Reunited By The Badge. Deborah Fletcher Mello

      Simone’s gaze skated around the room, eyeing the patrons who sat in conversation, laughter ringing warmly through the space. It was a nice crowd for a late hour.

      The boys in black were seated at the oversize bar. The bartender was trying to make conversation, but neither was interested. One sat with his broad back to the polished, wooden structure, staring toward the other end of the room. Simone shifted to see where he was staring, her eyes finding Paul seated at their usual spot in the rear. The sight of him triggered a host of alarms she hadn’t been expecting.

      Simone gasped slightly, the man lifting her lips in the sweetest smile. He was still a beautiful specimen of manhood with his hazel eyes, warm beige complexion and meticulously trimmed beard and mustache. He had always been fastidious with his grooming and lifted weights regularly to maintain a fit physique. He wore a formfitting gray sweater that looked molded to his muscles and denim jeans. He was as dashing as she remembered, her heart skipping a beat, or two, as she gawked.

      His briefcase rested on the seat beside him, a pile of papers on the table that he was shifting awkwardly back and forth. His brow was furrowed, and he seemed completely lost in thought, oblivious to his surroundings. She glanced back toward the two men, shifting to put herself between them and their view of Paul. She bumped Jacob’s shoulder, her voice dropping to a low whisper. “Do you know the two men at the bar?” she questioned.

      “You mean the two brutes at the bar?” He shook his head. “No, and they feel like they might be a problem. You won’t believe how they pushed their way in!” he said, squarely in his feelings about their interaction at the door.

      Simone gave him a nod. “I thought so, too. It’s why I called my brother and asked for a patrol car to come by and do a safety check. When the cops get here, point them in my direction. If those two do anything before they get here, just dial nine-one-one.”

      “Thank you,” Jacob said, relief flooding his face.

      They came to a stop at the edge of the table. Paul looked up, startled out of the trance he’d fallen into. He tossed Jacob a polite glance, then settled his gaze on Simone. His eyes widened, and joy shimmered in the light orbs.

      “Simone, hey,” he said, standing abruptly. He moved to wrap his arms around her, pulling her against him in a warm hug. He pressed his lips to her cheek, allowing them to linger there a second longer than necessary. His hold tightened, his arms like a cashmere blanket in a viselike grip around her torso.

      Simone felt her whole body welcoming him home as she hugged him back. “Hey,” she answered, her voice a loud whisper.

      Jacob dropped her menu to the table. “Thank you, again,” he said before hurrying back to the front of the restaurant.

      Paul finally let her go, a warm smile filling his face. “I appreciate you coming,” he said.

      “You said it was important.”

      Paul nodded as he gestured for her to take a seat. Sitting down, Simone stole another quick glance toward the bar. The two strangers were both staring blatantly, not bothering to hide their interest in the two of them.

      Simone rested an elbow on the tabletop, turning flirtatiously toward Paul. “Do you know Tom and Jerry over there?” she asked softly. She reached a hand out, trailing her fingers against his arm.

      Her touch proved just distracting enough to him that Paul didn’t turn abruptly to stare back, drawing even more attention in their direction. His focus shifted slowly from her toward the duo at the bar. He eyed them briefly before turning his attention back to Simone. He shook his head. “Should I?”

      “It might be nothing, but they seem very interested in you.”

      Paul’s gaze danced back in their direction and he took a swift inhale of air. One of the men was on a cell phone and both were still eyeing him intently.

      “We need to leave,” he said, suddenly anxious. He began to gather his papers.

      “What’s going on, Paul?”

      “I don’t think we’re safe, Simone.”

      “What do you mean we’re not safe?” she snapped, her teeth clenched tightly. “Why are we not safe?”

      “I’ll explain, but I think we really need to leave.”

      Simone took a deep breath and held it, watching as he repacked his belongings into his briefcase.

      “We’re not going anywhere until you explain,” she started and then a commotion at the door pulled at her attention. She turned to see two of her brothers, Parker and Armstrong, and two uniformed police officers standing at the entrance talking with Jacob. Their chatter carried through the room, the conversation casual. They all appeared to be old acquaintances greeting each other warmly.

      The two strangers suddenly began eyeing each other nervously. Their earlier bravado seemed to be momentarily eliminated. Simone shot Paul a look but said nothing. They continued watching and another quick minute passed before the duo finally rose from where they sat at the bar and moved toward the exit door. Sighs of relief seemed to billow throughout the whole room.

      The Black brothers were slowly moving toward their table, both eyeing the other two men as they passed each other. Parker acknowledged them with a nod of his head but there was no response. As the two men exited the building, the uniformed cops followed behind them.

      Detective Armstrong Black greeted them with a wide grin. “Well, well, well. Isn’t this a pleasant surprise!” he said. He extended his hand in greeting and the two men bumped shoulders. “How’s it going, Paul?”

      “It’s good to see you, Armstrong.”

      Armstrong winked an eye at his baby sister. “Simone.”

      “Armstrong.”

      Parker shook his head as he leaned to kiss Simone’s cheek. He and Paul shook hands. “Everyone okay?”

      Simone nodded. “You two didn’t need to come. You could have just sent a patrol car.”

      “We just wanted to make sure everything was good.”

      “You two just wanted to be nosey.”

      “That, too!” Parker said with a chuckle. His phone rang, pulling his attention as he stepped away to answer the call.

      Armstrong took a seat at the table with them. “So, one of you want to tell me what’s going on? Why the concern?”

      Simone turned toward Paul, folding her arms over her chest. Raising her brows, she gave him a questioning look.

      He heaved a deep sigh, closing his eyes for a split second. “I made a mistake. I should never have called Simone. I just…well…” He paused. Then shrugged, as if unable to find the worlds to answer the question being posed.

      Simone rolled her eyes skyward. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Those two just looked sketchy and I didn’t like how pushy they were being. I was worried that something might jump off and figured we were better safe than sorry.”

      Armstrong looked from one to the other, perhaps sensing a half-truth and a blatant lie being told. Before he could question them further, Parker rejoined the conversation.

      “My guys ran their license plate. It’s a rental car that came back to a man named Thomas Donald. That ring any bells?”

      Paul and Simone both shook their heads.

      Parker continued. “We didn’t get a hit on anyone named Thomas Donald and we don’t have any reason to hold either of them.”

      “What about the gun I saw?”

      “He had a valid FOID.”

      “What’s that?” Paul questioned. “FOID?”

      “Firearm Owners Identification card. It makes it legal for him to carry a concealed weapon,” Simone answered.