Page 36 of Their Naughty Student
Ben studied me momentarily, then grinned, his white teeth flashing.“Cav.I didn’t recognize you without the hat.”He motioned toward my chair as he moved around the table.“Please.Sit.”
Straightforward and efficient, that was how I remembered Ben.Seemed he was still that way.
I eased back into my chair, dividing my attention between the two of them as they sat across from me.
“Sorry I’m late,” Ben said.“I had a meeting that ran long.”
“We were talking about him managing people,” Zeke explained.“Said he can do it.”
Ben smiled, staring down at a sheet of paper in a folder he’d brought with him.A quick peek at it told me he was looking at my resume.
“Says you graduated from Columbia, then went on to be a police officer?”Ben looked up.
Since he didn’t ask why the career choice, I answered with a simple, “I was.”
He glanced down again.“For six years.Why’d you leave law enforcement?”
I leaned back in my chair, relaxed as much as I could.This topic generally had my insides churning, but I knew it was unavoidable.
“I was shot,” I told him straight.“My partner was killed.”
Ben’s expression softened.“I’m sorry to hear that.How old was he?”
“Four,” I told him.
Understanding dawned on his face.“Canine.”
“Correct.”
“That sucks,” Zeke muttered.It was possibly the first time I’d heard a sympathetic tone from the man.
“He’s got a dog,” Ben explained.“Probably close to the same age?”he asked Zeke.
“Yeah.His name’s Tank.”Zeke’s dark eyes locked on my face.“What happened?”
I went on to explain the night in question.I’d been called in for a search of a suspect who’d just robbed a local convenience store.After half an hour of trekking through a wooded area, Kano and I came upon the suspect hiding in a pile of brush.After I ordered him to stay put or be bitten, the man had decided fleeing was the appropriate response to my order.He ran, Kano ran.My partner tackled him seconds before a shot sounded.
“I watched Kano fall,” I explained, the pain from the memory eating away at my gut.“I didn’t think at that point, just started to run.My only thought was to save him.”Pain hit me square in the chest as the words tumbled out.“That was when the suspect fired at me.He hit me three times.In the shoulder, the arm, and the gut.”Phantom pains ghosted through me as I relived it.“I shot him, killed him.”
“That fucking sucks,” Zeke bit out through gritted teeth.“Fucking sucks.”
Yeah.That about summed it up.Although the surgeons had managed to save my life, no one had saved Kano.I had mourned the loss throughout the year it had taken to recover physically.To this day, I haven’t completely gotten over losing him.Wasn’t sure I ever would.
“I decided it was time to retire,” I told them.
“Can’t say I blame you,” Ben said, his voice reflecting his sympathy.He peered down at my resume for a moment before looking back at me.“You’ve hopped around a few times since then.”
I nodded.
“Four companies in the past five years.”He folded his hands on his flat stomach.“Are you looking to settle?”
“I am,” I admitted, glancing over at Zeke.“I’ve got the experience you’re looking for.I’ve got the drive to assist in building this division.And I don’t have an issue managing people.”
Zeke sat up, placed his elbows on the table.“I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not all that great with people.I am, however, damn good at what I do.You’d be responsible for managing the team, hiring, firing, that sort of thing.I’ll oversee, handle my own clients, and work with you to expand.”His eyes narrowed.“But I need to know you’ll stick around.”
Direct and to the point, that summed up Zeke Lautner pretty well.
“I’ll stick,” I assured him.“I think I knew I’d end up back here one day.”
