At last, we arrive at the meal’s main course.One slow, steady breath clears my head. Eyes shut, the night replays. “Andrea told me she was sleeping with my then-boyfriend. Claimed I was… cold in bed.”
Heat floods my face. “Later, when I thought about it, the insult made no sense. Brett had been calling so often, I blocked him. When I confronted her, she admitted everything. Brett was in the woods because she invited him. She was supposed to sing his praises. Convince me to give him another chance. Instead, she sabotaged him—told me about their affair. She was the one in love with him. Not me.”
“What happened the next morning?”
“Woke up. Packed up. Moved on.”What if I’d stayed? Had it out with Andrea. Would Brett be alive?
Wulf’s questions drag on forever. Losing my gear. Hiding for days, eating freakin’ grubs. The dart. Kade.
All at once, my chest tightens, too small for my beating heart.
A movie on fast forward, the sheriff flickers through my mind—the bear who saved me, the way he held me, how he stood tall in a parking lot full of armed cops.
If—when—the charges are dropped… will he still want me?
Wulf catches the glaze in my eyes. Rising, he pauses the recording.
My hope surges. Does this mean we can all go home— pick this up in the morning. “Are we done?”
His head shakes back and forth. “Sorry. Taking a break. We still need to discuss Griffin’s death.”
I’m about to spit out how my shot saved a girl’s life when Ito’s elbow digs into my ribs.
“He said break time. Let’s take a moment.” Not sure how, but his whole body says, “Don’t say anything unless asked.”
Damn, he’s amazing.
Frowning now, Wulf points down the hall. “Bathroom’s on the right. Burgers on the way.”
The moment I step out of the restroom, Kade grabs me, spinning me into the wall. One hand grips my ass. The other tangles in my hair as his hungry commanding mouth crashes onto mine.
When we come up for air, his expression softens. “How you holding up, Flygirl?”
Trying not to worry him, I force a smile. “Fine. Just tired… I thought you’d be home by now. What’re you doing here?”
“Writing up my statement in the conference room. Not my fault Wulf left your interrogation video feed running.”
While I shake my head, half-laughing, he tucks an errant lock of hair behind my ear. “Full disclosure? I’m here to support the woman I am falling for.”
My throat tightens. Tears threaten. “Shit timing, Marine.”
His eyes gleam. “I agree. The worst.”
I rest my forehead against his. “You want to know if I feel the same?”
He studies me. “Yeah. Depends. Maybe.”
“God help me… I do. With all my heart. I lo—”
The hallway door bangs open.
Wulf strides in, expression flat. “Not supposed to tamper with my witness.”
Not even slightly cowed, Kade keeps his eyes on me and says loud enough for Wulf to hear, “Gonna tamper plenty the minute I get her home.”
My face still burns as I’m led back into the room.
When I sit, John Ito glances up. “You look feverish. You okay?”
