Fighting Chance (Misty Grove Book 1) Read Free Page B

returns from Lexington, I want you to have a chat with him about reining in his people,” the DA instructed.
    Trent grunted. “Why don’t I go have a chat with Ms. Reed tomorrow?” Edington was about twenty minutes away from Misty Grove depending on traffic. It wouldn’t take too much of his time away from the sheriff’s office to get this task off his list.
    Grimes chuckled. “I thought you had an encounter with the girl earlier. I know you just gave us the CliffsNotes version of what transpired between you two. Am I right?”
    “Yeah,” Trent admitted. “Didn’t want to give Bowman more ammunition against her. We’ve sorted out our differences and that’s all you need to know. I don’t understand these cautionary tales regarding Ms. Reed. I’ve dealt with her. I can handle her.”
    Amusement glinted in the DA’s eyes. “Your funeral.”

    So now Trent returned to his apartment, his head full of the sexy hellion he’d met this afternoon, and tried to convince himself he was just doing his job. He hadn’t planned on staying as sheriff for long, only until the next election, which was six months from now. Trent liked the bustle of big cities like Dallas and New York. Silence made him hyperaware and uneasy, like he was back in stealth mode waiting for an ambush.  
    He’d left the military six years ago when he was thirty, and yet there were times when flashes of that dangerous life came back to haunt him—a life where he could have lost his humanity and become nothing more than a killing machine. He had pulled himself back and quit before he’d crossed that point of no return. Upon exiting the military, he got his company, Stone Tacticals, off the ground right away. His aim was to provide specialized training for law-enforcement units like the SWAT. He also had contracts evaluating high-threat personnel and site security. Trent sighed, remembering he had some contracts open he needed to wrap up. It was mostly consultancy work, and he’d been upfront about it to the governor that it was non-negotiable for him to break those agreements. He couldn’t tarnish his reputation, given this sheriff gig wasn’t forever.
    He was about to unlock his apartment door when a curvy blonde dressed in a pink tank and white shorts moseyed over, carrying a basket of what smelled like baked goods.  
    “Hi, Sheriff Stone.”
    “Pia. How are you?”
    Pia was his neighbor two doors down. Like Trent, she had just moved to Edington and worked as a nurse at County Hospital. As much as Trent didn’t want to think that her intentions were anything but neighborly, he wasn’t dense. She wanted to sleep with him, but he wasn’t keen on jumping into bed with her. For one thing, he didn’t fuck neighbors, because if shit went south it would be hell living next to each other. Like you were divorced, but you still had to stay together. Secondly, he wasn’t sticking around for long, and he damn well wasn’t looking for a fuck buddy, and that was all this would become. He wasn’t cut out for relationships.
    “I’m fine.” The blonde pouted, and it could be Trent’s imagination, but she pushed out her double Ds more. “You were gone since last night.”
    “Long shift. Had a couple of calls I was needed on.”
    “Hope everything is okay now.”
    “It’s settled.”
    Pia held out the basket. “I made some muffins this afternoon. Thought you might want some.”
    Trent reluctantly accepted the offering. “Thanks. They look tasty.”
    “You want some coffee?” She reached out and stroked his arm suggestively. “Or tea? I’ve got a couple of hours before my shift.”
    “Pia,” he said firmly. “I’m really busy. I still need to get some work done.”
    “You’re always busy.”
    “Life of a sheriff, I guess.” He smiled wryly to soften the rejection. She was making it difficult for him not to act like a jerk.
    Finally taking the hint, she turned around, making sure he had a full view of her ass in very tiny shorts.