Page 109 of Torn In Two

Kara squeezed my fingers, trying to be reassuring. “He needs somewhere to stay. He’s been homeless ever since…well, you know what.”

I gaped at her in disbelief of her bleeding heart. “Are you seriously bringing home another stray dog? Wasn’t Chaos enough?”

She stared up at me. “You started it by bringing me here.”

“You aren’t a stray dog,” I said gruffly. “And it was Rebel who brought you here anyway.”

“It was you who fought for me to stay. You who fought for Hayden. And now I’m asking you to do it again for Kyle.”

I glanced over at the lanky twentysomething. Hell, was he even that old? His beard was laughable, patchy like mine had been before I hit my twenties.

I groaned.

“Please?” Kara asked. “I just…I feel like it’s my responsibility. He has nowhere else to go. He can’t go back to Ethereal Eden. The cops will find him there. If Alice and I hadn’t left, Kyle wouldn’t be out here on the run. I owe him.”

“You don’t owe anybody shit, Little Mouse. No one but yourself.” I eyed Kyle, staring him down with a glare I hoped like hell portrayed the fact I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw his six-foot-plus frame.

I turned to Grayson, sighing, trusting the doc more than anybody else at that moment. “Take them to the clubhouse for me? I’m riding with Kyle.”

Grayson paused. “Do I need to remind you that your heart lies in helping people, not hurting them? Or that blood is really hard to get out of upholstery?”

I didn’t answer, just clapped the man on the shoulder and trusted him with the only two things in my life I held precious.

I stalked past him, closing the gap between me and Kyle and staring the kid down with a barely concealed distrust. “Keys.”

“In the ignition.” Kyle’s voice was barely above a whimper.

I got behind the wheel.

Kyle just stared at me through the windshield.

I slammed the heel of my hand down on the horn, blaring out a long honk until Kyle scampered for the passenger-side door.

“Get in,” I bit out through the open window without looking at him.

He did, pulling his seat belt across his chest like it was armor.

“That’s not going to help you if I don’t like how you answer my questions.”

He nodded quickly, too scared to even peek at me.

I watched Grayson drive through the gates with my girls and waited ’til they’d disappeared from sight before I said anything. “You’re going to answer everything I ask you, without question. You’re going to tell me the truth. Every word. Even if you think I won’t like it. You feel me?”

“Yes, sir.”

I screwed up my face. I couldn’t remember anyone ever calling me sir in my life, and it was unsettling. But that was beside the point.

“Did Josiah send you here?”

“No, sir.”

“Did you kill Alice?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you have any way of communicating with Ethereal Eden or anyone in it?”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and laid it on the center console.

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