m wracking my brain trying to think of something else to say to keep the conversation moving, but his gaze is fixed on something over my shoulder.

Leaning down, he shouts, “There’s a guy watching us who looks like he wants to rip my arms off.”