Page 2 of Tice's Kind of Trouble
I have a name?
Right now, I’m nothing but a beast that needs to be twelve miles down the road.
I clear my throat—it’s as dry as fired clay, scorched from breathing fire.
“Tice Wolfe. Your brother and I were on the Teams at the same time but didn’t work together until recently.”
“Oh,” she murmurs. “I’m sorry. I’m a mess. He might’ve told me, but I’m not really thinking straight after what happened. It’s really scary to have someone break into your house while you’re sleeping.”
The minute she said that, I was all in. Man on a mission. Get this woman safe.
“That’s understandable,” I say, trying to sound calm when I’m anything but. “Tell me what happened—if it’s not too upsetting to talk about right now.”
“I think I can talk about it.” She pauses, and I hear the rough sound of her swallowing. “The back door was open when I got up around seven. The lock was smashed. There were large footprints all over the house. Even…”
A ragged sound catches in her throat, and I canfeelthe tears.
Goddamn tears in her moss-green eyes.
The road blurs as my mind flashes to the photos I’ve seen of Bethany in Kane’s background file. She’s stunning—but more than that, she lookssweet.
Girl-next-door sweet. Hugging a puppy in my favorite photo.
Thinking about those eyes full of tears guts me.
Nix the emotional part. I need to get there first.
“Hey, let’s talk about this when I’m with you, okay?”
Holding her.
“That would be better. It’s making me shake to talk about it.”
Fucking hell. Way to go, Tice.
She’s hiding out in a coffee shop after a break-in, and here I am grilling her for information like some cold, heartless detective.
“Sweetheart, you’re going to be okay.”
A vow I intend to keep.
Before she can speak again, I ask the question burning holes in my chest. “Are you keeping an eye on your surroundings?”
The worry is eating me alive. Acid gnawing through every nerve.
There’s a beat of silence.
“Gosh. I didn’t even think of that.”
“I want you to move to a table where you can see everyone. You spot anything out of place, you start yelling. Make a fucking spectacle. Understand?”
A rustle. A chair scraping. I hold my breath, listening for confirmation.
“Okay. I’m at a table in the back. Against the wall. There’s no exit near me, so no one can come up behind me. Kane taught me this stuff before, but I forgot. I just… I left as soon as I got dressed.”
The image of Bethany scared, scrambling out of her house, makes me see red.
“You did the right thing. Stay put. I’m turning on Cliff Street now.”
