He couldn’t do this.
“It’s a lot to take in,” Travis said he leaned his shoulder into the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Get out,” Bailey said bitterly. All he could think about was how Harley had said all the right things, done all the right things, and the entire time he had been playing Bailey for a fool. He couldn’t go through that again. He wasn’t sure how things played out in the nonhuman world, but in his world a broken heart was a broken heart.
Travis straightened, giving Bailey a firm nod. “Am I taking Jordan with me?”
Bailey wanted to shout yes. He wanted to tell Travis to take Jordan and get the fuck out. So why did the guilt begin to eat away at him? Bailey wanted Jordan gone and he didn’t want him to leave. He was so damn confused right now that he was getting a migraine. “Yes.”
Travis didn’t say another word as he turned and walked into the living room. Bailey took a seat at the kitchen table, wrapping his arms around his stomach as the old, familiar pain of having his heart ripped out began to resurface once again.
Why couldn’t anyone understand that he was scared to love again? He was bone-deep terrified of trusting someone else with his heart. He laid his forehead on the table and sighed deeply, wondering if he was doing the right thing.
It didn’t matter because Bailey was through being another man’s sucker.
* * * *
Standing in the kitchen of the fire station, Bailey watched as Travis sat in one of the lounging chairs, scarfing down a plate of pasta and watching TV. He looked so damn normal. If Bailey hadn’t known that Travis could change into a wolf, he never would have guessed it.
“In my office,” the chief said as he stood in the hallway by the kitchen. As Bailey followed behind Bear, he wondered why the chief was in such a pissy mood. He wracked his brain but couldn’t think of anything he had done wrong.
As soon as he cleared the doorway, Bear pointed to the chair in front of his desk. Bailey immediately sat down.
Bear leaned against his desk, crossing his large arms over his chest. “I’m told that you know about shifters.”
Bailey’s heart immediately began to pound in his chest. The only way the chief would know was if he was a shifter himself. That knowledge made Bailey feel as if he didn’t know his friends at all. He nodded as he tried to bring his racing heart under control.
“I’m also told that Jordan is your mate.”
“I don’t want a husband,” Bailey thoughtlessly snapped at Bear. It mattered that the guy was his chief, and normally Bailey respected his superiors. But if Bear was taking this to a personal level, then Bailey felt as if he could speak his mind—attitude and all.
“Let me guess,” Bear’s tone was cutting. “Because of Harley, you’ve sworn off all men.”
“Pretty much,” Bailey said in a flippant tone. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
Bear stood to his full height, glowering down at Bailey. “Oh, I understand. I know what it’s like to have my heart ripped out. Spencer isn’t my first love.”
Bailey stood and moved a few steps away, needing the room. “Then you should know what I’m going through. Are you here to speak up for Jordan? Did he put you up to this?”
“Hardly. But I know you can’t shut yourself off. Harley was an idiot, and he was human. Things work differently in the shifter world. A mate means something totally different than what you had with that asshole.”
Bailey didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t care how different things were. “Can you guarantee that I won’t be hurt again?” he asked, knowing Bear couldn’t.
“I can guarantee that Jordan would rather cut off his own arm than hurt you.”
Bailey snorted. “You don’t even know him. How can you make that claim?”
“He’s a shifter. That’s all I need to know.” Bear took a step closer. “If you refuse him, you’ll be throwing away the best thing to ever happen to you.”
Angry beyond belief, Bailey stormed from Bear’s office, slamming the door behind him as he walked outside. How could Bear know this? Jordan may be able to shift into a black panther, but he was still a guy who had the capability to destroy Bailey.
What was worse was the fact that Bailey couldn’t stop thinking about the guy. He had spent the better part of last night tossing and turning, images of Jordan’s handsome face haunting him while awake, and following him into his dreams.
“Just give him a chance,” Bear said as he stepped outside. “I’m not saying you have to give him your heart, but at least get to know him.”
“Fine,” Bailey grumbled. He knew he was agreeing because some part of him was anxious to see Jordan again. He couldn’t explain it and he didn’t know why, but it was a hard fact. Everything about Jordan’s physical appearance appealed to him. Bailey had never seen anyone with amber eyes and they simply fascinated him. He just hoped the guy’s personality matched.
“You can have the rest of the afternoon off. Go by the garage and see him.”
Bailey threw his hands up, disgusted with everything. Fuck it. He was going over to the garage to see Jordan. Bear might be able to talk him into doing this, but he couldn’t make Bailey like the mechanic.
Besides, his car was at Mark’s Garage getting looked at. Bailey could use that as an excuse to come by. He didn’t want to seem desperate. But he wasn’t going to apologize to Jordan for shooting the man. Not until he found out why Jordan killed a guy in his backyard.
He walked to Mark’s Garage and then hesitated outside. Bailey’s nerves were beginning to wind tight. He could hear pneumatic tools and smell the oil as soon as he stepped into the bay. He spotted someone looking
