“You think we’re going to have trouble with the gang?” Jessy turned to her dad and asked when she saw him frown. They had won the fight and sent the group away with a good beating, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t come back.
“Let’s just say I’m glad we have no windows for them to break,” Jared said gruffly, looking a little worried. He pushed his hand through his dark-brown hair that was sprinkled with gray strands. “The police say they will make extra rounds, but that brings me no comfort. They took their sweet time to even respond to us today.”
“I’m here, Jared. If I hear anything I’ll call it in and call you,” Royce offered, but Jessy could see the concern in his eyes, too. They didn’t need this headache but they couldn’t have just ignored Gabe when he needed help.
“Why can’t they just leave Gabe alone? Don’t they have enough members for their gang?” she grumbled. Her dad’s business had been located here for as long as she could remember. They never had any trouble before.
“They want to keep up with their tough reputation,” Royce explained with a shake of his head. “I grew up in a neighborhood in Ohio not very different than this one.”
“Maybe I should stay here in my office, too,” Jared replied thoughtfully. “It’s not the first time I have crashed on my couch.”
“What about Jessy?” Royce said, looking at where she was sitting on her dad’s office couch. He looked concerned and she tried hard not to read anything into it. As much as she wanted Royce to have feelings for her, she knew he would be concerned about any member of the gym right now.
“I can take care of myself and lock up the house,” Jessy insisted firmly. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off she couldn’t stop yawning. “Besides, how would they know where I lived? It’s
a good distance from here. If anything, they are going to mess with the gym.”
“That’s what I think, too,” Jared agreed. “I’ll feel better if I’m here, too. I can have Tom stay over tomorrow if we need to.”
Jared and Royce made plans while Jessy sat down on the couch, barely listening to their plans. She was tired, even though she was feeling somewhat better. She tried to keep busy as possible so she wouldn’t have time to mourn Royce. After a year of chasing him and flirting with him it was hard to switch to friendship mode. She stayed away from him as much as possible but sometimes she couldn’t avoid his company without being obvious. “I think I’ll have an early night, Dad. I could use some extra sleep.”
“Of course, honey. Let Royce walk you to your car to make sure it’s safe. I need to call Tom.” He kissed her goodnight on the forehead. “Keep your cell phone right next to you and set the alarm.”
“Don’t be a hero, Dad. Call the police if those punks show up.” She gave him a stern look but he just patted her head and picked up the phone on his desk, his mind back on business.
Royce walked her to her car and looked around the empty parking lot to make sure it was clear. He opened her car door for her. He moved a strand of loose hair out of her face and she shivered. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed her reaction to his affectionate touch.
“If you get scared, just call me and I’ll be right over,” he promised, and she knew he would. He was a good man. He was just a man that had no intention of ever settling down with one woman.
She looked up into his handsome face and wished she had the right to soothe his wrinkled brow and kiss him until he no longer looked so upset. She almost reached out to caress his cheek but she pulled back at the last minute. “I’ll be fine. My dad has a top-of-the-line security alarm and I promise to lock up. Besides, those punks have no idea where I live.”
“Keep an eye on my dad, Royce,” she pleaded, throwing her purse in the passenger seat. Even though it was evening, it was hot and humid outside. The air felt sticky and she longed for a long cool shower. “He thinks he can take on ten guys, but I worry about him.”
“I will, Jessy.” He kissed her cheek in a friendly manner and she wished she had the guts to turn her head so his lips would land on hers. She still remembered how his mouth had devoured her in a hot kiss that night they spent together. His tongue had invaded her mouth and claimed it. His big hands had roamed over every inch of her body and she felt the spot between her legs heat up with excitement. She had to stop wishing for things that would never be again. “See you in the morning. Be careful.”
Chapter 11
Jessy’s heart sank when she drove into the parking lot of the gym the next morning. She saw a police vehicle. She raced inside, afraid of what she would find.
Her dad met her at the door and hugged her right away. “It’s okay, honey. We were just reporting vandalism. Those punks painted their gang signs on the walls of the building and threw some glass beer bottles in the parking lot.”
She let out a sigh of relief. There were two officers talking to Royce and Tom. Both men looked angry but unharmed.
“Without visual proof we can’t do much I’m afraid,” one officer said remorsefully. He had black short hair and looked Hispanic. “We’ll file the report and keep it on hand, along with yesterday’s report.”
The second officer looked to be in his late thirties with sandy blond hair. “If they keep coming around we’ll have a talk with them. We know this group well and have dealt with them in the past.”
Jared led Jessy to the group. “Okay, thank you, officers. This is my daughter Jessy. She works here with us.”
Both officers shook her hand. The younger one gave her a friendly smile. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Daniels. I’m Officer Lopez and this is my partner Officer Davis.”
“Jessy,” she said automatically, shaking Officer Lopez’s hand. He was a handsome man in his late twenties and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Do you think we should be worried?”
“Just always be alert. If you work late, have someone walk you to your car,” he suggested. He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“Feel free to call me if you need anything.” He gave her a flirty wink and she smiled back.
She nodded and took the card. Maybe things were looking up finally. Officer Lopez was a good-looking man.