CHAPTER SIX
Peyton was the ultimate girlfriend.
And so freaking understanding, Jace kept waiting to find a fault in her. She didn’t wait around for him like some puppy dog. Sometimes when he was free, she wasn’t. But for the most part, they made time for each other, even if that time was from the hours of 11pm to 1am.
It wasn’t all just sex, though. They grabbed dinner together when they could and watched movies, and they even got out for a run on New Year’s Eve Day.
Jace had to work New Year’s Eve, but after a quick cat-nap at home, followed by fucking Peyton, they went for a run and grabbed lunch.
By the first week of February, they’d fallen into a pretty spectacular routine.
She also hooked him and his cop buddies up with Girl Guide cookies, so all of his friends loved Jace’s new girlfriend.
He was on day-one of his four days off and he and Peyton had plans after she finished work, so he was hitting the gym early. He’d increased his weights a week ago and was focusing on his stabilizer muscles by doing a lot of intricate and minor movements, as well as moves that involved balance. So everything was tender and sore from yesterday’s training.
But he pushed through.
He cranked up the heavy metal in his ears and focused on the finish line.
Making E.R.T.
That was the goal.
After three hours at the gym, he dumped post-workout powder into his water bottle, filled it up at the fountain and was just pulling his hoodie over his head when a familiar voice made his body go icy and rigid.
“Figured I’d find you here.”
He poked his head through the neck hole to see Bronwyn, his ex, standing there smiling at him.
Clearing his throat, Jace glanced around. Nobody was paying attention to them, but at least three of his buddies who were still in the gym knew who Bronwyn was. They needed to stay where people could see him. The last thing Jace needed was for anybody to think he was back with his ex and for things to get messy with him and Peyton. They were in such a phenomenal place. He didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that.
“You hate this place,” he said, not coldly, but not invitingly, either. “Said I loved it more than I loved you.”
Her lips twisted. “I said some things, yeah … I was angry.”
“Yeah, you were. Are you looking for a membership? Or did you come here to find me?”
“I came here to find you,” she said. Her blonde hair was in two braids that fell over her shoulders. She was into fitness, too—actually taught spin at a different gym—and was in her typical attire of navy Lululemon leggings, hot pink running shoes and, because it was winter, a white puffer jacket. She still had a full-face of makeup on, though. Long fake lashes, plump lips and freshly done acrylic nails.
“Well, you found me. ”
She swallowed, and her blue gaze shifted toward the front desk. “Can we talk somewhere private ?”
“No,” he said bluntly. “We can talk here. Right here.”
Her thick brows pinched together. “Okaaay …” She dug the toes of one shoe into the floor, spinning it and studying it like it was the freaking Mona Lisa. “I started seeing someone.”
Jace clenched his molars. “Good for you. You didn’t have to come here to tell me that, though.”
She glanced up at him, her blue eyes harsh. “I know that . It’s who I started seeing. He … he’s an ex-con. I didn’t know it until after we started seeing each other. And I ended it a while ago. But …”
Even though Jace had no unresolved feelings for Bronwyn, he also didn’t want to see her in danger or get hurt. His protective instinct kicked in. “He’s stalking you?”
She shrugged. “Not really. But he found out who my ex was. Or is . You. And it turns out you were the one who put him away a few years ago. For assault with a deadly weapon. He did like eighteen months.”
She didn’t have to say anymore. Immediately, Jace knew who she was talking about. The guy’s name was Tiberius MacKinley, and he was a low-level gang member and … holy fuck. He had a birthmark on the left side of his jaw.
Jace couldn’t believe he didn’t put the pieces together sooner.
The guy in his building on Christmas Eve.
Between the time Jace arrested him three years ago, to now, Tiberius changed. He cleaned up and was fitter than ever. He was also clean-shaven, which was probably why Jace didn’t recognize him. Three years ago, Tiberius had facial hair that covered his birthmark slightly.
“You’ve seen him?” Bronwyn asked, taking Jace’s reaction for what it was—an epiphany.
He nodded slowly. “At least once—in my building. But I’m pretty sure he’s been in there a couple of times. ”
She sighed and dropped her head, nodding. “Yeah, when he found out you were my ex, something in him snapped. I haven’t seen him since just before Christmas, but—”
“He knows where I fucking live. How the hell did he find that out?”
She swallowed. “I … I’m sorry.”
“Jesus Christ, Bronwyn. What the fuck?”
“He shoved me up against the wall and had me by the wrist. I was scared. What else was I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. Fucking tell me the moment you told him? Maybe tell the police sooner than now ?”
She sighed again and nodded. “I know. I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
“You need to get a restraining order against him—today.”
“Okay, okay. I will.”
He glanced at his phone. Jace didn’t live in the jurisdiction he served, but he needed to report what was going on to both his precinct—which was Esquimalt—and the jurisdiction he lived in, which was Victoria PD.
The Greater Victoria area was divided into thirteen municipalities, and each municipality had its own police force. Some municipalities chose to go with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP, while others went with City Police. Esquimalt was RCMP, that’s where he and Jordan worked, but he lived in the municipality that was served by the Victoria City Police.
He knew a lot of the cops with Victoria PD and could probably call, but it was better to go in person. Fuck, he was going to be late meeting Peyton.
“You call me—and the cops—if you see or hear from him again, okay?” He growled that out to Bronwyn as he headed for the door.
She scampered after him. “Of course.” Licking her lips, she kept up with him as he headed through the parking lot to his truck. It was already below freezing out and some windshields in the lot were getting frosty. He made sure to park under a tree for a bit of added protection, and his windows were clear. “I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble. I … I’m sorry. ”
He spun around and faced her. “Thanks. But don’t do something stupid like this again. Tiberius is dangerous.”
“I know. I know. I fucked up.” She averted her gaze again. “In more than one way. The biggest fuck up was letting you go.” She glanced up at him from beneath her lashes. “I was selfish and needy and I realize now that … you’re one of the good guys. And you’re working toward something. I … I shouldn’t have ended things. Maybe we can … I don’t know … try again?”
Jace’s head was going to explode. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“What?”
“You came here to tell me that your ex is stalking you—and me—and that you gave him my address. And you’re telling me like two months after the fact. And then you have the audacity to what … ask me for a second chance?”
She shrugged and bit her lip. “I don’t know. Are you seeing anybody? Why can’t we give it another shot? We worked well together.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “I am seeing someone, actually. And we didn’t work well together. We tried to. We pretended that we did, but deep down, I think we both know we were oil and water.”
Her face fell. “Oh.”
Turning toward the driver’s side of his truck, he clenched his molars together again to keep himself from saying anything hurtful or that he might regret. But then a thought popped into his head and he turned around to face her again. “Your birthday is November eighth, right?”
She perked up a little. “Yeah. Why?”
“What star sign is that?”
Confusion swam in her eyes. “Uh, Scorpio. Why?”
“Hmm. No reason.” Then he turned back to his truck, opened the door, climbed in, and started the engine. Rolling down the window, he fixed her with a sharp glare. “Go get a restraining order, Bronwyn, now .” Then he drove away, hitting the screen in his truck to send a voice to text message to Peyton that he was going to be late for their date. Then he asked her to send him everything she had on Scorpios.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Jace said, bringing the scent of Phad Thai with him as he came through Peyton’s front door. “I come bringing apology spring rolls, though.”
“All is forgiven then.” She smiled and lifted onto her tiptoes to peck his cheek. “How was your day?”
He growled, which stirred something deep in her lower belly—and it wasn’t hunger for spring rolls.
“Uh-oh.”
They made their way to the couch, and he began unpacking the takeout bag. “Remember that guy on Christmas Eve that we ran into on my floor waiting for the elevator?”
“Yeah …”
“And then the guy that I followed down the stairwell? I’m pretty sure it was the same guy who also nearly ran me over in the parking garage?”
Fear ratcheted through her. “Yeah …”
“Well, my building manager finally got me the security footage, and it is the same guy. And that guy is a perp I arrested three years ago and put away for assault with a deadly weapon.”
Peyton dropped her spring roll on the area rug at the same time her bottom jaw nearly hit the table. “What?”
“He’s out. Annnnd, he was dating my ex.”
She squeezed her eyes shut tight for a good five seconds, shook her head, and opened her eyes. “What? ”
“Yeah. Bronwyn came to the gym today to tell me that she dated Tiberius last year. Then he found out her ex—me—was the same cop that put him away and he went all squirrely.”
“She came to the gym today?”
“Yeah, like two fucking months after the fact. I’m livid with her. I went to my detachment and filled them in, and the Victoria PD to tell them what’s going on. I also ordered Bronwyn to get a restraining order against him.” He opened up the lid for his curry, then the lid for his rice, licking green sauce off his thumb. Peyton’s insides clenched as she watched his tongue swipe across the pad of his finger.
“How did Tiberius find out where you lived?” A sick pool of dread formed in her belly. Could Bronwyn be trusted? What if this was a bigger set up and Jace’s ex was in on it? What if she’d turned over to the dark side and Tiberius brainwashed her and now she was working with him to take down Jace?
Wow, that escalated quickly.
“Fucking Bronwyn,” Jace said, shaking his head and scooping some of his rice onto his curry. “Hang on. I’m going to grab a bigger bowl.” He got up from his seat and headed into her kitchen, coming back with a bowl she usually used for salads. He emptied his rice into it, then dumped the curry over top. “I mean, according to her, he had her by the wrist and shoved her against the wall, demanding that she tell him where I lived.”
“Do you believe her?”
He rolled his eyes. “She’s never been one to lie. But she is someone who embellishes things. However, I don’t think she’d tell him for no reason. Even though we didn’t end on great terms, she wouldn’t dox me and risk my safety if she didn’t feel her own safety was in jeopardy.”
Peyton’s stomach had been rumbling before Jace walked through the door. But now, hearing about his ex, and that Jace was potentially in danger, her belly was nothing but queasy. She stared at her spring roll and the unopened Pad Thai .
“Then, she had the balls to ask me for a second chance.”
Now, Peyton thought she might puke. The Six of Cups . A blast from his past. A reunion with a former love.
“Wh-what did you tell her?”
“I told her she was crazy, and that I’m with you.”
The snake around her heart slowly relaxed its constriction enough so she could breathe.
He pointed to her food as he shoveled the curry into his mouth. “You’re not hungry?”
Leaning forward, she picked up a spring roll and, cupping a napkin under her mouth, took a tiny bite. “I’m worried, Jace. Are you in danger?”
“People are on the lookout for him now. I had my building manager send the footage to both stations and the cops are going to go see if they can find him. Pay him a visit. I mean, besides trying to run me over and allegedly shoving Bronwyn up against a wall, we have nothing to go on. We just need to be aware and keep tabs on him.” He lifted one shoulder casually. “How was your day?”
She didn’t want to talk about her day.
Her day had been shit, and she was looking forward to leaving that part of her life at the office and coming home to her boyfriend and dinner.
“My day sucked,” she murmured. “Just had to remove a kid from his parents’ custody for safety reasons and nobody in his family wants him. He has fetal alcohol syndrome and cognitive delays and all the family members say he’s too difficult. We’re struggling to find him a placement. Everything is full. He’s a really sweet kid. Only four. But yeah, he behaves more like a two-year-old and has tantrums and stuff. You would, too, if you lived in squalor surrounded by dirty needles, wore a soiled diaper for days and ate cigarette butts, you were so hungry.”
“Fucking Christ,” he murmured.
Her throat grew tight. It was getting harder and harder to leave work on the other side of the door. She brought her emotions home with her when what she really wanted to do was to bring all the kids without a home, home with her.
She loved what she did, but it was hard.
Tremendously hard.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m sorry, babe. That really sucks.”
She nodded softly and exhaled. She was doing everything she could to help that little boy find a safe place to call home. But bringing her work home with her was not an option and would ultimately serve nobody. They needed to talk about something else.
“Why’d you want information on Scorpios?” Grabbing her phone from the pocket of her cardigan she brought up the information she found, but then decided she was tired of staring at a screen, she’d been staring at one most of the day. So she set the phone down on the arm of the couch. Getting up, she went to the bookshelf her dad made her for Christmas, found her astrology book, and began flipping through the pages until she reached Scorpio. She sat back down beside Jace.
“Bronwyn is a Scorpio,” he said, oblivious to her growing nerves about his ex coming back into the picture.
Damn Six of Cups.
“I just want to know what is says about Scorpios and Libras. Not that it really matters. But I’m curious.”
She found the compatibility chart that stated which signs were most and least compatible with Scorpios in love, friendship and communication.
Relief made her light-headed.
Communication between Scorpio and Libra was low. So was friendship. And it was medium in the love department. Their overall score was low.
Phew .
He leaned over and read more about Scorpio, munching his dinner. She nibbled her spring roll. “Wow, that is Bronwyn to a T,” he finally said. “She’s very loyal and determined. But she can also be secretive, jealous, and resentful.”
“Every sign has positive and negative traits,” Peyton said, determined not to stoop so low as to do a happy dance that he and his ex weren’t astrologically compatible.
“Yeah, I know. But she was really jealous. And resented me training for E.R.T. She said it took away from our time together. She also wanted me to train at the gym she works at, that way we could see each other more. She didn’t like that some female cops train where I train and ‘flaunt’ their bodies around.”
Peyton’s brows lifted. She was determined not to be like Bronwyn, but the thought of Jace being around a bunch of hot female cops in booty shorts and sports bras did make her uneasy.
Either Jace was blissfully ignorant to Peyton’s visceral reactions, or he was choosing not to see that she was trying to tamp down her own jealous tendencies. He kept talking. “I mean, I just don’t like her gym. It’s fine for what it is. But they don’t have the equipment I like. It’s a different vibe of people, that’s all. And, honestly, I don’t even pay attention to the women parading around the gym. There’s not many of them, and yeah, some of them are cops, but they’re all married or in relationships. The other women there are trolling for a very specific reason—”
“A husband?”
He snorted. “Yeah. But we all know it. When I’m in a committed relationship—like I am now—I don’t look at other women. I’ll talk to them if they engage me, but I don’t flirt.” His gaze turned serious. “You believe me, don’t you?”
Peyton nodded gently. Yeah, she did believe him. He was a true Libra, which meant he was truthful. And the fact that Bronwyn had been so jealous and resentful of the gym just made Peyton all the more determined to be the exact opposite. “I trust you,” she finally said .
He kissed her cheek. “Thanks, babe.”
“I am nervous about this Tiberius guy, though.”
Jace exhaled. “Me, too. But right now, we need to leave it up to the cops. No vigilante shit.”
“After Rayma and I were nearly drugged and raped a few years ago, I took some self-defense—”
“Wait, what? When the fuck did this happen?” he interrupted.
“A few years ago. She and Jordan had split up for three years, then he came back to town but was seeing someone else. We ran into him at the bar. Rayma was devastated, so we met these two guys who said they could get us into a hot new club that just opened up. We left with them, but they said we should go grab some drinks at their office. They were Realtors. They said the booze at the club was double what it was everywhere else, so why not just get our buzz on elsewhere? We thought nothing of it, went with them, then they tried to drug us. They beat me up, but Rayma had already taken self-defense classes after what happened to her a few years earlier. Jordan and the cops ended up showing up. The guys were arrested and sentenced to eighteen months.”
“Holy fuck.”
She nodded. “Yeah, turns out they’d pulled that stunt—and been successful—with other women. Those women came forward. But their sentence was still pretty lenient, all things considered. My mum was one of our lawyers, and she was livid at the verdict. She’s made it her mission to tackle these kinds of predators. She does a lot of pro-bono work now for sexual assault victims in the city, works with counselors to give talks to women and all kinds of stuff. Joy—Heath’s mum, is one of those counselors.”
“I had no idea.”
Shrugging, she set her half-eaten spring roll on the napkin, then placed it on the coffee table. “It’s not something I go around blabbing about to just anyone for any reason. It was a pretty traumatic time in my life. I still see a counselor from time to time to check in. But I took some great self-defense classes that have helped with my confidence. It’s part of the reason why it took me so long to move out. I was afraid to be alone anywhere that might remotely be unsafe.”
“Understandable.”
“I also carry pepper spray in my purse, and my keychain has a small switchblade on it. It’s made for women to easily conceal. It looks like a tube of lipstick.”
Leaning forward, he set his almost finished curry on the table, then spun around to face her, lifting his leg closest to her and bending it on the couch. She mimicked his movement and faced him. Cupping her jaw and rubbing his thumb over her cheek, he closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry. For what happened to you, and that it took you so long to feel safe again. And for what’s going on now.”
She angled her face into his touch and shut her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth and safety of his palm.
“If you want to take a step back from … us until this is resolved, I understand. I don’t want you feeling unsafe. With me. Or anyone. Anywhere.”
Blinking open her eyes, she took in his now open eyes, and resigned resolution. He didn’t want to end this anymore than she did, but he was willing to hit pause to keep her safe.
If he was willing to do that, then she was willing to suck it up, put on a fresh pair of big girl panties and hang in there. She already knew Jace was worth it.
Smiling, she shook her head. “No. But thank you for offering. I don’t want to hit pause on what we’re building. Not for anything or anybody. I’ve had an endless stream of shitty boyfriends, so now that I’ve found a good one, I’m not letting you go.”
His grin was reassuring.
The fact that hitting pause might also throw him back into Bronwyn’s orbit was not lost on her, either. She trusted him, but Jace and Bronwyn had history. They also had a common enemy for lack of a better word. Trauma bonding was a real thing, and she wasn’t willing to risk her relationship with Jace because his ex picked a dangerous guy to date after him .
Still smiling, he slanted forward, taking her lips with his. He tasted like coconut and curry. She didn’t hate the flavor. Their kiss deepened and his tongue found its way into her mouth.
Growling, he nipped her bottom lip and pulled away. “Bedroom?”
She sighed. “The communists are in the funhouse.”
That was the tension break they sorely needed. His expression did not disappoint. “Huh?”
She giggled. “I have my period. It’s day two. So, Freddie Kruger would blanch at the bloodshed.”
He shrugged and snorted, snaking his hand to her inner thigh and giving it a suggestive squeeze. “I don’t care if you don’t care.”
“Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Today, I do. It’s a literal murder scene. I’m also crampy, bloated, and between waxes.”
“Isn’t sex supposed to help with cramps, though?”
“It can. But honestly, I just feel like a big bag of hot garbage. I use one of those period discs that allow you to have mess-free sex while on your period. But that’s more of a day three or four kind of thing. Today is just—”
“Full of communists?”
“So many communists. Like Castro and Putin would be losing their damn minds with glee, there are so many communists.”
He snorted again. “Okay. We can just cuddle.” He went to pick up his curry but then paused, snapped his fingers and stood up, heading for the front door.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back in ten minutes, I swear.” Then he was out the door.
She took his mysterious absence as an opportunity to go dump out her disc. Day two was a heavy day, and she was having to empty her disc every two or three hours. She also wore a pantyliner, just in case. Being a woman sucked sometimes.
She had just poured them both a glass of wine when he buzzed her phone to be let back up .
Her appetite was returning, so she sat down on the couch with her wine and finished the rest of her spring roll. The front door opened a moment later.
“Where did you go?”
“Seven-Eleven,” he said, ditching his boots and bringing with him the crisp, cold scent of outside as he sat down beside her. “For chocolate.” He dropped four Lindt chocolate bars on her lap. There was a salted caramel one, an orange chocolate, a straight up milk chocolate and a hazelnut. He picked up his curry from the coffee table.
She stared at the chocolate in her lap, and warm ribbons of joy spun through her as she looked up at him. He grinned at her.
Then, sending the chocolate to the floor, she lunged at him, climbing into his lap and forcing him to quickly set his bowl on the other arm of the couch. She kissed him silly.
His hands wrapped around her back. One worked its way up her neck, holding her in place with gentle possessiveness.
“Thank you,” she said, unable to not grind against his growing erection.
“Anything for you,” he said with a rasp.
She bit his bottom lip and tugged slightly. “I’m really falling for you, Jace Shepherd.”
“I fell for you ages ago, Peyton Doucet.”
Then, they made out on the couch like teenagers, ate Thai takeout and chocolate, and talked until midnight.
It was the best date of her life, and by the time they fell asleep in her bed, she barely thought about Bronwyn, Tiberius or the Six of Cups.
She’d pull both her and Jace cards from the deck tomorrow.
That would help them figure out what to do about Tiberius.
She hoped.