Chapter 9 Mayson “Trucker” Calhoune
MAYSON “TRUCKER” CALHOUNE
I gave the cadets the day to kind of practice on their own. It was my way of giving them an easier day without admitting I was giving them an easier day.
But they still seemed hyper-focused and stressed.
During that time, I would move from station to station, running the paths with them and helping them in any area I saw they were lacking in or where they asked me for help.
I’d created a checklist of things they should have been able to do at this juncture in their training. They’d been working hard and doing a great job, and I figured they needed a little time so their bodies could exhale.
Around two in the afternoon, I told them to wash up and I’d treat them to lunch.
Ryan declined but everyone else cheered and darted off to get showered and changed. I laughed as I watched them go.
It was times like those when it hit me how young they were.
The responsibilities on their shoulders now seemed rather heavy.
“I won’t change my mind!” I called after their fleeing backs. “Take your time!”
“We’re not taking that chance!” Lennox called.
We all laughed as they disappeared through the main doors to the change rooms. I shook my head before heading off to wash my face and fix myself up.
When we arrived at the diner, they had to section off a part of the place to house all of us, but the owner didn’t seem to mind. When I saw Esther, her face looked as if she was in a fight—and had lost—badly.
She had black eyes, her hose had protective taping as if someone was trying to keep her nose on her face and her bottom lip had seen better days.
“Damn.” One of the cadets muttered. “What the hell happened to her?”
“Doesn’t she look like she was in a brawl with a prized fighter?” Andi chortled. “This is fantastic.”
Lennox Kane chuckled softly. “I didn’t think it had gotten that bad.”
“What happened?” I asked him.
“She got into a fight with your girl.” Andi leaned forward to giggle. “I wish I could have seen it. The rumour has it that Esther finally met her match.”
“You mean she’s reached the find out portion of this fuck around scenario.” Lennox sipped from his straw. “I don’t feel bad for her. Taji was only going to take her shit for so long.”
“Mm.” Andi nodded. “About time someone take her down a peg. I don’t get why Esther is still so uppity.”
“Uppity? Ha!” A cadet laughed.
“My girl?” I arched a brow. “The last time I checked, I was single.”
“Taji.” Lennox replied. “Aren’t you listening? Keep up, man.”
I quirked a brow.
Taji is my girl?
“Taji isn’t my girl.” I tried.
Andi looked me up and down, her face calling me a liar while her eyes told me not to waste their time.
“She confronted Taji in the supermarket.” Andi gossiped. “My friend texted me about it. Esther tried attacking Taji.”
“I guess Esther didn’t know Taji woke up today and chose violence.” Lennox added.
“She put her hands on Taji?” I growled, rising from my chair.
Lennox grabbed my arm and tugged me back into my chair.
“She can’t do that!” I snarled.
“Does it look like Taji needs your help?” Lennox asked. “You start a fight now and Taji will never forgive you. I know you want to fix this—but let your girl work.”
Deep down, I knew Lennox was right. Taji hadn’t asked for my help—she hadn’t blown up my phone demanding I protect her honour.
Instead, she stood up for herself and that turned me on.
But the alpha in me raised its head.
The rage I felt in that moment was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
“Calm down, big fella.” Andi reached over to squeeze my hand. “Taji handled it. Esther had it coming though. She’s been a thorn in Taji’s side for years. If I remember, they went to school together, and Esther has always been a little shit.”
“Everyone thought she’d grow out of it.” Lennox sighed. “Especially after her family lost everything. But I guess being an asshole is soul deep.”
“Everyone was wrong.” Andi sipped from her water. “She is still a spoiled little shit. Didn’t grow out of it. Esther only got old.”
Though I kept catching Esther staring at our table, she avoided us.
And that was probably for the best.
I wanted her dead.
Lennox and Andi kept their eyes on me.
Andi kept her palm on my arm as we ate. It was as if she was trying to remind me to stay calm—a reminder that taking Esther out wouldn’t be something Taji wanted.
I knew it was her way of keeping me from snapping and wringing Esther’s neck with my bare hands.
I wanted her dead for putting her hands on Taji. But my cadets were right.
I had to control my temper.
As the others talked and laughed around us, I wondered why Taji didn’t tell me what happened with Esther.
As that thought rushed through my mind, I sighed and glanced toward the exit, debating rushing home to see her. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t told me—I would have gone off half-cocked to kick someone’s ass.
Honestly, I didn’t know what I would have done had she told me.
But there was something inside me that made me want to make sure she was safe—something that wanted to protect her. That certain thing was so strong, it almost blinded me as Lennox and Andi spoke to me.
Little by little the cadets thinned out leaving me with Andi and Lennox. As the conversation lulled, I caught Lennox’s attention.
“What do you know about Ryan?” I asked. “I was told he moved to the town a few years ago and hasn’t really left.”
“Yeah—one thing you need to know is that the only person who likes the guy is Esther.” Lennox told me. “That should tell you all you need to know. It’s a matter of the asshole in her recognizes the asshole in him.”
“Right.” Andi nodded. “Be careful around him. If either he or Esther tell you the sky is blue, you should definitely check.”
Lennox tapped his cup to Andi’s, a sign of agreeing with her.
“What was he doing before the cadet program?” I waned to know.
“He applied to become a sheriff’s deputy.” Lennox replied. “They voted against hiring him. No one explained why they went with someone else. Rumours—ever quiet rumours—is that he didn’t pass the psych eval.”
“That’s not a good section to fail.” I murmured.
“They thought he might snap and merc a few people.” Lennox glanced around then back at me. “You’re damned right that’s not a good part to fail. There’s no coming back from that. It’s on your file—”
“For-evah!” Andi whispered hoarsely.
I chuckled at her fake Jamaican accent.
“The kid is just scurvy.” Andi shrugged. “He’s one of those people you look at sideways—you don’t know why, but your gut just tells you to back away slowly and not to engage.”
I understood that sentiment.
“Listen, boss. I have to head out.” Andi told me. “It’s getting kind of late, and I wanted to do the report test online before I go to bed.”
“Me too—I’ll give you a ride, Andi.” Lennox nodded. “Keep your eyes on him, boss.”
Nodding, I bumped a fist to Andi’s then to Lennox’s and watched them leave. Andi paused to look back at me, a worried expression on her face.
Smiling, I offered her a small wave which she returned with a brief nod then ran to catch up to her friend.
Alone, I waved to the waitress who hurried over.
Ordering a meal to go, I asked her for the bill. I ensured I dropped her a large tip for putting up with a bunch of starving firefighters she wasn’t prepared for, I lingered for a moment longer, my brain going a million miles in fifty different directions.
When eventually left, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Andi and Lennox had told me about Ryan.
There had to be something there, something about Ryan to have both of them warn me to be careful. He hadn’t really done anything to me, but my spirit didn’t like him.
But the world didn’t work like that.
The moment I met the man, he gave me a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
To make matters worse, I didn’t think he was cut out for the job. He failed two teamwork challenges which was impossible to do—twice.
The first time, maybe he was tired.
A second time—why was he even there?
He was either the dumbest idiot on the planet or he just didn’t care to work on a team.
As a firefighter, that was not a good attribute.
Leaving a team member on their own could cost lives.
Getting back to the house early, Taji was in the living room doing Zumba. The music was so loud, she probably hadn’t heard me pull into the driveway.
Smiling, I placed the food in the kitchen, then leaned my shoulder to the door frame, watching the way her body move to the music.
“Damn girl.” I growled. “I didn’t know you had moves like that.”
She gasped and whirled around.
Quickly, she grabbed the remote and turned off the big screen.
“Um—Trucker—hi.” She panted.
“Hi.”
I hopped over the sofa to sit on it.
“You’re early.” She grabbed a towel from where it was on the back of the overstuffed chair. “I wasn’t—um—expecting you until later.”
“I know.” I smirked.
“Um.” She glanced to the side, eyeing the clock. “Did something happen?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in a fight with Esther?”
“Because it was my battle.” Taji walked from the living room. “And I took care of it.”
I kept my eyes on her as she pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and wrung the cap off. She drank the entire bottle, tossed it for recycle then grabbed a second.
She came back to the living room but didn’t sit.
“Esther is a bully.” Taji explained. “I’ve known that since high school because she spent the entire time torturing me. Teachers knew. Our parents knew. No one cared.”
“Taj…”
“But I had my books to keep me distracted. I ignored her. I got tired of her shit, that’s all.”
“What was the fight about?”
“It’s not important.”
Taji turned to leave.
“Was it about me?” I asked.
She stopped.
“It was—wasn’t it.”
“Yes, but it’s not a big deal.” Taji faced me. “She says you’re hers, wants me to back off. I’m not sure why I make her feel so threatened. It’s not like—look, I handled it. You don’t have to worry I’ll go after her again.”
“What happens the next time?”
“There won’t be a next time.”