Saxon's Savior (Protect and Serve #3) - Pandora Pine Page 0,6

if this was all one giant colossal joke that I was about to become the butt of. Until I found out which answer was the right answer, I was keeping my mouth shut.

“You are here to do a job, Mr. James. Neither one of us want any trouble from you. This isn’t Newburyport.” Ozzy cracked his knuckles and grimaced at me. The scar on the left side of his face twisted grotesquely.

I knew where I was. I didn’t need a geography lesson. What I did need was a bit of an explanation as to why both these men thought my time here in Gloucester would be anything like my time in Newburyport. “I feel like I’ve already missed half of this conversation. Would either one of you mind telling me what on earth you’re talking about?” My eyes moved back and forth between Ozzy, who looked angry enough to take a bite out of me, and Dallas, who looked as if he’d already had enough of my shit, even though I hadn’t given him any. Not by a long shot.

Ozzy was silent. His eyes locked with mine as if he were trying to figure out the answer to some great riddle. “Rumor has it you weren’t easy to work with at your previous position. We’re here to let you know we won’t put up with any of your bullshit, understood?”

Everything made sense with those three simple words: Rumor has it. I didn’t have to be Einstein to guess who the gossiper in question was. It was Toby Whitmer. If I had a nickel for every time he’d come on to me, I wouldn’t need this fucking job in Gloucester. I could buy myself a cabin in the mountains and retire a happy man.

It was on the tip of my tongue to explain to Ozzy and Dallas exactly who Toby Whitmer was, and why he would have given these men a heads-up as to my alleged character. I could already see my words wouldn’t be worth the effort it would take to speak them. I decided a different approach would be better. “I can absolutely guarantee both of you there will be no bullshit of any kind.” My words were spoken with the utmost sincerity, and what I hoped was a genuine seriousness in my eyes.

The brothers exchanged a silent look. I had a feeling the two of them had an entire conversation in that one brief look. It was obvious to me I was the odd man out. Firehouses were notorious for thinking of their members as family. I’m sure it was true of Firehouse Three. Unfortunately, I had just become the outsider.

Great. Fucking great. So much for this being my last first day.

3

Dallas

I didn’t know which thing pissed me off more, Saxon being drop-dead fucking gorgeous or the sincerity I saw in the young man. He wasn’t what I’d expected, and neither were his responses to the very rude welcome Ozzy and I had given him.

“We suck.” Ozzy said as Saxon shut the office door behind him.

“The jury is still out.” I knew Ozzy was right. We’d taken gossip from a man who’d treated me badly in the past and had run with it as if it were front-page news.

“Bullshit,” Ozzy sighed. “How do we fix this?”

“We don’t.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It’s up to Saxon to show us what he’s made of.” I had several more things to say on the subject when the fire bell rang.

“We’ve already shown him what we’re made of.” Shaking his head, Ozzy headed out the door.

I didn’t want to admit it, but my brother was right. We’d shown Saxon our hand when it might have been better for everyone if we’d folded.

There wasn’t time for regrets. “James, with me!” I shouted before grabbing my gear and climbing into the ambulance.

I could have let Saxon stay behind with Maxine, who was already showing him around the firehouse, but I wasn’t going to back down. I needed to know if this newbie could do the job the way I wanted it done. What better way than to throw him into the deep end and watch him sink or swim?

“Multi-vehicle crash on the Route 128 Bridge, involving a jackknifed tractor trailer,” dispatch said over the radio. “Injuries reported. Driver of a red Nissan Sentra is trapped, bystanders attempting to free him.”

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. Ozzy’s guys were going to need to break out the Jaws of Life by the sound