The Shepherds Collection 1 by Brian Andrews & Brian Andrews

Author:Brian Andrews & Brian Andrews [Wilson, Jeffrey & Andrews, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / Suspense, FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
ISBN: 9781496477675
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

TRINITY LOOP TRAINING FACILITY

1731 HOURS LOCAL

Walking a loop around the perimeter of the barracks, Jed listened to the voice mail from Maria Perez for the second time just to be sure. Yes, he was a big, dumb door kicker, but even he understood the subtext in the Nashville police detective’s message. Apparently he’d been on her mind since the events rescuing Sarah Beth, and she was interested in reconnecting. Like most women he knew, she wanted him to do the asking, but she’d made it obvious for him by taking the first step and initiating contact.

Although he’d never admit it, the prospect of seeing her excited him. Sure, they’d gotten off to a rocky start—their introduction taking place with him handcuffed in an interrogation room at her precinct—but after that, he’d managed to turn it around. And she’d taken a bullet for him . . .

So there’s that, he thought with a smile.

He stared at her number but couldn’t quite bring himself to dial it. Like every good operator, he didn’t do anything without a plan. How should he greet her? Should he call her Detective Perez or be casual and use Maria? Should he ask her if she wanted to grab drinks together, or was meeting for coffee a better option? Did the former imply a date while the latter was just a friendly meetup? What if her real reason for wanting to chat was simply to get an update on Sarah Beth and nothing more?

Probably best to start with coffee . . .

“Stop being such a loser and just call the lady back,” he murmured and pressed the Call button.

“Hey, Jedidiah,” she said, greeting him casually after the third ring.

“Hey, I got your message,” he said, surprised she’d greeted him by name—must have saved his number in her contacts. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing okay. How about you?”

“Good . . . good,” he said, feeling a sudden awkwardness through the phone. “You, uh, healing up okay from that night at the Yarnells’?”

“I’m still on medical leave, but yeah, I could go back if they’d let me. You know how it is—abundance of caution and all that. How about you? If I recall, you took quite a beating that night as well.”

“Yeah, but it looked worse than it was,” he said, realizing that if they talked much longer, they’d burn up all the easy conversation fodder on the phone. It was now or never. “I’m not sure if I told you, but I’m back in Nashville now—probably for a while. If you want, we could meet up for a coffee and compare scars.”

She hesitated a beat before answering. “That’s great! I’m so glad you’re here,” she said. “Maybe we could meet for drinks and a bite to eat. There’s a cool place on Eleventh Avenue with outdoor tables and a great view of downtown and the Gulch.”

“So long as they serve beer, I’m game for that,” Jed said, switching ears with his phone. “When did you have in

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