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I frowned,lifting my hand to knock on the chief’s office door. After our shift, he’d called both me and Xavier here. I’d seen Xavier on his phone a few times, texting someone. If this abrupt meeting was anything to go by, he’d been texting our boss.
I did not have the energy to deal with Xavier’s childish behavior. I really didn’t.
“Come in.”
I pushed open the door, and Xavier and I both stepped in. He’d been sending little jabs my way all day, trying to get a rise out of me, but it wasn’t going to work. Xavier was nothing but a rude little boy still, no matter how hot he was. And while I’d definitely still bang him without a second thought, I wasnotwilling to interact with him in any capacity outside of that unless it had to do with work.
“Sit. Both of you,” Chief ordered, pointing to the brown leather chairs in front of his desk.
I grunted and dropped into one of the chairs, Xavier taking the only other one available beside me. The leather creaked beneath my weight. Chief pointed at Xavier. “You will work with who I assign you with, am I clear? The only time I want to hear a complaint is if Harlow does something that’s against our rules and regulations.”
Xavier scowled but nodded his head. Ialmostsmirked. Bet he wasn’t used to not getting his way.
“You willnotmake Harlow’s job harder either, do I make myself clear, Xavier?”
Xavier sighed, nodding his head again. Chief grunted. “Good.” He looked at me. “I know you two went to school together. I don’t know what happened in high school. And I don’t care. But if either of you,” he said, pointing a finger between us, “cannot seem to handle putting aside your differences and working together, then you will be fired. The lives of the people coming to the beach are more important than whatever animosity there is between you two.”
“Understood, sir,” I told him. Xavier mumbled something next to me. Chief narrowed his eyes at him.
“Speak louder, boy,” he barked.
Xavier sat up straighter, swallowing thickly. “I understand, Chief.”
“Good. Now get the hell out of my office.”
We stood and filed out of the door. Xavier glared at me once the door was shut behind us. “I don’t fucking like you, Harlow.”
I smirked, though I felt anything but amused at the moment. “Feeling is mutual, Rawlins.”
With that, I walked past Slater and Colwyn, who were walking down the hall toward the chief’s office, nodding once at both of them. Colwyn clapped a hand to my shoulder as I passed. I had no doubt he’d be reaching out to me later to check on me. I knew I looked like shit, and a meeting with the chief wasn’t normally a good thing.
Colwyn had retired from the military, and he knew a soldier when he saw one. Which meant he also understood the mask I kept on my face.
I forced a tight smile to my lips, hoping to placate him, but he frowned, obviously seeing through it.
I sighed.
One military member couldn’t fool another—not when both had seen horror.
I forced my feet to move again, just wanting to get home. I could drop my mask there.
But not a goddamn moment sooner.
2
Xavier
Icould not fucking believe Harlow Bishop was in Sizzle Beach, much less working for the fire department as a lifeguard. I mean, what were the damn odds that the guy I’d secretly crushed on in high school when I was too afraid to come out of the closet was now forced to work with me? Not to mention, I’d bullied the hell out of him.
And now, I was forced to see the face of one of my victims every day.
Was life cruel or what? Because right then, it felt like it was laughing right in my face.
I nodded once at Joe—short for Joanna—the owner of Joe’s Coffee Bar. In the mornings, she sold coffee. In the evenings, it turned into a sort-of bar, and she served alcoholic drinks.
She set my regular down in front of me—a sad bottle of Bud Light. My basic ass didn’t even want it in a glass. I came from basic shit, and I was happy with it. A hard lesson I’d learned early on was when I started wanting more, I started getting disappointed.
And I didn’t like feeling disappointed.
