Page 28 of Tice's Kind of Trouble
“Tice, babe.” She lays a hand on my arm. “Could you fix a broken shelf in the storage room? It keeps falling down.”
“Do I get to take you in there with me?”
“No.” She blushes madly, making sure that Eagle is out of earshot. “Maybe in a bit. But right now, I need to do the photos for social media. It helps with the adoptions.”
I capture her hand, pulling her in closer so I can kiss Bethany before my heart claws out of my chest. “Alright, baby. Show me what you need for me to do.”
After checking out the shelf which is indeed loose, I determine that the tools on hand are so far sub-par they don’t even count. “I’m going to the truck. Stay with Eagle.”
“Copy. Roger. Whatever you SEAL’s say.”
I smack her ass as she lifts a puppy off of the floor to nuzzle her nose in its fur.
God. I’ve never wanted a dog before, too busy with my Navy career, but now I want a million of them if they make her that happy.
I’m contemplating where I’ll buy land for Bethany when I walk out to the truck. The clinic is in a run-down part of town. There’s some older shrubbery against the building. The paint is peeling.
Until we get the new clinic built, I’ll focus on fixing this one up. As I head back with the screw gun I keep in the storage area under the seat, I decide to take a walk around the perimeter.
That’s when I see it.
The window that’s crookedly hanging in the sill.
Moving closer, I nudge the window. Would they have…
Footprints catch my eye. Man’s footprints. About size eleven. The same size as the print’s in Bethany’s house according to Kane’s intel.
EIGHTEEN
Bethany
That’s strange. My feet halt before I reach my office.
There it is again. A noise.
Looking back toward the front of the building, I confirm that Kane’s girlfriendis in the cat room, scratching Pepper’s chin.
Everything looks normal.
Tice is still outside. So who is in my office?
Tiptoeing, I move closer to the partially open door.
Oh my god.There’s a man digging through my desk drawers.
Fear races across my nerves. I recognize him.
Pulse pounding, I try to unfreeze my body before he sees me.
But his gaze is down. Something on the desk has his attention as he mutters to himself.
Breath locked, I ease back a step, fumbling for the storage closet door, my vision pulsing from the erratic throbbing of my heart.
Come on, Tice. I need you.
NINETEEN
Tice
