Broken Boys Crave Chaos by JB Heller
ChapterThree
Squirrel infestations…That’s today’s big story. Fucking, squirrels.
It’s Thursday afternoon, and I stare at the clock on the wall opposite my desk, watching the seconds drag. Each one feels longer than the last as squirrels run laps inside my head. I really, really, hate this job.
“Look alive, Haines,” my coworker Tony says, strutting around the office like a freaking peacock.
I kick back in my chair, lacing my fingers behind my head. “Is there a purpose to this little show?”
“Fuck yeah, dude. You and me are hitting the town tonight! It’s time to get some.”
“That’s a solid no from me, dudebro.” I’ve got no idea why he would think I’d party with him, I never have before.
He freezes right in front of my desk. “You need to get laid, man. You know it, I know it. Hell, the whole office knows it.”
What the fuck?My brows do a nosedive. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been a moody bastard for months, and I finally figured out why. You’re all work and no play. We took a vote, and seeing as I’m the one who worked out what your problem is, everyone decided it falls to me to fix you,” he says, a massive smile splitting his face.
I slowly blink, then tilt my head as I stare at him. Sitting forward, I flatten my hands on my desk and glare at the stupid prick. “Are you fucking kidding me? Did it not occur to any of you nosey bastards—” I flick my eyes to my other coworkers hiding in the kitchen, seriously? “You know what, no. My sex life has nothing to do with my mood, okay. I’m not going out with you Tony.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t even like you. Why would I party with you?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air, my frustration reaching its peak.
Tony flinches. “Harsh, dude.”
Closing my eyes, I rub my temples. “You, and the rest of those assholes,” I say, throwing my voice so the others can hear me, “should find something else to talk about. Something that doesn’t involve me, or my sex life.” I roll my chair back and stand.
“Oh, come on. What else are we going to talk about? Squirrels?” He chuckles.
And that does it. “I’m out. If anyone asks, I have a migraine.” I grab my bag, slide my laptop inside, and get my ass out of there.
* * *
Strollingdown main street with my hands shoved in my pockets, I seriously consider going to work for Quinn Plaza’s lifestyle magazine. If I have to write another article about rogue wildlife, I’ll go insane. Like proper, certifiably insane.
My car is parked a block away, and I enjoy the crisp fresh air as I walk. I’m just about to go past the ice creamery when a flash of hot pink catches my eye just inside the door. I’d recognizes Chance’s bling’d out stroller anywhere.
I push the swinging door open, making the bell above it chime.
Chance glances back over her shoulder and beams at me. “Hey, you! What are you doing here?” she asks as she wraps her arms around me in a quick hug.
“I got off work a little early,” I say, leaving it at that. “How’s the princess doing today?” I peek around the side of the stroller and give Chance’s adopted daughter Arieanna a little finger wave. “Hey, baby girl,” I coo. She grins around a mouthful of her chubby little toes. Turning back to Chance, I tell her, “She gets cuter every time I see her.”
“I know.” Pride emanates from her as she loops her arms through the crook of my elbow, then nudges the stroller forward as the line progresses. “Now that you’re here, you can spend some quality time with us. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
I roll my eyes. “Always so dramatic. I saw you guys on the weekend at Mase and Scout’s place.”
“Yeah, but I mean just you and me, like old times. We don’t do that anymore.”
She has a point, we used to spend most of our free time together. “Things change,” I say, shrugging. “You have Ari now. I kinda have Harley…”
“When did we become adults?” she asks on a sigh. “I feel like I just woke up one day and everything was different.”
I chuckle. “That’s because that’s exactly what happened.”
When it’s our turn to order, I leave it up to Chance to pick for me and push Ari’s stroller back outside to get us a table on the street under the striped awning. I turn the stroller around so Ari is facing me, then unclip her seatbelt and lift her onto my lap.
“Aren’t you the cutest thing,” I say, nuzzling my nose against hers. She burbles something and grabs a fist full of my hair. I chuckle as I untangle her fingers. “Easy, you little savage.”
Ari was abandoned at a fire station when she was just a few days old. I don’t understand people sometimes; how could anyone feel anything but love and adoration for this precious little angel?
“You can’t help yourself, can you?” Chance asks, taking a seat next to me, then extending a waffle cone topped with cookie dough ice cream in my direction.
“Thanks.” I accept my cone and quickly lick the side before it can drip on my dress pants. “Can’t help what?”
She points at Ari then me. “You gotta love up on her at every opportunity. It’s cute.”
I scoff, handing my ice-cream back to chance so I can return Ari to her stroller and fasten her belt then tell Chance, “I am not cute.” Snatching my cone back, I glare at her as I take a big bite.
“Yeah, you are,” a woman dressed in tight black jeans, a black tank, and a matching black leather jacket, with a long black braid hanging down her spine, says as she passes us.
I inhale at her words, causing the ice cream to slide down my throat the wrong way. Oh, shit. I cough, and cough some more, but by the time I’m done she’s long gone. I drop my forehead on the table and groan.
“Smooth as always.” Chance chuckles.
My hand raises and flips her the bird. I don’t even bother lifting my head as she bursts out laughing.
And here I was, fool enough to think my afternoon was taking a turn for the better when I saw her.
“Yeah, you are,”Snow mocks as we make our way down the sidewalk of Main Street after stopping in at our current skipper’s girlfriend’s workplace.
I flick my gaze to her, and she smirks. Shaking my head, I slug her in the shoulder. “He was cute. You saw him holding that baby, right?”
“Of course, I did. I’m not blind. Just didn’t know you were into nerds. Or babies. Or guys who are clearly taken.”
My jaw drops. “I was just backing up his wife, not dropping my drawers for him.”
“Sure, you were.” She chuckles as we reach my truck in the parking garage at the end of the block.
“You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are,” I mutter, sliding in behind the wheel. I crank the ignition and pull out of the garage, heading for the address that Blade, the skipper’s girlfriend, just handed over.
We’d already gone to his house, his mother’s place, his best friend’s, and his workplace. Good thing for us, the girlfriend is pissed as hell at him for missing his court date. It took all of five minutes and a fifty-dollar target gift card for her to throw his stupid ass under the bus.
Snow punches the address into the GPS as I manoeuvre out of the parking garage, then we’re on our way.
* * *
When I pullthe truck to the curb outside the address, I peer out the windshield and frown. “You sure this is the right place?”
Snow nods but pulls the Post-it she’d scribbled it on from the file to double check. “Yep, this is definitely it. Bit fancier then I was expecting.”
“You and me both,” I agree. Blade is hauled up in one of the nicest apartment buildings I’ve ever seen. It’s a newer one, too, at least ten stories high, built in the last year or so, overlooking a huge park. “What floor’s he supposed to be on?”
“Sixth.”
“You think Jenny gave him the heads-up we’re coming?” I ask.
Snow purses her lips as she considers it then shakes her head, her black bob swishing around her ears. “Nah, that girl was fuming. We’re fine.”
“Cool cool, I won’t bother calling in Val then,” I say, opening my door and rounding the truck to pop the trunk. I grab my vest, throw it over my head, then tuck a can of pepper spray in my back pocket for just in case. Snow joins me a moment later, gearing up.
After I lock up the truck, we approach the building steps, side by side. There’s a dude sitting on them, smoke in one hand, cell in the other. He’s wearing a hoodie his face buried in his phone. As I step onto the first step, he lifts his head, his brown eyes widen, and he jumps to his feet.
I grin and launch into a sprint as he takes off inside the building’s lobby.
Blade glances over his shoulder as he runs, throwing him slightly off course, and he crashes into a guy, sending them both sprawling across the marbled floor. I keep my focus locked on Blade as I pounce, turning him to his front then straddling his hips as I yank his arms up behind him.
“What the fuck!” he hollers, struggling to free himself from my hold. He manages to wrench one wrist from my grasp before I can lock the cuff around it, so I snap it onto my own, securing us together.
He rolls, throwing me off, but I don’t go far. The adrenaline pumping through my veins prevents me from feeling any pain as my shoulder strains when he pushes up to his feet.
Snow strides inside the lobby, pepper spray in hand and a crazed smile on her pale face. “That wasn’t very smart,” she says. I cover my mouth and nose with my forearm right as she presses down on the trigger point, spraying Blade.
Blade screams in pain, dropping to his knees as he scrubs at his eyes, tugging me across the slippery floor. I slide around behind him, then snatch his free hand from his face, jerking it up behind his back and swapping the cuff on my wrist to his.
“You bitch!” he curses out Snow, tears pouring down his red stained cheeks.
She ignores him, stepping around to offer me a hand up. “You okay?”
I nod once. “Fine.”
When Blade attempts to get to his feet again, she plants a booted foot in his back, sending his face crashing into the shiny marble floor. Snow keeps her foot in place, securing him while I go check on the other dude—the one he knocked on his ass when he bolted.
Tilting my head, gaze raking over him, I extend my hand to help him up and say, “Hi.” His big blue eyes take me in, then flick to Blade and Snow. He seems familiar. “It’s okay, we’re Bond Enforcement Agents.” I point out the title printed across the top of my bullet proof vest. “Our man over there skipped bail and we’re taking him in.”
I didn’t think it was even possible, but his eyes widen farther, and he gapes at me. I’m beginning to think he might be special or something as his mouth opens and closes, no sound passing his lips.
Eventually, he takes my hand and gets to his feet. “Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes sweeping over me.
Frowning, I peer down at myself then look back to his concerned face. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. All part of the job.”
He runs a hand through his disheveled dark brown hair, pushing it away from his face as he shakes his head. His blue eyes search mine, sending a startling shiver down my spine the longer they stay locked on mine. His lips quirk in a half smile, and he says, “That was… unexpected. You’re sure you’re okay? That looked pretty rough.” He reaches hand toward my arm. “Your shoulder—”
“Right as rain.” I take a small step back, just out of his reach. “It might be a little strained, but it’ll be fine. Are you alright? If not, I’ll have to call this in.”
“No, yeah… I mean, yes. I’m fine also,” he stammers, then shakes his head as he rubs the side of his neck again.
And that’s when it clicks. I know why he seems familiar. “You’re still cute,” I say with a wink. “Lucky it was you he took down and not your wife or baby.”
“My wi—oh, fuck no! Chance is my aunt,” he blurts, clearly horrified.
An abrupt burst of shocked laughter erupts from my chest. “Oh my God, I’m sorry. I just assumed.”