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Raphael had somehow gotten that without me seeing it.

And I wanted to hug him.

Drew might not like that too much, though.

Especially with the way he kept glancing down at my yoga pants and tank top, eyes hot, and not in a good way.

I was momentarily surprised that I didn’t need a jacket, and in fact, wasn’t even cold.

Then I shook my head.

That was Good ‘ol East Texas weather for you, though.

Hot one day, snowing the next.

“Listen,” I started. “I…”

That was when my brother showed up, his face mutinous as he stepped out of his city-issued SUV.

He took a quick cursory glance around, then pointed at the house.

“Aspen, go inside,” he ordered quietly.

This was one of those times that I knew not to argue.

I could tell by the look on my brother’s face, as well as the way he was practically vibrating with anger, that it wouldn’t be in my best interest to argue. Not to mention he’d used my real name.

So, like a good little girl, I went inside.

But I watched from the front window.

The child in Attie’s arms was taken away from her by the paramedics that showed up, a striking red head and a blonde that looked super cute in their uniforms.

They took the child to their ambulance and shut the doors, leaving moments later with a police escort.

The man in the car was the next to be transferred, this one by two large men, both out of shape and not caring in the least that the man was screaming.

I was fairly sure they sedated him before they’d even gotten him into the back of the ambulance. Mostly because one second I could hear him screaming, and the next I couldn’t.

Mostly, though, my eyes stayed on Drew.

He looked…odd.

That was the only way I could explain it.

His eyes were wild, and his body was strung so tight that I was sure he was going to snap at any moment.

And when he said something to his daughter, and she started to argue, he said a few short words to her that had her freezing. Then nodding and complying with whatever he’d said to her.

She walked stiffly to the truck Drew had bought for her, and with a police escort, she was gone, too.

I’d have watched more, but Raphael said something to Drew, which caused him to turn to the window that I was looking out of.

He shook his head at me once, and I guessed that meant that he didn’t want me watching out the window, so I sighed and stepped back.

Right into an eight-dollar puddle of melted ice cream

“Damn it all to hell,” I grumbled morosely, dropping down on my knees to tip the bowl up while catching as much as the melted goodness as I could. “This was the perfect end to one fucked up night.”