Page 57 of Something Tangled Something True
The added vote of confidence from Mayte, the person Lola has always trusted most, has me walking to my truck with an extra pep in my step. A lightness fills me as I drive us home.
Lola stretches her arms over her head, yawning in a high-pitched way that tickles my ears. Her shirt lifts, exposing her soft tummy, and butterflies take flight in my chest.
I settle my hand on her lower back, guiding her to the porch after Nugget had a chance to pee. He runs up the steps, sniffing around with vigor, and as we approach the door, his hackles raise and his spine stiffens. My brows knit together, and dread churns in my gut, dousing out the earlier butterflies.
“Ry, is something wrong?” Lola asks, eyes searching my face for reassurance.
“I’m not sure, darlin’. Stay behind me, would ya?”I approach the door with caution, reaching for the knob, but then I notice the door isalreadycracked open.
“Ry,” she whines, her hands trembling at her sides when I look at her.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll never let anything happen to you,” I assure her, kicking the door open in one swift motion. It ricochets off the walls, but I hear nothing, and no one stirs inside. I reach in, flicking the lights on. Again, nothing happens. “I’m gonna go check it out. Stay right here,” I say, but she grabs my forearm, tugging me to her.
“Have you never watched a scary movie, Ryder? Theywantyou to leave me out here so they can attack while you’re inside!” she whisper-shrieks.
“Darlin’, youknowI’m afraid of scary movies! Of course I haven’t, but fine. Come on, stay close,” I say, tucking her to my side. She reaches down, grabbing Nugget and holding him to her like a footballunder her arm.
We walk quietly inside, and I grab the baseball bat mounted to the wall from a game I went to with my dad as a kid. We walk into each room, flicking on the lights and checking for anything out of the ordinary, making sure to check every closet, every window, and close each one when we’re done. Nothing appears to be misplaced, and my racing heart slows down, the raised hair on my arms settling.
“Well, it looks like the coast is clear, but someone was definitely here,” I grumble. To say I’m frustrated is an understatement. I want Lola to be safe. I promised her that when we got married. It doesn’t matter why we got married; those vows meant something. They meanteverything,and I refuse to let her down.
“Why would someone break in and not take anything?” she asks, rubbing a hand up her goosebump-covered arm.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out,” I tell her. She nods, setting Nugget down. He bolts away from her, sprinting into the kitchen. He stops at his food bowl, about to take a big bite out of whatever's in there, but I shout at him to stop, scooping him up before he has the chance. He looks up at me with a grumpy expression, but I don’t care—we didn’t leave any food in his bowl.
Lola grabs the ceramic dish, looking inside, and when she meets my eyes, hers are tear-filled, and they crack my heart right open. “Ry,” she says on a watery cry. “What kind of monster would try to hurt a dog?”
I look into the bowl she’s holding out in front of me, and my stomach plummets straight to my toes. Nugget has been with us for barely over twenty-four hours, and whoever knows we have him just tried to kill him with razor blades shoved inside a hot dog.
I take the bowl from her, setting it down in the sink before I place Nugget on the floor. I grip her wobbling chin, dragging her sad eyes to mine. “I don’t know what’s going on here, what they want, or how they know we have Nugget, but I’m goingto get to the bottom of it. I’m going to keep youbothsafe. Do you understand me?”
She nods slowly, her shoulders shaking with a fear I’ve never seen from her. “Lola, baby.” I wrap her in my arms, pulling her to my chest and carrying her to her room, setting her on her bed. “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” I tell her again. She sniffles, blinking the tears away.
She puts on a brave, uniquely Lola Lima expression and says, “When we catch them,se lo voy a meter por el culo.”
I choke out a laugh, covering my mouth with my fist as I sputter. She pats me on the back and leans in close, invading my space with her warm vanilla scent. “Can I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone in case anything goes bump in the night.”
“Of course, darlin’. We can have a slumber party,” I tease. Nugget jumps up on her bed, panting and shaking his whole ass. “Allthreeof us,” I clarify, and Nugget releases a loud, happy bark at the notion.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“TAKE WHAT YOU NEED, SWEETHEART.”
SUNDAY, JUNE 8
The waywe fell asleep last night is certainly not the way we’re waking up.
A bird chirps loudly outside the window, and the heat already radiating from the window over my head tells me we’ve slept in.A lot.
Lola’s lying on her side, now mostly hidden under the covers, nothing but a few dark curls hanging out from the top, her bonnet somewhere beneath the covers with all the tossing and turning she does in her sleep. As to how she’s breathing, I’m not sure.
None of that is the problem though.
It’s what’s between my legs, and nowhers, that’s going to be an issue.
Somehow, she went from lying on top of me,overmy comforter, to having herself plastered to my front, lying on our sides.
My dick is hard as a rock. I’m taking short, shallow breaths, allowing the absolute bare minimum oxygen into my lungs out of fear of waking her. With every breath shetakes, that sweet spot between her legs rubs against my shaft a little more.
