Page 104 of Call it Reckless

“Sure,” I answered and pointed the way to the bathroom. “Towels are in the closet in the hallway.”

I waited until I heard the door click shut. “I wish you’d stay,” I told her.

She glanced down the hall toward the bathroom and shook her head. “I’m tired, and you should enjoy the time with your friend.”

My spidey sense told me there was more to it. It wasn’t like her to not be upfront about what she was thinking.

“I’ll take him to the motel.” He was a friend but not more important than her.

She shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t be right. Besides, staying means getting up early to be gone before Lex gets up. I’m tired. We’ll get together tomorrow.” She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

“What if it didn’t matter about Lex?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“She already knows we’re dating. We can find a way to explain that sometimes you stay over.”

Her hand rested on my chest. “Are you ready for that? For the questions that might follow?”

“I’m ready for whatever it takes to keep you by my side. Bristol, I—”

The bathroom lock clicked, and the door opened.

In a blink, the softness that lightened her amber eyes to warm honey grew alert, and her body stiffened. I guessed I’d underestimated how having a guest here affected her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She raised her voice. “Nick, someone will be in touch with you as soon as we know more.”

After she left, I didn’t have a spare bedroom, so I grabbed Nick a blanket and extra pillow for the couch. I didn’t need to go to Miss Pettigrew’s school to know that the polite thing would have been to offer Nick my room. But fuck that. If Bristol wasn’t in it, he sure as hell wouldn’t be.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

Reid

Iclosed out the tabs on my computer screen, sickened by what I’d seen.

As if he knew I needed a distraction, Sammy wound around my feet, then jumped in my lap. I scratched him between the ears, finding a modicum of comfort in the rhythm of his purrs.

“Hey, man.” Zane pulled out his chair across from me. “Oh, wow. Here. You look like you need this more than me.” He handed his cup from Brew’s Clues over to me.

I didn’t bother arguing. I’d spent time last night and again this morning studying dogfighting rings.

“Bad night?”

“More like a disturbing morning. I’m not sure if we have a full dogfighting ring up off Old Mill Road. But I think it’s safe to say that space we found was a place where they could show off the skill of a dog for sale.”

“Like a prequel?”

“More or less. Kind of like a mini fight, but not to the point of a kill. Do you know that those dogs can sell for a few thousand each? And winners of actual events can clear ten to twenty thousand depending on the fight.”

Zane blanched. “Sick bastards.”

“That means someone in Sterling Mill or nearby is breeding those fighters, Zane. We have to find them. Without dogs, there can’t be fights.”

“Got any ideas where to look?”

I shook my head. I was coming pretty damn close to wanting to search every single farm, but of course, I couldn’t. Pity.

“I think I’m going for a walk. I need to clear my head.”

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