His phone buzzed against his hip. He pulled it out of his pocket. An email from Billings, checking in, and another from his mother, asking when he was coming to visit now that he was off assignment. He groaned, not wanting to deal with either.
The first he couldn’t ignore. He lifted his phone. “Liv, turn around and strike a pose. I need my weekly proof for boss man.”
Liv spun around and walked over, setting down her camera and plucking the phone out of his hand. She slid into the spot next to him on the bench and held up the phone in selfie mode. She put her head next to his.
“Say cheese.”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” Right before snapping the pic, she reached over and pinched his nipple hard.
“Hey!”
Click.
The photo appeared on the screen. Finn’s face scrunched and Liv sticking her tongue out. She laughed and set the phone on his lap. “There you go.”
“Least professional picture ever.”
She bumped shoulders with him. “You’re supposed to be on vacation. Serious pictures aren’t going to help.”
He rubbed his chest and his abused flesh. “Damn, woman. You’ve gotten rougher in your old age.”
She grinned. “I remembered how much you loved when I did that.”
“Right. Such fond, sore memories,” he said wryly. “Why did I invite you to hang out with me again?”
“Aw, don’t be like that.” She kissed her fingers and gently rubbed the place she’d pinched. “There. All better.”
Her hand on his chest was a different kind of jolt to his system, adept fingers stroking in a suddenly sensitive place. He cleared his throat, and she dropped her arm to her lap.
“So, ready to head out or want a few more?” he asked.
She glanced at the statue. “I—”
Bang!
The blast of the gunshot rent through the peaceful quiet and whatever Liv was going to say. Liv’s eyes went wide and Finn leapt from his spot, grabbing her around the waist. He hauled them both to the ground and rolled her beneath him, covering her with his body.
A few voices sounded around them, but all Finn could focus on was Liv’s trembling body and figuring out which direction the shot came from. Back left near the trees, from what he could tell. He cursed himself for leaving his gun in the car.
“Finn,” Liv said, her voice shaking.
“Shh. Just stay down. I’ve got you.”
He strained his ears, anticipating the next shot, calculating how he could get Liv to safety. There was a sculpture three yards away that could offer some protection. He turned his head toward the woods. But instead of finding what he expected—a park of people scattering—an elderly couple was standing there staring down at them, blocking his view.
“What are you doing?” he barked. “Get down!”
The man smiled, his fisherman’s hat shielding his eyes. “It’s okay, son. It was just the starting pistol for the race.”
“What?”
The woman crooked a finger toward the far side of the park and gave him a kind look. “The charity relay. That starting shot was loud. Scared the biscuits out of me, too. But everything’s okay.”
“Oh.” Finn let out a breath. Shit. “Thanks.”
The woman smiled, looking more than a little amused, and the couple strolled off hand in hand.