Free GetOn by Regina Cole

decided there wasn’t anything left for
me in Texas. So I’ve been traveling for the past two years.” Mia laughed, a
little sadly. “I’ve had eight jobs during that time. Most of them piercing, but
some of them, well, let’s just say the phrase ‘do you want fries with that?’
figured pretty heavily in a couple.”
    Garrett reached over and threaded his fingers through hers.
“No shame in working for a living, Mia.”
    “I know.” She leaned her head back against the booth and
stared at the ceiling. “I was in Arkansas for about a month. Louisiana for
three. Before coming here, that was the longest I’d stayed anywhere.”
    His thumb began making lazy circles over her knuckles. “You
really miss her, don’t you?”
    Tears sprang to her eyes at the question. “Of course I do. Abuela was my world. When my mom ran off, she was there. When my dad died, she was
there. When I got in trouble, she would scream at me then we’d hug one another
and cry for hours. She was my rock.” Mia dashed the tears away with her free
hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just…sorry.”
    “Stop apologizing,” Garrett said as he slid around the
booth. Mia melted into him as he wrapped his arms around her. “I understand.
And it’s okay.”
    Mia snuggled into his chest, dragging a deep breath in
through her nose. He smelled so good, and his broad hands felt amazing as they
rubbed her back comfortingly. She could definitely get used to being held by
Garrett.
    “Was it like this for you?” The question came without
thought, but she was kind of glad it had. “When you lost her?”
    Garrett’s lips pressed against her hair.
    “Not really.”
     
    Damn it, those words were supposed to stay inside his head.
He sighed, the breeze of his breath ruffling her curls.
    “Will you tell me?” Her words were muffled against his
chest.
    He raised his head, half-hoping the waiter would appear and
let him off the hook. No such luck.
    It wasn’t any of her business how he’d felt when Priscilla
died, was it? She sniffed then, and he became painfully aware of the spot of
wetness on his shirt. She’d laid her heart bare to him. The least he could do
was show his scars too.
    The song changed then, Frankie Blue Eyes claiming he had the
world on a string. With the cheerful tune as subtle background, Garrett spoke.
    “We’d been living together for about eight months,” he said,
toying with one of Mia’s nearly black curls. “Her name was Priscilla Hughes.
She said she loved me, and I was working up the nerve to say it too. But I
wasn’t sure.” His lids slid closed as the story turned darker. “Anyway, I had
worked undercover on this huge drug bust. Of course, it was Ford. There was a
lot of news coverage on the story and someone let my name slip. Ford didn’t
miss it. He tracked me down…” Garrett’s throat went tight, but he held Mia
close and continued. “But he found Priscilla first. He had her killed.”
    “Oh my god,” Mia said, her words full of shock. She pulled
back to look at him, her green eyes sad. “That’s awful.”
    “It was my fault,” Garrett shrugged one shoulder. “I should
have been more careful. The leak wouldn’t have happened if—”
    “How is it your fault someone couldn’t keep their trap shut?
God, Garrett, you aren’t responsible for this. I hope they fired the fucker—no,
I hope they beat the shit out of him.” Mia’s small hands curled into fists, and
her chin tilted up stubbornly.
    “The leak in the department was taken care of,” Garrett
soothed, sparing a thought for the new secretary who had been fired
immediately. Her fifteen seconds of fame related to such a talked-about case hadn’t
lasted. “But I sort of… Well, I kinda went off the rails.” The admission cost
him, and he moved over, putting a bit of distance between him and Mia. “Ford’s
father got all the drug charges against his son dropped. There wasn’t any proof
to connect him to Priscilla’s death. The hit man