Page 108 of Love in the Storm

Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, he smiled. “You’re a good friend.”

That earned him a kiss on the cheek, and the contact was warm and then cold when she pulled away.

Dawson, Jason, and Ranger walked out, and Lyric backed up a step.

“They know we’re together,” Asa whispered. “It’s kind of a given that I’d be making sure you’re okay.”

“I know. I just don’t want them to think we’re making out or something.”

Asa choked on a cough. He never knew what Lyric was going to say.

Dawson walked up and slapped Asa on the back. “Nice work, soldier.”

“Officer Scott,” Jason said from the other side of Lyric’s car.

Asa looked over Lyric’s head. Why was Jason calling him Officer Scott when only Dawson and Lyric were around?

Asa squeezed Lyric’s hand and whispered, “I’ll be right back.” When he walked around Lyric’s car, his steps halted.

The German Shepherd was down. His nose pointed at the back seat of Lyric’s car.

Asa looked up at Guthrie. It had to be a mistake. Ranger wasn’t giving a drug signal at Lyric’s car.

Asa couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

“Officer Scott.” Jason’s tone was deep and formal.

“What are you two doing over there?” Dawson said. Within seconds, he was on the other side of the car, frozen right beside Asa.

“Son of a bacon bit,” Dawson spat.

“Asa?” Lyric’s call was laced with worry.

“Tell her to open it,” Jason said.

“Are you serious?” Asa asked. The tightness in his chest squeezed, threatening to cut off all access to oxygen.

Jason glared at Asa and repeated slowly, “Tell her to open it.”

Asa turned to Lyric. The look on her face was curious, but there wasn’t any panic. She knew Ranger was a drug dog. If she had something in her car, she would be nervous, right?

“Um, can you come over here?” he asked.

Lyric came around the car. She glanced at Ranger and back up to Asa. “What’s wrong?”

“Ranger is signaling drugs in your car,” Asa whispered.

“What!” Lyric shouted. Her eyes widened, showing too much white. “I don’t have any drugs in my car. Asa, you know that.”

He did know that. At least, he’d thought he knew it, but Ranger hadn’t given a missed signal since he graduated to the force.

“He wants you to open the car,” Asa said, low and cautious, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to Jason.

“Asa, I don’t have drugs in my car.” Lyric looked right at him through every word.

He believed her. He really wanted to believe her. But what if she was a good liar? He’d met tons of them. Criminals looked him in the eye and deniedtheir crimes almost every time.

What if he’d overlooked the signs because he wanted things to work out between them?

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