In A Fix - Mary Calmes Page 0,2

liked Nash. He was gentle and calm, and the way he carried himself spoke to an inherent grace that he tried to hide behind the same alpha-male bluster the others spewed.

Locryn, Cooper, Shaw, even me—and Brann, before he left—were drinkers. Nash was much more likely to be pulling kittens out of trees at three in the morning.

He shook his head. “My neighbors had a fight last night.”

“I’m guessing the ones with the new baby?” I asked, because he had people on both sides of him, but one was a lovely woman who made him the most amazing food. They looked like empanadas filled with a spicy beef, and they were one of the best things I’d ever eaten. On the other side was the young couple who had only been there a couple of months. My money was on them.

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a groan, laying his head down on his arms, now folded on the desk. “The husband and some other guy were yelling at each other, and I was afraid the wife and the baby would get hurt, so I went over there. I didn’t realize that the new guy brought a baseball bat until he took a swing at me.”

“Did they both end up assaulting you?” I asked, noting the slight shudder in his broad shoulders. I wanted to comfort him, but at the same time, I didn’t want to seem too forward by touching him. It wasn’t my strong suit, being unguarded with people or offering comfort. I made people feel safe with my presence, with my self-defense skills and my gun. But I wasn’t, as a rule, a touchy-feely guy. I wasn’t the one to offer a shoulder to cry on or give a quick hug for comfort. More often than not, Jared heard that I was efficient and robotic, competent though a bit aloof, or capable but cold.

I was the guy who was up, tucked in and zipped up, anxious to escape the apartment of the hookup of the moment before the sheets cooled; the post-sex cuddle was never on the table. One guy had even told me that he had mistaken me for a human being, and that I had ice running through my veins. It was fair to say that me thawing for anyone would be a gross exaggeration. That was not who I was.

“Remember, not everyone is as strong as you’ve had to be, Esca,” my boss told me often, using my last name, as he did with all of us. “Practice empathy and mindfulness.”

God.

“Nash?” I prodded him, my hand hovering over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he said, exhaling carefully, like it might have hurt.

“Were you attacked by both men?”

He grunted, which was as good as a yes.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“I went last night,” he explained, tilting his head up so he could see me as I stepped back. “My buddy Rais took me. That’s the only reason I’m here this morning. He’s coming in to talk to Jared about filling Brann’s spot.”

“You don’t know that he’s never—”

“Yes, I do,” Nash snapped, his tone brittle, implacable, cutting Locryn off, glaring at him for good measure. “I’ve talked to him. I have an open invitation to go visit him, so—yeah, Loc, I fuckin’ know that Brann’s not coming back, all right?”

Locryn glanced away, but even though we couldn’t see his face, the wounded pride clung to him, telegraphed by his body language. If he needed something to kick, I hoped he wouldn’t opt for his solid mahogany desk. If he took a shot at that, he might break a toe.

“Good morning.”

Pivoting, I saw a man standing just inside the front door of our office.

“Good morning,” I greeted the stranger, immediately struck by the bright sepia color of his eyes. His dark bronze skin was accented beautifully by the mustard yellow scarf and camel-colored Burberry peacoat he wore.

His smile was quick, bright, but I noticed that his attention moved from me and pounced on Nash, almost immediately.

“You shouldn’t have come in,” he said, rushing by me to reach Nash. He took hold of Nash’s shoulder, then slid a hand under his chin to lift his face.

Nash growled and tilted his head back, trying to move out of the man’s grip.

“Knock it off. Let me look at you.”

“You looked at me last night,” Nash said irritably, huffing out a breath, nailing the guy with his glower. “Aren’t you supposed to be downtown, meeting Jared for breakfast?”

“For your information, I did that already,”