Read Online Hero of Mine by Codi Gary - Free Book Online Page B

Vandalism and destruction of property.
    Tyler turned over the page to read the crime report, his eyes narrowing. His mom’s husband, Neil Kenetti, had been beating her, and when Jeremiah tried to step in, Neil knocked him around. Afraid he would kill them, Jeremiah ran outside and took a baseball bat to Neil’s car and then several cars down the block, setting off alarms all over the neighborhood. Neil started to chase Jeremiah down the street, and when people came out asking what was going on, Neil took off.
    â€œWhy didn’t the kid call the cops? Or go to a neighbor’s house and have them call?”
    â€œCheck the address. It’s one of those neighborhoods where people don’t want to get involved . . . unless it somehow affects them. And he didn’t have a cell phone.”
    â€œStill, why the hell is he being charged with anything?”
    â€œBecause the mom wouldn’t testify against her new husband, and several of the neighbors’ cars had minor damage.”
    Tyler’s hands clenched around the file as he nodded. His mom had never been beaten, but she’d been taken advantage of before his dad had come into the picture. He’d been too young to help, to know what was going on, but if anyone had laid a hand on her . . .
    For some reason, Dani’s pretty face flashed through his mind. He could never imagine fierce, protective Dani letting anyone hurt her, let alone Noah.
    â€œYou’re right. I want him.”
    Sparks slapped him on the back. “I thought you might.”
    Sparks started to turn away, but before he even knew what he wanted to ask, Tyler blurted, “Were you ever freaked about hooking up with Violet? I mean, once you found out she was raising her brother and sister?”
    Sparks paused and seemed to consider his answer. “Yeah, I had reservations. I mean, Violet is essentially a single mom. It’s a big commitment, because if things go south, it’s not just the two of you, but also the kid you have to consider.”
    Tyler nodded. It was exactly what he’d thought. There was no way around it; no matter how much he may be attracted to Dani, she was in the small percentage of women who were off limits.
    â€œWhy do you ask?”
    Tyler just shrugged off Sparks’s question. “You know, just curious is all.”
    â€œYou finally thinking of settling down or something?”
    Tyler cracked up. “Me? Dude, you know me. I’m not ready to stop living yet.”
    And then Sparks said something that was like a gut punch. “I thought the same thing, but honestly? I realized I wasn’t really alive until I met Violet.”
    As Tyler followed Sparks back inside, he thought about his life. About his bare house and his weekends filled with beer, women, and late nights, and he wondered for the first time if Sparks might be on to something.

Chapter Eight
    T YLER AND HIS friends were out at Mick’s, a military bar in Old Town, shooting pool and drinking beer. Although they used to hang out several times a week, with Martinez and Sparks both in serious relationships, they had cut it down to just once, maybe twice. It sucked for Tyler, because this time out with his friends was almost cathartic. They talked about all the shit going on personally and at the program; anything he needed to get off his chest, he could do on nights like this.
    He stood at the edge of the pool table, drinking from his beer glass, and realized that this time was coming to an end. Tyler was twenty-eight, and already his group of single friends was down by half. It wouldn’t be long before Kline got back out there and met someone new, and then he’d be the last man standing.
    Sure, there were other trainers he could hang with, but these were the men he’d been through some shit with. And not just group therapy—he knew he could call on them anytime, and they would have his back.
    Friends like that were hard to find, and it