Garda - Welcome to the Realm Read Online Free Page A

ride.” I leaned into the car, resting my left arm on the roof.
    “Sure!” her smile was so bright I needed my own sunglasses to truly enjoy it.
    “I’ll talk to you later, Corey. Be safe tonight.”
    “Always.”
    I watched her put her hand on the gearshift and stood up, closing the door. She pulled her sunglasses back into place and waved briefly before she peered over her shoulder to back out.
    I stood at the curb, waiting for her to get out of sight, not able to turn my back on her for one second.
    Why did I feel so drawn to that woman? I walked into the store to grab my coffee, excited to be going to work. The possibility of talking or seeing her again tonight was foremost in my mind.
     
    ~ Corey ~
    Was it possible to be giddy at the age of thirty-two? The question rattled around in my mind. Giddy? No. That was something teenagers were when they had a crush on someone, not a professional adult, and not about a married man.
    “Damn! Why does he have to be married?” I asked myself as I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Mitch still standing on the curb.
    “Married—he’s married, as in a wife and possibly kids. Let it go, Corey.” I reached for the volume knob and cranked up the music, singing out loud to some good classic Eagles.
    My shift started out busy, but by eleven the radio was dead quiet everywhere in this part of the county. Not really surprising for a Tuesday night, but it made for a much longer shift.
    My laptop beeped next to me, and I absently lifted the heavy silver lid of the Motorola computer to see what message had arrived.
    “Busy?” was written on my screen from a city unit. I pulled up the roster, seeing that the call number was assigned to Mitch tonight.
    “Bored,” I typed back.
    “Coffee?” My laughter echoed in my car, a man of few words.
    “Sure. You buying?”
    “Yep,” came a few seconds later.
    “16 oz French vanilla creamer,” I typed back.
    “K, where do you want to meet?”
    I thought for a second, trying to come up with a good place. “Behind warehouse on Market—that electronics place,” I sent to him and he acknowledged. Butterflies wiggled in my belly as I started heading in that direction. It would take him a few minutes to get the coffee, so I did some neighborhood patrol on the way.
    I drove to the location, turned the headlights off, and climbed out. It was a beautiful night, a calm soft breeze blowing with warm temperatures, perfect for standing outside to have coffee.
    I heard the growl of his engine and the reflection of his headlights on a trash dumpster before I saw his car. The butterflies I had felt earlier took flight. Coffee, this is just coffee, I told myself.
    Mitch smiled as he pulled up, turning off his lights and opening his door before he grabbed our cups. I walked over to take mine from him. Our fingers touched, and the butterflies went wild. I walked back to my car, resting my backside on the front driver’s side above the wheel.
    He did the same on his car, pulling back the lid on his cup to let the heat out; a swirl of steam rose up to his face. I watched it pass his features.
    “How’s your night going?” Did my voice sound as shaky as I felt?
    “Better now,” he grinned. I took a sip of my coffee.
    “Why now?” I asked after I swallowed the hot, sweet liquid.
    “I got to see you.” He winked, “You are much better to look at than the bozo guys I work with.”
    “Oh, come on, those guys are great!” I laughed.
    “Yeah, they are great, but,” he turned away, “it’s nice to talk to someone who isn’t them.”
    “I know what you mean. It gets quiet out where I am. Sometimes there’s no one to talk to.”
    “Somehow I can’t imagine you being lonely. I’m sure you get messages all night long from guys wanting to talk to you.”
    I threw my head back and laughed, shaking my head as I spoke, “Not really. I keep to myself most of the time.”
    “Why is that?” his voice took on a serious tone.
    My shoulders rose