"Cade's the best," Annabeth offered. "Don't worry. You're in good hands."
Tristan's gaze darted to him, and Cade felt self-conscious when the other man's eyes raked over him a little too slowly.
"Oh, I'm sure I am," Tristan drawled.
Annabeth's eyebrows shot up, and one side of her mouth ticked up. "Well, I'll be going. I'll let you know when I find something."
"Thanks, Annabeth. Tristan, we're switching cars."
"Why?"
"The guy from the motel knows what my car looks like. They'll be searching for it."
Tristan frowned. "Won't that lead them to Annabeth?"
"She'll take it to Hamm's garage and hide it there. She'll be fine."
Accepting that explanation, Tristan got out of the SUV and made his way to the white car, while the other two watched him.
"He's cute," Annabeth remarked as they switched car keys.
Cade swiftly slid into defensive mode. "What?"
"You heard me. He's cute. Your type, too."
Cade scoffed. "I don't have a type."
"Whatever you say, sweet cheeks," Annabeth teased, clearly humoring him.
"Annabeth," Cade growled in warning.
She just waved him off. "I'll be in touch. Keep him safe."
He grunted in response, sullen over Annabeth's comments. He retrieved his gun kit from his trunk, got into Annabeth's car and punched the address of the safe house into the GPS.
Tristan didn't speak until Cade pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall with a general store, a food market, and a liquor store.
"Why are we here?"
"We need clothes and food. I'm not sure what will be at the safe house, and I don't want to be stuck eating pasta and canned soup for a week."
Tristan's eyes popped open. "You think we'll be there for a week?"
"I hope not, but it's better to plan for it."
Once inside the store, they made a beeline to the men's clothing section, and each picked out a few pairs of sweatpants, t-shirts, underwear and socks.
"Get a hoodie," Cade instructed.
The comment earned him a raised eyebrow from the other man.
"You were cold before," he explained defensively.
Tristan studied him with a curiosity that made Cade's brain sputter. Because he couldn’t decipher its meaning, he pushed the thoughts aside and turned his back to the other man, hiding whatever nonsense might show on his face.
Ignoring problems had always worked well for him in the past.
Cade Kingsley, king of denial.
