A Courtesy Call (Green Division Series Book #2) (13 page)

“You can’t run from your life forever.”  He didn’t let go of her hand.

“Why not?”  Her lips trembled.  “Sounds like a perfect fucking plan.  Wouldn’t you run too?”

“We all lose loved ones, it’s part of life.  And we have no control over it.  You had no control over what happened to Luke.”

“What do you know about loss?”

Mike didn’t engage the fight she tried to start. 

“I know that Cass is the only family I have.  She’s it.  What does that tell you?”

Raleigh pivoted forward and back, not knowing where to go.

“You’re not running away.”  He pulled her into his center and wrapped his arms around her back in a firm embrace. 

Raleigh thought about pushing him away, but the thought wasn’t followed through.  She held him tightly not wanting to let go. To Mike’s surprise, he didn’t want to let go either. 

“If I wanted...”  She sniffed.  “To run away, I would.” 
Stubborn.

“I guess that means you don’t want to.”  Raleigh closed her eyes and didn't answer his question.  Mike leaned his head against hers and exhaled deeply.  "I'd like to say it gets easier in time, but it doesn't.  The pain lessens and becomes manageable, but it will never go away."

"Thanks for the pick me up," she said sarcastically.

"What you need to remember is, you are still alive. You’re still here."  Raleigh nuzzled her face against his, taking comfort in his closeness. "Live for today, not yesterday, or last year.  Live for here, now."

"Now..."  She sniffed.  "But you're here."

"Don't take it so literal.  I know I'm the last person you want holding you."

Why does that bother me?  Why the hell do I not want to let go of her?

"You're..." 

"I'm?"  Mike waited for her to finish her thought.

"Thank you."

"For what?" 

"For this.  For listening to me.  For holding me."  Her voice was low and subdued.   The statement threw Mike.

Raleigh wanted his support, his strong embrace.  She hadn't felt that level of comfort since Luke had been robbed from her life.  And the memories of Mike in the same position as Luke made her body tremble violently.

Mike felt her body shake against his and her grip tighten.  Damn, she was strong.

"Hey, look at me.” 

Raleigh met his eyes.  He was different.  This Mike wasn't the Mike whom she'd quipped with over the prior days.

"It's going to be okay.”  Sirens approached in the distance.  “Everything will be alright.”

She believed him.  Though she had no rhyme or reason to, she trusted him.

"Jesus, he did a hell of a job on you."  Mike cradled her neck and looked down at her split lip and swollen face as though it caused him pain.

“I’m used to it.”  During her lifetime, Raleigh had more broken bones, burns, and stitches than the average person multiplied by ten.  She looked away from him, self-conscious of her injuries, then put her head back on his shoulder.

“Wait, you’re used to it?  What does—are you—does someone—abuse you?”  Mike fumbled with his words.  The idea of her being abused made him mad as hell.  No woman deserved to look like her at the hands of a man.

“I’m not abused.  I’d have to be in a relationship to be abused,” she sniffed.
 
“I’m a klutz.”

“I’m glad you’re not abused, but I could have easily fixed that problem.”  Mike’s anger retreated and he brought his hands back around her back.  “I can’t fix klutz.”

“Neither can I.”  She let out a slight laugh.

“Did I just hear a laugh?”  She no longer trembled.

A small smile drew at the corner of her lips, she couldn’t stop it despite the pain the movement caused.  Though he couldn’t see her face, he could tell the tears had stopped.  “Maybe a little one.”

“Good girl.”  He rubbed her back.  “When you start tiffing with me, I’ll know you’re back to par.”

“You’re the one who always starts it.”

“Welcome back.”  He gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Thanks Mike.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”  She didn’t offer to let go and Mike wasn’t going to let go until she was ready.  “They’ll ask you for a quick statement about what happened, then we need to get you stitched up.”

We.  Did he say we?
  Raleigh stopped her train of thought. 

“We?  Are you coming with me?”  She asked very reserved and surprisingly not averse to the idea. 

Shit.  Did I say we?  It’s an expression.  I’m getting in too deep.  What the hell am I doing? 
Mike thought to himself.  How could he recover?

“If ah, if you, do you want me to?”  Again his words failed him.

She caught the discomfort in his voice.

“You don’t have to.  You’ve been through enough listening to my breakdown.”   She pulled back from his embrace and wiped her eyes.  “I’ll call Aiden.” 

Looking down upon her battered face, Raleigh could ask anything of Mike at that point and he wouldn’t be able to say no.

“I’ll bring you to the hospital,” he said without forethought. 

“Okay.”  Strangely, she preferred Mike’s company over Aiden’s at that moment.

The sirens stopped and the gate buzzed open at the end of the drive.  Thirty seconds later two stone faced officers stepped out of their vehicle.

“What is your name?”  Officer Kessler, according to his nameplate, asked Mike.  Mr. Kessler clearly recognized Raleigh. 

“Michael Kerr, but I’m not who you’re looking for.  There are a half dozen men sitting atop of him in the shop.”  Mike pointed back to the office area of the setup.

“Your identification, sir.”  The officer demanded.

Mike pulled out his wallet and flipped open the hidden pocket displaying his badge with his identification.

“What’s his name?”  He asked Raleigh.

“Jon Rosseau, my co-driver.”

Officer Kessler looked back to his partner.

“I’ll go deal with the other half.”  His female partner slid into the driver’s seat, drove the length of the drive, and parked at front of the office.

An hour passed.  Officer Kessler walked Mike and Raleigh back to her vehicle.

“Stay here,” Kessler instructed.

A few moments later, Jon was escorted out by both officers in shiny silver bracelets.  Raleigh smiled at the sight. 
Asshole.

“She’s a—”  Jon spewed off the most horrible of insults at Raleigh.  “She deserves to be beaten.”  Jon sneered and wrestled with the officers.  They shoved him roughly into the door and had very heated words.

“You piece of—”  Mike spun Raleigh’s shoulders.

“Shhh, they have him,” Mike tried to calm her.  Jen, Tom, Cass, and Kris watched from the office doorway.

“Did you hear what he called me?” Her anger got the best of her. 

Mike put his arm around her back and walked her to the open shop bay.

“He’s going to get what’s coming to him.  Even though it won’t be enough.”   The police cruiser pulled away as she took a seat on a steel shop stool.

“Are you alright?”  Jen rushed over, the rest of the flock on her heels.

“I’m fine.” 

“Your face.”  Jen’s smile was upside down.

“I’m sorry Raleigh.”  Tom came to her side.

“I’m going to get my lip stitched.”  She didn’t want to rehash the incident again.

“We’ll figure out the partner situation tomorrow.  I’m sorry, Raleigh, I really am.  I should have listened to you.”  His hands were rested on his hips and he shook his head. 

“It’s alright, Tom.” 

“Miss!”  Aiden sprinted through the door.  “Are you okay?  Are you injured?”

“I’m okay Aiden.”  . 

“We need to get you to the hospital.”  Aiden shoved Tom out of the way

“Mike’s going to take me.”  She looked up at Mike.

Aiden’s eyes widened in shock.  “Mike?”

She rose from the stool.  “I’ll call you later, okay.”

“Yes, Miss.”  Aiden’s lips curled into a smile reading the body language between the two. 

“Cass, are you coming with us?”  Mike asked.  Cass looked at them with the same expression Aiden had.

“No, I think I’ll stay here for now.”  She looked at Aiden and smiled warmly.

Mike’s eyes narrowed on Aiden.  Raleigh took his wrist and gave him a pleading look as if to say leave it alone.

“Alright.”  He gave up.  Raleigh and Mike walked together to the Audi.

Raleigh passed him the keys and stepped up into the passenger seat.  It was a twenty minute ride through traffic to the hospital and another hour wait before she was taken in to get her lip fixed.

Mike waited patiently in the lobby.  Hospitals were too familiar a setting.  Even on his vacation he was visiting one.  Lame.

“All set.”  Raleigh’s wound looked slightly better.  “Six more stitches added to the collection.”

They walked out to the parking lot.  With a hat and sunglasses Raleigh managed to go undetected, she thought. 

Mike unlocked the doors and she got into the passenger seat.  Sitting in the passenger seat was unnatural and normally caused her a mild amount of anxiety.  It didn’t with Mike.

“Hi Cass.  Are you still at the garage?”  Mike called Cass.

“Me and Aiden are eating lunch downtown.  The rent-a-car is at the garage though so you can take it.”

Mike took a deep breath. 

“So I’ll see you later at the hotel?”

“Yes Daddy.  Don’t worry, he’s a nice guy.”

“Give me a call later.”

“I will.  Why don’t you take Raleigh out to dinner?”  Cass chided Mike.

“Take to you later Cass.”

“Byeeeee Dad.”

Mike exhaled and dropped the phone into the console.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.  My baby girl is all grown up and I need to get used to that I guess.”

“She’s a good girl.  You need to trust her.”

“It’s not her I don’t trust.”

“I can vouch for Aiden.  I know that doesn’t account for much in your eyes, but he’s a good man.”

“I’ll admit I was quick to judge a few people on this trip.”  He turned onto the access road for the shop.  “But, maybe you’ve changed my perception.”  Mike shifted the car into park.

“You might have changed mine too.” 

They stared at one another, neither moving until Mike got control of himself and opened the driver’s door.  Raleigh stepped outside too.