Page 26 of Break The Ice

Kit flinches. I clench my hands and watch as no one jumps to his defense.

Why?

Can’t they see Kit is struggling?

“How is your wife, Brady?” Callan deflects.

The short, stumpy alpha with a bulging shirt smiles widely and stares hard at Kit. “She’s making a dress.” He then explodes in laughter like it’s the funniest thing in the world.

The snide comment pisses me off, but seeing the way Kit just turns to stone has me breathing fire.

I curl my fingers into the trunk of the tree and watch carefully as the taller cop scratches his bald head.

“There’s no woman here. The report must’ve been wrong.”

Brady squints. “Or they buried her in the woods.” Once again, he explodes into laughter, not noticing the disgruntled looks of everyone around him.

I watch them leave, and then stomp back to the gate, waiting for whoever to come out and let me in. The forest is dense and full of different bushes and trees. It’s impenetrable, and I can imagine lots of people get lost in there every year.

Am I surprised that it’s Callan who comes to fetch me? No, not really. The man has responsible as his middle name, I’m sure of it.

I stalk past him, my mouth held firmly shut so I don’t unload on him.

“Ryann?”

I whirl on him. “Don’t you say a word.”

He opens and closes his mouth, but I don’t give him a chance to answer me. I just spin away and stomp back to the house.

Inside, I ignore everyone, taking note that Kit has returned to his workroom, and there’s very loud music playing from it.

“What’s got her panties knotted?”

I see red and whirl on the idiot alpha. “Say that again.”

Wren reaches for me, but I move quickly, knocking his ass on the floor in a move that I’ve perfected. It’s with deep satisfaction that I watch as the big alpha blinks up at me from the floor.

“What was that?” Raider asks sharply.

I curl my lip and toss my hair but don’t answer him. A beta is allowed to have some secrets. I just happen to have a lot.

He reaches out cautiously, but I slap his hand off me, spin him around, and have him incapacitated before he can even commit to the act.

“Wow!”

“My turn,” Wren growls and launches up at me.

I kick out, and, within a minute, he’s laying on the couch, groaning into a cushion.

Raider sits down heavily. “Why did you let me take you?”

I snort. “You got the drop on me. I was distracted,” I say, refusing to look at him.

“But-”

I cut a hand through the air, silencing his inane argument.

“Why did you all just stand there while that cop insulted Kit?”