***Jodi***
“This will be the last time, Sheriff. You’re killing me here.” I give him a pleading look but it’s no use.
His hand is pushing against my back and he’s guiding me out of my own darn salon. I’ve worked so hard to buy this building. There is a tiny bedroom attached to it, and that was the only reason I could afford it. Meaning I could use it as my salon and my home.
But ever since I opened it, I’ve been harassed by the sheriff to clear out the salon at least once a day. Always with a bullshit threat that someone wants to blow it up. That’s just plain crazy. As if I have enemies. But here we are again…all my clients standing outside.
Most of my clients are elderly, so they’ve got a towel wrapped around their wet hair and panic showing on their face. Except for the two sisters who were here opening week for a pedicure when the same thing happened. Thank heavens it didn’t scare them then since they are back here now wanting to have their hair done today.
But it might keep everyone away now. It’s ruining my business. I need to blink back the tears that are burning in my eyes and yet they might not fully be from the way I let my clients down. Nope, they are from anger because I have no clue who is doing this. Other than Monica Mann. She owns the hair salon on the other side of town. She dropped by the first day I opened and threatened me to close my doors or she would make me.
Such a hateful person and yet she seemed so nice when I met her a few times before I started my business. I’ve heard from a lot of clients that they don’t even allow clients to walk into her salon if they are older than forty. Her stepbrother throws them out. She hates…or to put it in her stepbrother’s words…‘old wrinkly people who stink’. I already mentioned she must be a hateful person, right? Yeah, well…if I wasn’t trying so hard to be a good person, even try to cover up my curse words, and if I would allow myself to hate someone on this Earth…it would be her. “Shit.” I mutter to myself once again.
“Bless you?” My eyes meet the man with the rough beard and wild hair.
He seriously needs a haircut. I’d love to run my fingers through it and slide my scissors… “Shit.” Darnit. Again the word mutters out, but this time it’s because of a fantasy taking over while my mind needs to be focused on the drama around me.
“You have allergies or something? Or do you have a skill that makes a curse come out as a sneeze?” The corner of his mouth twitches.
I narrow my eyes and try not to be charmed by his rugged appearance. I heard someone come into the salon earlier and even with my back to the door, I could feel his eyes burning on me. It’s clear this guy has some serious muscle underneath that tight black shirt he’s wearing. There are all kinds of tattoos peeking out from his chest and both arms are covered.
Some people might take a step back when they run into this guy. Although the way his eyes pierce mine, it’s as if he’s allowing me to see the kindness that’s hidden within. To be honest…I’d rather face him than Monica Mann. Although she’s got the appearance of a stunningly sweet woman, she just might be rotten on the inside.
Fury builds inside me. I’m so sick of this crap every darn day. Come to think of it…I’m sure Monica is doing this, all empty threats to get me to close my doors.
The rugged guy’s eyes focus on something that’s going on behind my back. His eyes widen then narrow, but that’s no skin off my bones. I need to get my salon back into action because I can’t keep everyone standing out here all day.
Spinning on my heels, I dash around the sheriff and head for my salon. Except the air rushes out of my lungs when I’m grabbed from behind and scooped up against a rock-hard chest.
“None of that, Fox.” The voice I recognize belongs to the rugged guy who adds, “Calm down and stay outside.”
I struggle to get loose. “Let me go, there’s nothing wrong, it’s a prank. Every darn day the sheriff shows up to clear out my salon because of a prank call saying there’s a bomb. But clearly there’s nothing wrong, see?” I point at my salon but the next moment a blast throws us back.
My ears ring as I’m slowly being pulled up to a sitting position. The rugged guy has his face a few inches from mine. His hands are cupping my face and his lips are moving. Yet I truly don’t understand why I can’t hear him or what he’s trying to say. My eyes slide to the left, confronting me with the most horrorstricken sight; I’m watching every possession I have being swallowed by flames. Total numbness takes over as I sag into strong, inked up arms.
“Come on, Little Fox. The doc checked you out. No other injuries except for a few cuts from the glass that was blowing around. Now stop worrying me and open those blue eyes for me,” a rough voice tells me.
I don’t wanna…I mean…what for? I just watched everything I had blown up right in front of me. “I don’t want to,” I grumble.
I woke up in the ambulance on my way to the hospital. They checked me out when I got there and once they established that I didn’t have any severe injuries, they patched me up. They asked if there was anyone they could call. When I ignored them, this guy came in. A nurse dragged him out of the waiting room because he was there asking, and waiting, for me.
It’s not like I don’t have anyone to turn to…but for real…go back to my parents like this? I’ve been saving up every dime for years and years to finally get my own business and now I have nothing…and what? I’m supposed to sleep in my old bedroom in my parents’ house? Not to mention that they are out of town on vacation in Italy. And what if blowing up my business isn’t enough and they come back for me, then I would put them at risk too when they get back home.
My eyes fly open when I feel his beard tickling me while his mouth covers mine. His chuckle caresses my lips before he pulls back. “There she is.”
I’m too stunned to react as I’m still processing the fact that he kissed me when the nurse tells him, “Here are the discharge papers so you can take your girl home.”
“Thanks, I’ll do just that.” The man takes the papers and nods while the nurse darts out of the room.
“Wha…what home?” I croak. And for real, that’s my reply?
“Mine,” he states as he takes my hand and pulls me up to a sitting position.
“Yours? I don’t even know you. Don’t even have a clue what your name is and I’m supposed to go with you? You’re a little, no…make that a kind of crazy that would fit to no magnitude at all.” I rub a hand over my face and mutter my curse word I’ve perfected into a sneeze like version so I can curse without being rude or nasty.
“I think it’s adorable when you do that,” he tells me as I drop my hand to give him a confused look.
His smile is bright enough to reach his dark blue eyes. “Sneezing.” He strokes his knuckles down my cheek and adds, “I’m Bark, you’re coming with me and I’m not giving you an option. Someone placed a hit on your salon and I’m going to make sure they don’t come back for you. That’s the only way I can protect you.”
Terror grips my heart because the very thought that prevented me from going to my parents’ house is the exact thing he tells me. The only thing safe enough is for me to nod and take him up on his offer, hoping he’s able to give me the protection he just promised me.