A Reason to Love by Alexis Morgan Page B

was
my obligation
to tell him my story, that people have
the right
to know what happened to me over there.”
    He hated that he sounded desperate. Rehashing the hell he’d lived through would be like ripping the scab off a barely healed wound, one where the infection had run bone deep. To make matters worse, at that moment Melanie came pelting around the end of the house. Son of a bitch, he should’ve known the sound of the siren would bring her running.
    Ignoring her, he kept talking. “He threatened to tell the story one way or the other, and if I wanted to control what went into the story, I’d better cooperate. I don’t much like being threatened.”
    “And that’s when you called me?”
    Spence nodded. “It was either that or beat the shit out of the little prick.”
    Melanie gasped.
    Gage turned his attention to the reporter. “Are you going to deny any of that?”
    “I didn’t threaten him, Gage. Hell, look at the difference in our sizes. I’m not suicidal. I did tell him that I was going to run the story whether or not he contributed to it. Neither of you can stop me, First Amendment rights and all that.”
    Melanie sidled nearer until she was standing close enough to Spence for him to feel her body heat. Damn, he wished she wasn’t there. He didn’t need her rushing to rescue him again. It might not look like it, but he had the situation under control. Mostly.
    Gage got right in Reilly’s face. “Spence is a personal friend of mine, so I’m going to tell you this once. He’s already sacrificed enough for our country without having to give up his privacy just to satisfy your need to fill the front page of the paper.”
    “But, Chief, he’s a hero!”
    Spence started to speak, but Gage cut him off. “Every man and woman who puts on a uniform is a hero, Reilly, not just the few who make for good headlines. The last thing Spence needs right now is the attention you’d be aiming his way, especially when he’s been back such a short time.”
    “But I—”
    “No! You’re still not listening. Maybe you’d really like to face those trespassing charges Spence mentioned. If that happens, I’ll also have your car impounded, so you won’t only be spending a night in a cell, you’ll be out a couple of hundred bucks in towing and storage fees. It’s your call. And if you do bother Spence again in any way or form, well, let’s just say it won’t be pretty.”
    Reilly stalked away still muttering under his breath about the Constitution and the public’s right to know. It made Spence queasy to think about seeing his life spelled out in black and white for everyone in town to read. He didn’t care what most folks thought about him, but there were a few whose opinions mattered.
    Even if he wasn’t speaking to them.
    Gage walked back to his cruiser and shut off the flashing lights. He waved at a couple of the neighbors as if to let them know the show was over for the night and came strolling back up across the yard.
    “I’ll give the owner of the paper a call when I get home to let her know what really happened here. I’m not saying Reilly would embellish the story, but sometimes she needs to give his leash a good hard yank.”
    Gage took his hat off, which made him look less like a hard-nosed cop and more like a concerned friend. “I think she’ll be reasonable, Spence, but he was right. I can’t legally stop him from running the story.”
    “Yeah, I know.” His neck was tight. He rolled his shoulders in a futile attempt to ease the tension. “Maybe I could’ve handled the situation better, but it’s been a long day.”
    He glanced down at Melanie and then back at Gage. “Do you two want to come in for a beer? I was headed that way myself when all of this started up.”
    “I’ll take a rain check if that’s okay.” Gage put his hat back on. “I’m actually off duty, and my daughter, Syd, likes me to get home before she goes to bed.”
    “Thanks for coming, Gage. I’ll try not to