Grinning, I didn’t mind sharing the reason. “I’m not bragging, but my success rate at three hundred and forty-two yards is ninety-six percent as a sharpshooter with my unit.” Which was extraordinary if I said so myself.
“Holy shit,” Landen breathed. “What do you think? Can you handle jumping out of a perfectly good plane again?”
With another few seconds of thought, I nodded. “I’d love to.”
CHAPTER 2
Grace
“Don’t look now, but you’re about to be devoured by a shark.”
I almost spit out my chardonnay and after the long week, every drop of the icy cold juice of the gods was precious. With a napkin pressed against my lips, I resisted choking. Heading to the emergency room on a Thursday evening wasn’t on my bucket list.
Darlene Taylor, one of two best friends and the woman most likely to end up in jail for castrating her boyfriend then marrying him, ribbed me with her elbow. She was on fire tonight, her disdain for all humanity a product of the flesh-eating monster she was attempting to convict.
Her words, not mine. The poor guy’s crime was extortion, not murdering woman in their sleep, but to her, every man was a vicious predator.
She’d been my friend from high school and when I’d moved back, it was as if we’d never lost touch, which we had. My fault. I’d promised when I left the postcard town, I wasn’t looking back.
Fate had had other things in mind.
Tragic, terrible things.
Nope. I wasn’t going down that one-way road to hell. If I did even one more time, I might never return.
After successfully resisting choking to death, I casually glanced to my right. While I wasn’t certain if she was talking about the dude a few stools away from me, his pink shirt clashing with his what I guessed were painted-on jeans that had survived the eighties, or the gray-haired cowboy who could be my grandfather, I was still forced to bite back a laugh.
“You’re in a savage mood,” I told her, trying to curtail her foul mood by looking her directly in the eyes.
“That bastard might just get off. Can you believe that?” She lifted her glass toward the bartender, eager to suck down her second glass of wine.
“Since when did wine suddenly become classified as a shooter?”
She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea the assholes I’m forced to deal with. Meanwhile, you work with sweet little furry animals. Oh, the little babies. Such munchkins and they’d never do something like rip your heart out and feed it to the local Rottweiler.”
“Wow. I’m glad to see you’re over your breakup. Trust me. My business isn’t all about cuddly creatures either.” I lifted my arm to show her the latest set of teeth marks imbedded into my skin.
“Ouch. What did that?”
“A pet snake. Don’t ask. He wasn’t too happy to see me either.”
“I thought you were a veterinarian,” she teased. “Not Miss Kingdom of the Wild.”
“I am, but apparently, I’m an expert with every creature.”
“Does that include men?” she asked, her voice dropping to the sultry tone that had nothing to do with passion. The tone should be considered a clear warning shot across the bow for any man.
“Why do you ask?” Then I felt a presence. Not just a presence, but one attacked to a stinky aftershave that immediately made me sneeze three times.
“Hiya, sexy. What do you say I buy you a drink so you can soothe your stuffy nose.”
Darlene rolled her eyes while I sucked in my breath. “Does that line typically work for you?” I threw my head in his direction, not at all shocked to see Mr. Slick in pink himself.
“When I want it to,” he said with such confidence I almost punched him in the gut.
“Well, not tonight. I’m with a friend. But thank you.” I started to turn away when he continued to push.
“I don’t mind enjoying the two of you together. Trust me. I can handle you both.”
