“Callie told me Tanner was going to lend you a hand.” She turned her face up to his. “Were you able to get your tires fixed, too?”
Nodding, Kam handed over the keys. “Liam showed up with some spares and helped get them changed out. We took the cars to the shop—it was only a couple of miles—and got the tires repaired. Tanner’s driving his truck and Liam’s bringing my SUV home. I’ll drop him off when—”when I head back to your house“—I wrap up here.”
Missing his verbal stumble, Glory asked, “Repaired? I didn’t need new tires?”
This is where it got tricky. “The air was deliberately let out of your tires without doing any damage to them.”
“But... how?”
With the others looking on, Kam didn’t want to drag this out. Liam would arrive soon with his SUV, and he still needed to talk to Glory about future arrangements. “Easy enough with a tool. If you compress the valve stem...” Yeah, given her expression, she didn’t need a lesson on tire pressure.
Dread showed in her eyes. “What about your tires?”
Rolling a shoulder, he gave her the truth. “Someone sabotaged mine.”
Far too defeated, her eyes sank shut.
“Hey, none of that.” Kam cupped her face, always aware of her warmth and softness. Manfully, he resisted the urge to kiss her.
Others were watching, or he’d have given in.
“They’re just tires, Glory. Not a big deal, I promise.” In the grand scheme of things, he was far more worried about her well-being.
“I’ll pay you back.”
Oh, hell no. Instead of making him angry, her offer left him comically bemused. “Absolutely not. I won’t take money from you.”
“But—”
That did it. He kissed her, quick and firm, and ignored the whispers he could hear coming from Callie’s porch. “So you assume Mike was behind the flats, too?”
Subdued, she admitted, “It seems likely.”
More than likely. “He didn’t want me to be able to offer you a ride.” Bending his knees made it easier for him to look her in the eyes. “He wants to get you alone, Glory.”
“He offered us both a ride.”
“What do you want to bet he’d have insisted on dropping me off first?” Without waiting for an answer, he added, “The guy is unpredictable.”As in demented.
She stepped closer. “So you don’t think I overreacted?”
“I think you’re astute, with good instincts, but for now, I need you to shake this off so we can go somewhere private to talk.”
Belatedly remembering her cousin and Addie, she glanced that way. Both women waved, grinning.
Flushing, Glory lowered her voice. “I can’t just leave. You don’t have to wait for me, though. I’m sure you have other things to do today, especially after taking care of my issues all morning.”
Kam scrubbed both hands over his face. “Actually, the only thing on my agenda is you.”
One slender eyebrow lifted. “Me?”
Did she have to sound so incredulous? “Hate to break it to you, but Mike was there.”
Her lips barely moved when she breathed, “What?”
“Yeah, my reaction exactly.”
Liam pulled up to the curb with his SUV, so Kam attempted to hurry her along. “I’ve got a lot to tell you, and it’s better shared in private, so how about you gather up whatever you need and we’ll head to your house to discuss our plans.”
