Bleeding Edge: Elliot Security (Elliot Security Series Book 2) by Evie Mitchell (short story to read .txt) 📗

Pax watched me, his eyes entirely too knowing. “We have a policy.”

“No dating the employees.” I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. I know.”

And I’m trying to figure a way around that.

He scratched his chin. “She’s our best analyst, bar Sawyer.”

“She’s our best analyst period.” I corrected. “Sawyer’s a flake. Sure, he gets the job done, but Emmie’s solid as a fucking rock. Her completion rates are–”

Pax shoved a hand in my face, pushing me away. “Just get Jetta to the fucking hospital.”

I shoved him back, chuckling. “I don’t know if I want her there.”

Pax tensed. “Why?”

“Dude, the woman took a blow torch to your safe room.”

“I’m going to fucking kill Jack.” But the man chuckled.

“You’re laughing?”

“She’s a nut. But I can’t but be impressed with her blowtorch skills.”

Jesus. He had it bad.

Jack had spilled the beans. Jetta had experienced an emotional meltdown, taking a blowtorch to a locked room in his house. While impressed, I was also a little concerned.

I knit my fingers together in what I imagined was a stereotypical psych pose. “We gonna talk about your relationship? It’s been a long time coming.”

Pax turned away, calling over his shoulder. “Sure. I’ll bring the tea, you bring the crumpets. We’ll both hand our balls in at the door.”

“It’s called Toxic Masculinity, Paxton!” I yelled after him. “A real man learns to embrace his emotions!”

He flicked me the bird over his shoulder.

It took me less than twenty minutes to swing by and pick up Jetta from Pax’s. She chatted nervously in the car, rubbing her palms repeatedly on her thighs, tracing a thumb over the tattoo on her other wrist.

“You good?”

“Yeah.” Her thumb flicked over the tattoo again. “You and Paxton are close, right?”

“Mm.”

“I…” She stopped, biting her lip.

“You?” I prompted.

She blew out a long breath. “Nothing.”

My shoulders tensed. I had sisters. I knew what nothing said in that tone meant.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Ah, fuck.

At the hospital, we got out of the car, heading to Emmie’s room. I let Jetta lead, my hand slipping into my back pocket to pull out my phone.

Luc: Code 501

Addie: Really? Who this time?

Luc: Jetta. We’re visiting Emmie.

Addie: On my way. You OWE me.

As soon as we hit Emmie’s room the wall broke. Jetta cracked, big crazy tears breaking free as she sobbed. I ushered her into a chair, then went to the nurses’ station for tissues. By the time I returned, Emmie had also begun to cry uncontrollably.

Hurry up, Addie!

I handed out tissues, made soothing sounds, and was generally useless in the face of the sobbing.

Just as I reached breaking point, Addie appeared, handing me her purse, and quickly setting the room to rights. And throwing me under a bus.

“I cannot believe you used a five-oh-one on us!”

“Emmie–”

“No.” She held a hand up, halting my excuses. “You can go and sit in that chair.” She pointed to one in the far corner of the room.

“You sit, you read the newspaper, and you pretend you cannot hear a word we’re saying.” She narrowed her eyes menacingly. “And if you say one word from today’s–”

“I get it.” I grinned, struggling not to laugh. “Calm ya tits.”

Her back went ramrod straight. “Calm my–”

“Would you prefer soothe your breasts?” I asked, blinking innocently.

“I’ll soothe your–” She threw back the covers, struggling to move.

“Fine.” I made a settle motion with my hands. “I’ll sit quietly–”

“Silently!”

“Silently,” I agreed, “in the corner and let you girls chat.”

Now I listened with half an ear, flicking through a trashy magazine while Emmie let rip on her frustrations. Personally, I thought she had every reason to be pissed with the world. The woman had taken a bullet for God’s sake.

They moved on to Jetta and Paxton’s relationship, and I felt like a voyeur listening to my best friend’s girlfriend spill her deepest hopes and fears for their relationship.

I finally had to interrupt when they started celebrating Jetta and Paxton’s successful coitus.

“No. Nope. I don’t want to hear about the sexual prowess of my best friend and boss.” I shook my head, lips curling.

“So, don’t listen.” Addie threw a pen at me. I caught it mid-air, tucking it behind my ear. I shot her a grin, then shuddered as they immediately went back to relationship dissection.

Jesus. Women really overthink shit.

I gave up fake listening right around the point Jetta declared she may love Paxton, but she couldn’t trust him. Apparently when a man leaves you just a few days after your parents’ funeral to join the army and you don’t hear from him for ten years, there is some unresolved shit.

“I need to sort my head and sort my issues with him so we can move onto a path where we have an actual partnership.” She carried on for another moment and I sighed. As much as I liked Jetta, I couldn’t let my brother hang. I dropped the magazine, standing.

“Having this conversation with him, not your girls would be a good start.”

I shouldn’t have bothered to try and drop my truth bombs on these undeserving cretins. Emmie and Addie both glared daggers while Jetta looked at me with all the pain in the world in her eyes. I stretched, trying to be the best wingman.

Dude, you owe me.

“Look, Pax has shit he still has to deal with. Shit he hasn’t.” I folded my arms over my chest, rubbing absently at the patch of puckered skin where the bullet had torn through my bicep.

“We’re men. We don’t do emotion and stuff on a good day. But worse, we’re army− we don’t do crying and emotions and bullshit like that because that’s not what gets you through tours of duty. I came home to a mother and sisters who wouldn’t leave me alone. They basically moved in with me and made me talk. You ever met my mother? She makes Leigh Anne Tuohy look like a lamb.”

Emmie snorted. “Is that a Blind Side reference?”

I shook my head. “I thought it was a football movie. It is not.” I turned back to