“No fucking way,” I say, my jaw tightening with anger.

“Well it’s not up to you, it’s up to Olivia,” Larson pipes up, walking around to stand next to Liv.

My body goes rigid, eager to pounce.

“Not happening,” I fire back, before redirecting my attention back to Henderson. “She’s been through enough. You’re not putting her up there.”

Before he can respond, Larson opens his mouth again. “Obviously, you don’t know her all that well. She’s a strong woman, Taylor. She can handle it.”

The second his hand meets her shoulder a red haze blurs my vision. I stalk toward him but Liv meets me halfway.

I point at him over her shoulder. “You ever touch her again and I’ll break your goddamn arm off, you got it?”

“Grayson, please,” Liv pleads before turning to Larson. “Clint, stop picking a fight.”

“Larson, we discussed this before coming out here,” Henderson snaps. “Rein it in or you’re out.”

His jaw flexes but he backs off.

“I agree with Grayson,” Walt says, speaking up. “She’s been through enough. Surely you can convict him with what you have.”

“We do have a few things in our favor, but not as much as I’d like. Which is why I need to play up the sympathy. However, if Olivia is not comfortable then I do have another suggestion.”

Henderson’s eyes swing to mine.

“What’s that?” Liv asks nervously.

“We can have Taylor take the stand, and he can tell them what he saw that day.”

Fuck.

I run a frustrated hand through my hair. “What about the investigation? You know that’ll be the first thing Jones brings up.”

He gives a curt nod. “That’s why it was my second suggestion.”

“It doesn’t matter if they bring up the investigation or not,” Liv says. “Grayson did nothing wrong.”

Larson scoffs. “The hell he didn’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snaps, coming to my defense.

“Nothing.” I glare at him, silently warning him to shut his fucking mouth.

But the fucker doesn’t. A cocky smirk lifts one corner of his mouth, and I know I’m about to be outed. “He never told you?”

“I mean it, Larson. Shut the fuck up.”

Liv spins in place, her questioning eyes finding mine. “Tell me what?”

“That he beat the shit out of West. Fucked him up good. I’d be careful if I were you, Olivia. Man like that…no telling what he’s capable of.”

“That’s it. I warned you, motherfucker.” I make a move for him, but Liv’s small hands land on my chest.

“Grayson, no, stop!” The fear in her voice has my steps faltering, but my entire body continues to shake with fury.

Henderson stands. “I told you that was enough, Clint. Go wait for me outside, now. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Larson obeys, walking out with a smirk on his face. Obviously, proud of the shit he stirred.

“I’ve never liked that asshole.” Walt grumbles.

“I’m sorry about that. It was very unprofessional.” Henderson apologizes. “Listen, I want this trial to go as smoothly as possible for you, Olivia. I understand if you aren’t up for taking the stand. We can put Grayson up first. I think his testimony will be just as emotional for the jury. If I think we need yours too then we can revisit the idea at a later time. But let’s try this first.”

“What about the investigation though?” she asks, stepping away from me.

The distance she puts between us kills me.

“If he brings it up I will object. Grayson is not the one on trial. This isn’t about the arrest. It’s about what happened to you, and I will make sure it stays that way. Okay?”

She nods. “All right, thank you.”

“No problem.” Henderson’s attention returns to me. “We will need to go over your testimony so you know what to expect when I call you up. Come by my office tomorrow, around three?”

I give him a tight nod then he walks out the door. Leaving us in a room filled with silent tension.

Walt is the first one to cut through it. “Well, I should get back to work. You okay, darlin’?” he asks, dropping a kiss on Liv’s head.

“Yeah, Pap, I’m good,” she replies, but she damn sure doesn’t sound like it. “You go on and finish what you need to do.”

“I’ll be out shortly to help you.” I add. “I just need a minute.”

“Take your time, son.” He leaves through the kitchen, making his way out the back door.

I vaguely hear the tractor fire up before Liv finally addresses me. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks, hurt thick in her voice.

“Because I didn’t want you to worry about it. You had enough going on.”

“So you did do it?”

I try to gauge what she’s feeling but for the first time I can’t, and I fucking hate it. “Yeah, I hit him, but it didn’t go down like that asshole said.”

“Then tell me what happened.”

I shake my head. “You don’t need to worry about it, Liv. I have it under control. I promise.” Dropping a kiss on her head, I leave out the back door and head over to the guesthouse to change.

Yeah, I’m running, but I don’t want to have this conversation. I just want to forget about what went down in there before I lose my shit and go find Larson to beat the fuck out of him.

Unfortunately, Liv doesn’t let it go and follows me into the house. I continue to the bedroom, removing my shirt to grab a different one to work in.

“Don’t, Grayson. Don’t shut me out. It’s not fair. Not when I’ve shared everything with you.”

Her pleading voice has me turning around. Tears glisten in her eyes, making me feel even worse.

I pull her into my arms. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to shut you out. I just don’t want you to worry about it right now.”

“I want to be there for you.”

With a deflated breath I take a seat on the bed, and bring her down on my lap. I take my time, choosing my words carefully. “The arrest was intense and got out of hand,” I start, trying to give her the abbreviated version. “He managed to escape out the back before I could grab him. Son of a bitch assaulted one of our rookies with a baseball bat then took off. When I caught him he resisted, and was able to get a shot in on me.”

She reaches up and trails her fingers across my jaw. “That day when you came by after. That’s what happened to you?”

I nod. “Yeah, but I still kept my cool. But then…” I trail off, grinding my teeth as I think about what happened next. “He said something and it pushed me over the edge.”

“What did he say?” she asks hesitantly, fear razor-sharp in her voice.

I shake my head. “Don’t. Please don’t ask me that, Liv. It’s not something you need to know.”

It’s something she will never know if I can help it.

“It was about me.”

“Yes.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t push for more. “You should have told me. You shouldn’t have kept it from me.”

“I didn’t want you to worry. And maybe…”

“What?” She urges.

“Maybe I didn’t want to see the disappointment in your eyes.”

Her forehead gently presses to mine. “Never,” she whispers. “I could never be disappointed in you. You may have crossed the line, Grayson, but he crossed many too, including assaulting you and another officer.”

Relief swims in my blood. “Once IA investigates what went down, I feel confident they will reinstate me. Especially under the circumstances.”

“Well they better if they want their best deputy back,” she says with a sexy smile that has my dick going hard.

My hands slip under her dress to palm her lush ass. “Best deputy, huh?”

“Mmmhmm.” She wraps her arms around my neck and settles herself over my straining cock. The heat of her satin-covered pussy burning me through my jeans.

With a growl I steal her lips in a deep kiss. All of my pent-up frustration from earlier easing as I take it out on her magnificent fucking mouth. Reaching for the hem of her dress, I pull back only enough to peel it from her body, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties. Before I can do it myself, she reaches back and confidently unhooks the clasp, allowing the garment to slide from her arms.