Power Play. Beverly Long

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СКАЧАТЬ off the lobby,” he said and went to pour a drink.

      Something told him to hurry.

      He ran through the lobby and pushed open the door. He saw the drunk had Kellie pinned up against the wall, while he did his level best to grasp her breast. Trey charged down the hall and grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and whirled him around. The man’s shoulder knocked against the wall. Trey hit him hard enough to jar loose some teeth. Saw that he was down, and turned to Kellie.

      She had her back pressed up against the wall, her palms splayed flat against the gray paint, as if she was hanging on. Her face was white.

      He wanted to reach for her, to hold her, to tell her that it would be okay, but he doubted that’s what she needed right then. “What can I do?” he asked gently.

      “Get him out of here,” she said, her voice trembling.

      “We’ll call the police,” he said.

      “No,” she said sharply. Then visibly pulled it together. “I’m not hurt. I just want him out of here.”

      He wanted to rearrange the man’s face. “Okay, then stay there,” he said gently. “I’ll be right back.”

      Then he yanked the drunk up to his feet, who was now very quiet, as if he couldn’t figure out exactly how he’d gotten his bell rung. Trey propelled him back to the lobby, back to his friends who looked as if they might want to make a break for it.

      “Get your friend out of here,” he said. He got in the man’s face. “And don’t come back. And don’t come anywhere near that woman ever again. You’re lucky she doesn’t want to press charges. But your luck is going to run out fast if you think that I’m not serious about this.”

      The man squared his shoulders. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said to his two buddies. Neither of them wasted any time and the trio left. Trey watched them get to the door before quickly turning and running back to Kellie.

      She was sweeping the floor.

      “Hey,” he said softly. “Somebody else can get that.”

      “It’s my mess.”

      “It is not your fault when somebody else is a damn idiot,” he said. “Tell your boss that you’re done for the night, that you’re going home.”

      “I can’t do that,” she said, still sweeping. “I’ll be fired and I’m already in the hole for the evening. Doubly so, now. I’ll probably have to pay for these strawberries. Why couldn’t they have just ordered cheese sticks?” she said, a trace of humor in her tone.

      He was glad she was bouncing back. Wasn’t so sure about himself.

      She looked up, made eye contact with him. “Thank you,” she said. “I was losing the fight.” She paused. “Please don’t tell my brother about this. He’s...protective. He was the man of the house after our dad died. Took and continues to take his role seriously.”

      “Your brother is a good man,” Trey said. He would never want to disappoint Anthony.

      “Yes,” she said. She stood there, holding her dustpan and broom.

      “You look a little like Cinderella,” he said.

      She tilted her chin down. “What do you know about Cinderella? I don’t take you for the type to have watched the movie.”

      “I have a younger sister,” he said.

      “I see. Favorite part of the movie?” she challenged.

      He feigned a grimace. “When the glass slipper finally slides onto Cinderella’s foot. I like it when the parts go together.” He held up a hand and his face got hot. “Sorry, that sounds really sexual. Didn’t mean it that way. Especially after—” he waved a hand “—all this. See, I was a mechanic in the air force. Things that fit nice and tight...” He stopped. “I’m going to shut up now.”

      Now she had a full smile. That was well worth him fumbling over his words.

      “Did you fix planes?” she asked.

      He nodded. “Yes.”

      “You dropped out of college to enlist, right? I remember hearing the story.”

      “Yeah. I ultimately finished my degree online like a lot of enlisted folks do. And then I got a call from my good friend Royce Morgan to join him, Rico Metez and Seth Pike in Wingman Security. We provide personal and property security services.”

      “So this—” she looked at the pile on the floor “—was just your cup of tea.”

      You would think so. Shouldn’t have been any big deal—neutralize the creep who was causing trouble and move on. But his heart, which seemed to still be skipping a beat here and there, didn’t seem to think so. “Just glad I had my cape with me.”

      “A superhero, right?” she said, immediately getting it.

      “Just had to prove that I watched guy stuff, too.”

      The door at the end of the hall opened and out came a guy wearing a white apron. He was carrying two plates of chocolate-covered strawberries. Kellie held out her broom and dustpan. “Thanks, Miguel. I’ll trade you,” she said.

      “Nobody else even knows this is the second set,” he said, making the switch. Miguel’s hands were shaking and Trey wasn’t confident that the second set of strawberries was going to fare any better than the first.

      “You’re the best,” Kellie said.

      The man mumbled something in response. He didn’t seem to be able to make eye contact with either of them.

      Kellie shook her head as she watched Miguel go back through the kitchen door. “That was odd. He’s normally cracking a joke about everything.”

      He wasn’t sure what to say about that. She was still very pale and she was making no effort to go anywhere with the strawberries.

      “I think I just need a minute,” she said. “To clear my head.”

      “Want to talk about something else?”

      “Sure,” she said, sounding relieved.

      “I put up a fence today. At my house. Next, I got to dig me some big holes for a few new trees.” Now that he finally had the fence up, there was no reason to procrastinate on the landscaping.

      “What kind of trees?” she asked.

      “Somebody suggested desert willows.”

      “That’s a good choice,” she said. “They’re so disease-resistant and they respond really well to the soil in and around the Vegas area. Hummingbirds love them and they flower, too.”

      “You sound like you really know what you’re talking about,” he said.

      “It’s what I do,” she said.

      “I СКАЧАТЬ