Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Owen
This day has been a genuine test of my restraint.
When my phone rang after my last text to Daisy, I was expecting to hear her sass on the other end of the line. But her call was nothing more than a butt-dial. I knew I should have hung up, but when she started talking about that asshole Dusty, there was no way I was disconnecting the call.
Do I know Daisy has the situation under control? Yes. Will that stop me from paying Dusty a little visit to make sure he knows his place? Absolutely not.
If I wasn't at work and in uniform, I would have taken care of him already. However, with what I’m witnessing at the moment, uniform be damned, I’m about to lose my ever-loving mind and possibly my badge.
I’ve just pulled into an open parking spot across the street from Drake, a popular spot in downtown Bend, when the door bursts open and an irate Daisy walks into the afternoon sun, a well-dressed man following close behind her.
At first glance, I thought it was a date gone awry, but her work bag is over her shoulder, so he must be the client she was meeting with.
Although Daisy rarely points her finger in the face of potential business.
What the hell is going on?
The guy's smug expression has me dying to cross the street and punch it right off his face, but she’s walking away from him, so I stay in my vehicle.
Just as I relax, the fucker follows behind her, and she doesn’t seem to notice.
What the fuck?
My door is open, and I’m out of my patrol car faster than a bald man loses his toupee in a hurricane. I’m gonna break his fucking face. But I come to a screeching halt when she reaches her truck, finally noticing him. He says something, and she tells him to fuck off with her middle finger.
My body relaxes once her truck is pulling away from the piece of shit who stands watching from his spot on the sidewalk. Once she’s out of view, he chuckles to himself and goes back inside the restaurant.
I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but cross Wall Street and follow him inside.
The small bar is the first thing you see when you enter, and what do you know, the prick has wasted no time.
He’s already hitting on a blonde at the end of the bar.
She’s scrolling on her phone, not giving him the time of day.
The woman is attractive; I’ll give him that.
She’s also a serious downgrade from Daisy. All women are.
His back is to the door, so he doesn’t see me coming, but Blondie notices me. Her face lights up as she continues not listening to a word he says. Her smile widens as she bites on the straw in her drink. But just as quickly as it had appeared, her smile fades when the douchebag next to her speaks.
“My flight isn’t for another few hours. How about a quick fuck in my hotel room? You look like you’d be a good time.”
Her face flushes, a mix of discomfort and fear painting her expression. My anger simmers beneath the surface, but I do my best to keep myself in check.
“I’m not sure where you come from, but around here we don’t speak to women that way.”
“Mind your own business.” Not man enough to turn around and face me, his attention remains on the anxious woman.
“Sorry, but the people of this town are my business. And from what I’ve seen, this lovely lady isn’t the first woman you’ve upset today.”
This gets his attention, and he turns in his seat to face me. His eyes go big when he spots my uniform, but the cheeky prick doesn’t back down. “I wasn’t aware it was law enforcement's job to stop two grown adults from sharing a drink.”
“You’ve got me there. But when only one person is a willing participant, that’s where I step in. What do you say you and I have a word outside?”
“I’m all good, thanks.”
The woman takes my distraction as her way out of the situation, grabbing her things and sneaking past us.
“Let me walk you out,” I offer, not wanting him to follow her like he did Daisy.
“That would be great. Thank you.” Her playful smile has vanished. All she’s thinking about is her escape.
“I’ll be back,” I say to the douche before following the woman outside.
Once in the blistering heat of the day, her body sags. “Thank you. I’m right here, though.” She points to the black BMW parked in the first spot just outside the door. “I didn’t leave earlier because it felt safer in there with witnesses rather than being alone on the street with him.”
“I get it. You okay?”
“I’m fine. Unfortunately, he’s not the first and won’t be the last arrogant jerk I’ll have to deal with.”
“Well, at least we know he’s getting on a plane in a few hours. We can only hope he’s flying far away and never coming back.”
“Yes, let’s hope.” She pulls open her car door. “Thanks again.”
I give her a nod in reply.
It’s sad to see how bright her expression had been when she first saw me, only to watch it disappear with one masochistic sentence from a man.
Once she’s safely in her car, I return to the restaurant just as the shit stain is signing for his bill. I don’t approach him. Instead, I wait by the door and hold it open for him when he goes to leave.
He doesn’t acknowledge me as he passes by, but once we’re outside and face to face, he speaks. “Hitting on a woman is not against the law.”
“You call that hitting on a woman? My friend, your game is vile.”
“Listen, I have places to be. I don’t have time to be fucked with by the local police. I’ve done nothing wrong.” He walks backward like he’s the coolest guy around. “So, if you’ll excuse me.”
Hooking my thumbs in my vest to keep my hands occupied, I state calmly... firmly... so there can be no confusion in my words. “You so much as speak to Daisy McKinnon again, and I’ll make you wish you hadn’t.”
“Again, who I speak to is none of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Daisy and the entire McKinnon family are my business, and if you fuck with them, you fuck with me.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat, Officer?”
“No, it’s a fucking promise.”
His eyes dart down to my patch. “Well, Officer Swift. Nice chat. Yeah?”
I stay rooted to my spot on the sidewalk, not moving an inch until he’s out of sight.
“Fucking prick,” I mutter under my breath as I rush back to my patrol car.
I have twenty-five minutes to get to the field for practice.
Luckily, Dusty lives down the street from the school, and I make a mental note to stop by and pay him a visit after practice. We need to have a chat about what I overheard earlier.
The list of assholes that need to be dealt with today is never-ending.