Redeeming Justice by Suzanne Halliday Page A

out,
     “You go girl!”
    A dark frown and clenched jaw later, he saw a crowd had gathered along the split rail
     fence to watch Meghan take her first ride. Alex knew he was being an idiot, but all
     he could think of was that he wanted her all to himself. Seeing other people watch
     her didn’t sit well with him. Especially when one of those people was Brody.
    He liked the dog trainer. A lot. Jensen was one of the countless Veterans who the
     Agency brought on board and like so many others, Alex included, he came with a shit
     load of issues. In Brody’s case it was a crippling case of PTSD that almost derailed
     his entire life until the work he did with the canines gave him a place to focus his
     energies. He didn’t stay at the compound full-time; in fact he was only around from
     late June until mid-December and then his other life called him away.
    He was a good-looking guy. One of those laidback surfer dude types on the outside—he
     was the complete opposite of Alex’s brawny presence. Although suddenly comparing himself
     to the younger man seemed a bit weird, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why.
     When he’d seen Brody trying to chat Meghan up at breakfast, he’d almost exploded.
     Morphing in to the Incredible Hulk over some polite conversation between the two had
     been a reaction that surprised Alex. Seeing him here though, watching her as she rode,
     fired up a fierce sense of possessiveness that wasn’t going to help the situation.
    Zeus let out an adorable woof when she saw the K9 guru. Brody was one of the people who spoiled the dog rotten and
     while she didn’t leave Alex’s side, as any female would, she wanted all of her admirers
     to see she was there. He scratched the Lab behind her ears earning him an adoring
     gaze from her big brown eyes. “Not you too, girl,” he chuckled. Seemed he was doomed
     to fight Brody for this female too.
    Hearing the dog’s bark, Jensen looked over and saw them. He quickly ambled over and
     gave Zeus an enthusiastic greeting, crouching down to rub the dog’s chest while lavishing
     praise for how pretty she was. The damn dog sat there with her tail thumping in the
     dirt as she stretched her neck up for more scratches. All Alex could do was sigh.
    Trying not to be an unreasonable asshole but not able to stop the words that tumbled
     out of his mouth, Alex gritted his teeth and told him, “You gotta steal all my women,
     Jensen?” He’d never seen anyone move as fast as Brody did when he shot to his feet
     and met Alex’s glare.
    “Shit, Alex. I wasn’t trying to be a prick this morning.” He looked toward the riding
     ring as Gus was leading Meghan and Sasha into the stable. “She’s a teacher, man. I
     just thought…well, actually…. fuck .” He seemed genuinely pained that Alex had called him out for an innocent conversation.
    Jensen was one of those silent types who didn’t talk much about his other life but
     he, Drae, and Cam were among a select few who knew that when he left Arizona, it was
     to head back east where he taught a winter semester English course to second language
     learners at a community college. Remembering that made Alex feel like a jerk.
    Slapping Brody on the back he looked him dead in the eye and said, “Sorry man. I’m
     the prick. Professional courtesy. Teacher talk, right?” It was the best he could do
     without a full-blown apology. Jensen nodded and patted Zeus on the head one last time.
    “I was just yanking your chain,” Alex added. Watching as the half-door on the stable
     swung shut he asked him, “How’d she do?”
    Brody seemed relieved that the tense moment had passed reminding Alex that he needed
     to get his shit together before his attitude upset the teamwork he and his brothers
     had worked so hard to maintain within the agency.
    “I think Sasha scared the crap out of her at first but she’s a great horse. Sweet
     temperament. Gentle.”
    Alex threw back his head and laughed. “I was