Page 30 of Tice's Kind of Trouble
I’m so distressed, all I can do is hold her as my throat collapses. She’s safe.
She’s going to be safe. We got the man. And no one will ever do something like that to her again. I’ll make fucking sure of that.
“You were supposed to let me open the truck door.”
Tightening her arms around me, Bethany hiccups between sobs. “I get a pass this time.”
TWENTY
Tice
With a possessive growl, I pick her up, carry her around to the tailgate. “You aged me ten years.”
When I sit her on the edge and slide between her legs, she wraps her arms tight around my neck.
She’s safe. Thank God.
I breathe for the first time since I saw that damned window had been pried open.
“Well, the same goes for me, big guy.” She wipes at her tears with the pad of her thumb. “When I was hiding in the closet and you came in, I was beside myself and I didn’t have my phone to call anyone, but then I heard other people, and recognized Kane’s voice.”
Rubbing my hands up and down her back, my heart is still thumping extra hard. “He must have gotten a lead that indicated the man was going to be here. I’m sorry, baby. I should have kept you home today.”
She whispers, “Home. I love how that sounds.”
When I move in for a slow kiss, she shivers and presses closer to me, making me desperate to take her to the house where I can wrap her in my arms and keep her close all night.
“Don’t blame yourself, please.” She touches my face when she pulls back, her eyes somber. “You did what made me happy. Now it’s done.”
God. It might not be done. Some bastard hired the man we caught. There’s more to dig up before I can rest comfortably. Until then, I’m on watch.
“We don’t know who hired him to go through your things.”
She shakes her head, offering me her soft moss-green gaze with full trust. “I’m not worried, Tice. I know you won’t stop until you know.”
Tightness spreads in my throat. A heavy sensation settling into my bones. “Damn right, babe. And I’m upgrading the security on this place right away. But first, I’m taking you home. I need you to myself.”
She nods, pushes her hair back, and looks at the building. “That sounds perfect. I want to be here, but I just want to be with you, so I’ll call my volunteers. But first… I need to show you this new puppy…”
I squeeze her, locking our hearts together. The warm sensation I’m coming to recognize as unique to what Bethany causes inside me is coursing through me like a buzzing electrical current.
She’s sunshine. Pure love.
“Bring the puppy home.”
“Are you serious?” She blinks, hope brightening her eyes. “Home for good?”
TWENTY-ONE
Bethany
Home for good? Why does this question feel so much bigger than those three words?
Love Wins Animal Rescue is my job, my dream, my business. It’s my baby.
And I love every single animal there, but I never had a good home to take in a dog. Since college, I poured my money into the business… which meant renting lower-cost apartments.
So when Tice says to bring a puppy home, my chest almost splits wide open.
