Chapter 1 #2
Mr. Pickens shook his head. “None. I have gone over everything, and it’s a mystery to me.”
“What would you say to the woman who reported the break-in? I heard you wanted to meet her.”
Mr. Pickens looked into the camera, and Harmony gasped. His eyes… She couldn’t explain it, but it felt like he was seeing her. Like he was looking right at her.
“I would tell her thank you. I’d like to.
She saved my life. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know what would have happened.
I know the police have her information, but they haven’t spoken to her to get her permission to share it.
I’d like her to know how much I appreciate her.
I’d like to give her a reward for what she did. ”
“What?” Harmony gasped.
“That’s very generous of you, Mr. Pickens.”
Mr. Pickens smiled at the camera, then looked at the reporter. “It’s what she deserves. She didn’t have to call the police. She could have ignored what she saw. But she didn’t. She made a choice. And I want to thank her for that. I want her to know what it meant to me.”
Did he trip over the word thank? Harmony shivered, feeling like he wasn’t as happy with her calling the police as he wanted people to think.
Nope. She was not interested in meeting the man.
She was happy to stay in the shadows. She was making things work, even if reward money would help her out a ton. She didn’t need it.
Harmony turned the TV off and carried her dishes to the kitchen. She started her dishwasher and dragged her full belly back to the bedroom.
It was finally time to sleep.
Damien was happy to be back to whatever his routine was a week later.
He spent three days watching over a man who had no interest in being protected.
If it weren’t for Damien’s partner, Jude Lyons, the man probably would have broken out of the safe house they were holding him in and gotten himself killed.
Jude convinced the man to sit tight for a few days and kept him entertained with card games, conversations, and cooking lessons.
Damien kept his distance. He liked the job they did, protecting people, but when someone didn’t want their help, Damien didn’t have a lot of patience for it.
There were plenty of people who were willing to be in protective custody, who knew the risks if they weren’t, and who didn’t make their jobs harder.
After three days with a man who probably would have gotten Damien and Jude killed if he’d had a chance, Damien was happy to go back to Sunrise Brews and pretend he was a normal guy with a normal job.
The bitter scent of coffee soothed Damien when he opened the door.
It was still early enough that the crowd was there, but Damien didn’t mind waiting.
Rose Protection Agency didn’t work on a schedule, and after getting off a job, the owner of the company was even more flexible with their time.
Montgomery Rose was a fair man, and a good one as far as Damien could tell.
Damien joined the company after Jude, getting talked into the job when his former teammate sang the praises of their boss.
Damien hadn’t complained about the job yet. Except in his head.
“Next?” the barista said, capturing Damien’s attention.
Damien stepped forward at the same time as a white bombshell with curves his fingers itched to trace.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and thought it was my turn,” she said, her voice rich and smoky.
Her auburn hair was in a bun on the top of her head.
She wore black wire glasses and had lips painted to match her hair.
Her black leggings and shirt clung to her curves, a skinny cheetah-print belt separating the pieces, with a creamy sweater over top that hung past her hips.
Damien couldn’t find his voice. His dick found his zipper, but his voice was fucking gone.
“Harmony, you know you don’t have to wait anymore. We have your order at the end of the counter,” the barista told the stunner. “After you saved everyone, we all agreed we’re not taking your money again.”
“And I told you guys you don’t have to do that,” the woman named Harmony said. Her cheeks pinked, but the smile that tilted her lips up said she was grateful for the gesture. She stepped ahead of Damien and stuffed cash in the tip jar next to the register.
“We don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t seen those guys. It’s small to make sure you keep coming back here.”
Harmony chuckled, the sound as rough and sexy as her voice. “You keep me in caffeine, I’ll be back every day. You know that.”
The barista grinned and nodded to the end as another barista called Harmony’s name.
Harmony thanked her again, then went to grab her drink.
The barista focused on Damien, her grin not as friendly but still welcoming. “What can I get for you?”
“What did that woman do?”
“You didn’t see the news? She saw a break-in next door and called the police. It was a big story.”
“Now that you mention it, I did see that. Can I pay for her coffee? And maybe there’s a treat she likes I could get for her?”
“Of course. Any friend of Harmony’s is a friend of ours.”
“Thanks.” Damien added his own drink and breakfast soufflé to the order, then shoved more cash in the tip jar as a thank you. He waited at the end of the counter for his coffee and breakfast, keeping an eye on the woman sitting alone facing the windows toward the back.
Her hips were wide enough to fill the seat. Her waist dipped in a bit, giving her an hourglass figure. She was gorgeous. Those painted lips wrapped around her coffee cup and had Damien looking away before he groaned, imagining her wrapping them around him.
“Damien!”
He held up a finger to let the barista know he was right there, then grabbed his food. The side of the shop Harmony sat on was quiet, a little away from the crowd, and thankfully she was still there.
“Mind if I join you?” Damien asked, moving into Harmony’s field of view.
She looked up at him, her lips pursed. “It really wasn’t a big deal to make that call.”
“Good to hear. Not everyone would have been willing to do it, though.”
“Would you?”
Damien chuckled and gestured to the chair next to her.
Harmony nodded, then leaned to the other side, away from him.
Damien set the muffin in front of her. “I asked for something you might enjoy. I’m guessing it’s right since you look shocked.”
Harmony exhaled. “It is. I feel bad that they keep giving me free stuff, so I don’t ask for it most days.”
“I paid for this. And your latte.”
Her dark eyebrows shot up. “You did?”
Damien nodded. “It’s a great thing they’re doing, but small businesses like this need all the money they can get. If they won’t let you pay, I thought they might let me pay.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Harmony.” Damien set his coffee down and offered his hand. “I’m Damien Joseph, by the way.”
She hesitated for a second, then slid her hand in his. Her gasp had him wondering if she felt the same jolt he did. “Nice to meet you.”
Damien held her hand longer than was necessary or appropriate, but damn, he couldn’t stop himself. There was something about her, something he couldn’t explain.
“You never answered my question,” she said, extracting her hand from his grasp.
“Hmm?” Damien struggled to focus with the lust racing through his veins. No, not lust. More than lust. It was like he knew her, like she was a part of him already.
“Would you have called the police? If you saw something?”
Damien smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, I would have. Without a doubt.”
“Why do people make it seem like a big deal?”
“Probably because there are too many bad things that happen in the world these days, and a lot of it has become almost background. We don’t have time to pay attention to the people around us, and when we do, we doubt that what we’re seeing is really happening.”
“I guess. I just… I don’t want anything for it. It was the right thing to do.”
“It was.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Damien nodded.
She nibbled her lip, then took a sip of her coffee. She picked up her muffin. “Would you accept a reward for it?”
Damien leaned back in his seat and considered the woman in front of him. She didn’t know him, but she clearly needed someone to talk to. “I guess it would depend on the reward.”
“The guy who owns that place. He wants to meet me. Give me some kind of reward.”
“And you don’t want it?”
“I don’t know what it is. But I don’t… need the attention.”
“What if it’s money?” Damien wondered about her hesitation. What was she really about to say?
She shrugged. “I… Yeah, I could pay off my student loans, but it feels like I didn’t earn anything.”
“We don’t always have to do something hard to earn something. What you did mattered to him. Maybe it’s not about you. Maybe it’s about him being able to say thank you to a stranger. Him being able to share his wealth with someone he feels deserves it.”
“Do you think that’s what it is?”
Damien shook his head. “I don’t know anything about the man. I’ve never met him, but if that’s what it is, and you really don’t want the money, you can always donate it to a cause you believe in.”
Harmony stared out the window into the alley. The sunshine highlighted the space, leaving nowhere for anyone to hide this morning.
Damien watched her as she considered what he said. After a minute, she popped her last bite of muffin into her mouth and nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”
Damien grinned. “Maybe I am.”
“Thanks for my breakfast, Damien.”
“You’re welcome, Harmony.”
She hesitated for a minute, then grabbed her bag and left.
Holy shit. Damien exhaled, feeling like he was just hit by a truck.