3. Finn

FINN

When it was clear the Cougars weren't gonna win the game, I snuck off the bleachers and headed to my car. I liked to catch the high school games when I could because it reminded me of my glory days. The days when I was a hotshot quarterback all the girls wanted to date and half the boys did too.

Back when I was king of my world.

Fuck, that felt like an eternity ago. In reality, it was more like twenty years, but it might as well have been fifty. During that time, I built a career I was proud of and had a good network of people I cared about and who cared about me, but that wasn't the same as being happy.

I wasn't unhappy, but I wasn't exactly content either.

I was just…here. At least, that was how it felt most of the time.

Since being promoted to sergeant, I spent most of my time behind a desk, doing paperwork for my team and the department and the press and just about everyone else who needed a statement, explanation, or a damn signature.

My right hand hadn't gotten so much use since I was thirteen years old and discovered Men's Health magazine. Only now, it got cramps from writing my name so often instead of jerkin" off.

Of course, sometimes I did that too, but not nearly as often as I needed. Maybe a lay would get me out of the funk I'd been in lately. Being single used to be a badge of honor. It meant I was free to do what I wanted, when I wanted, with no boundaries or chains tying me down.

And for a few years after college, I sowed my oats like the best of them.

That got real old real fast.

Now, I just needed a partner. Someone to take care of. Someone to come home to. Someone to come home to me. Someone to love.

But that wasn't something I could do anything about tonight. Tonight, I was gonna pick up a six-pack and some chips and think about cleaning out my garage over the weekend. Not exactly setting the world on fire, but it would kill time until I went back to work on Monday morning.

And most days, all I ever did was kill time until I went back to work.

It was a quarter after nine when I pulled into the minimart parking lot. There were just a few other cars in the lot, so I figured I'd be able to run in, get my shit, and run back out. If I hit all the green lights, I could be home before nine-thirty and workin" on my second beer before the ten-o'clock news reported the final score of the game.

When I got into the store, I nodded at Archie, the owner, and headed straight for the drink section along the back wall. As I passed the first aisle, I noticed a huge dude standing over the rack of medicines.

He glanced up at me and was gorgeous, but I quickly averted my eyes, not interested in striking up a conversation. Continuing on my usual route, I turned down the sweets aisle and grabbed a Snickers. A cute guy was staring at the breakfast foods, studying a box of Pop-Tarts as he clutched a tube of cookie dough.

Damn, I had no idea all the hot guys hung out at the minimart on Friday nights.

I slowed down just past the cereals and looked at the chip options. Doritos were my go-to but Flamin" Hot Cheetos looked good too. After two seconds of deliberation, I grabbed both bags and turned toward the refrigerator cases.

I heard the bell above the front door chime, indicating someone else had entered the store, but I didn't bother to look up. The musclehead was standing beside me, pulling out a bottle of water, and I was trying to get a better look at him. His jeans were tight, showing off a bubble butt that was downright biteable, when raised voices got my attention.

Turning toward the front of the store, I took a quick inventory of the scene. The kid with a sweet tooth was standing at the end of the aisle, closer to the register than to me and the beefcake.

With slow movements, I leaned around a diaper display and saw a man, who was almost completely covered up in an oversized hoodie and face mask, waving a gun at Archie. "Open it up, old man. Hurry."

"He's being robbed." The guy in the jeans was suddenly closer to me, crouching down to hide some of his mass from the action at the front. "I'm calling the police."

"I am the police." I snapped my fingers to get the attention of the kid, but he was just staring at the man with a gun, frozen in place. I turned on the video on my phone and began recording everything I could see and hear. There were cameras in the store, but since I didn't know if they were all working or what they were capturing, I wanted to make my job easier after we got out of there. Especially if someone got hurt. "But yeah, call them while I get this guy out of the way."

In a low crouch, I shuffled down the aisle and grabbed the guy"s hand, aiming the camera in his direction at first and then pointing it back toward the front.

He gasped and suddenly realized what was happening. As if finally waking up, he immediately started hyperventilating.

We didn't have time for a panic attack, so I yanked him to the floor. "Shh, shh. You're okay."

"Hey, who's there? Get out here where I can see you." The man with the gun was shouting at me, obviously reminded that he wasn't alone in the store. "Do it now unless you want me to spray the wall with the old man's brain."

Fuck. "I'm coming." I looked the man in the eyes and held my finger over my lips, reminding him to stay quiet as I gave him a shove toward the back of the store. "Don't shoot."

The buff guy appeared again, gently pulling the kid toward cover. Good. The farther back they were, the less chance they'd be hit by stray shots if any were fired. His gaze locked with mine, and he nodded as I did the same.

Then I stood up with my hands held close to my ears and my phone poking out of my front pocket with the camera still rolling, I presented myself to Archie and his robber. "Just take the money and go, man. No need for the gun."

"Don't tell me what I need, asshole." He turned the gun to Archie again. "Where's the cash?"

"This is it." Archie slid a small stack of bills across the counter. "I don't get a lot of cash in here, but…do you want beer or cigarettes?"

"Gimme your phone and wallet." Then he turned to me. "You too."

I left the camera on and was careful to hold my phone with the screen facing the floor then reached for my wallet too. "Take my cash and credit cards." I opened my wallet and pulled out the cash. When I had it all in my hand, I reached around the man and placed everything on the counter. I had a few hundreds in my wallet, so the guy seemed distracted by his haul, giving me the opportunity to knock the gun out of his hand and elbow him on the side of the head, disorienting him long enough to get him to the ground.

The other customer, the big guy, appeared beside me once again, kicking away the gun and digging his knee into the man's back to hold him in place. "Police are coming."

I didn't have cuffs on me, so I turned to Archie. "You have zip ties back there?"

"Sure do, Finn." Archie grabbed a red bag that was obviously a first-aid kit from under the counter and quickly pulled out a small handful of zip ties. "I remembered when you told me to keep these on hand."

I smiled and took them, grateful we'd done a city-wide "Ready for Anything" campaign with all the local merchants last summer. "Good job, Arch. You okay?"

He nodded, and his shoulders dropped. "Yeah, I knew you'd take care of things, so I wasn't worried. Good timing, right?"

"I guess you could say that." I chuckled quietly as I secured the guy"s wrists behind his back and then his ankles to each other. "I'm just glad he didn't panic and pull the trigger."

"Is it over yet?" The soft voice from the end of the aisle made us all turn back to the kid I'd almost forgotten about. Not because he was forgettable but because the asshole was squirming in his restraints and had managed to nail me right in the ankle with his steel-toed boot.

"Yeah, you're safe now, kid. You can come out."

Just then, lights and sirens filled the parking lot, bringing the backup I needed.

Thank fuck. I was anxious to hand this guy off to someone else so I could make sure the other customers were okay. The two men with big eyes who were evoking feelings I couldn't quite name and I wasn't entirely comfortable with.

Those two customers probably thought they were going to die tonight, or at least witness someone else die. That was a traumatic experience for an average citizen. I wouldn't be able to rest until I knew they were okay to get home and had people who could support them if they broke down later on.