Page 55 of Armed ’N’ Ready

Tess wiped down the last of the tables. Matt and Kade sat in a corner, sipping coffee as they had during the entire time they’d been guarding her. Occasionally, one of them had gotten a phone call, and she’d pumped them for information on Nick. They wouldn’t tell her a thing, and it was driving her crazy.

The only good part of the day had come at the vet clinic, when the doctor had confirmed that Stray’s ribs weren’t broken. She’d checked on her several times throughout the day, and each time Stray was resting comfortably in her bed.

“Ready to close?” Tess grabbed her purse from under the bar.

“Just about.” She turned off the kitchen lights then tipped her head to Matt and Kade, who rose and waited for them by the front door.

Tess dug into her sparkly, multicolored leather bag for her keys. Even her key ring glittered with an assortment of dangling crystal charms. “Where’s the Viking?”

“Who?” She tugged the deck door closed, locking it.

“The hunky guy with the spiky blond hair.” Tess waggled her eyebrows. “The one I saw talking to Nick last night.”

“Oh, him. Eric.” She laughed, then pursed her lips. “Did I mention that he’s a cop—a federal agent?”

The laughter in Tess’s eyes died instantly. “Too bad.”

Hmm. One day—after the dust settled on her own chaotic life—she’d have to put aside her determination not to pry and dig deeper into what that was about.

“Speaking of guys,” Andi continued, changing course, “didn’t you have a first date last night after work?”

“I did.” She sighed. “My first and last with that jerk.”

Andi flicked off the deck lights. “Where’d you meet this guy?”

“Here, a couple of weeks ago.” She made a disgusted sound. “I should have known he’d be a jerk.”

Andi raised her brows. “How could you have known?”

Tess stared at the keys in her hand. “Because he reminded me of my stepfather.”

Now, Andi was certain there was a story there. Tess rarely spoke of her family. “You know you can talk to me. About anything.”

“I know. Thanks.” She gave Andi a wan, false smile and slung her bag over her shoulder. “My problems are nothing compared to yours. And likewise, I’m here for you, too.”

Tess squeezed Andi’s arm, then sauntered to the front door and began chatting with Matt and Kade.

“You coming?” Matt called out.

“Yeah.” She nodded, then joined them at the door and waited for them to go outside so she could shut off the lights and set the alarm. Ironic how she’d alarmed the DPC but not her own home, yet it had been her house that was broken into by thugs who meant to do her harm. In hindsight…dumb. Really dumb.

With the alarm still beeping, she locked the door behind her. Kade walked Tess to her car while Matt stayed behind.

“Did you hear anything new?” she asked hopefully.

He shook his dark head. “The only thing I can tell you is that Nick and Eric interrogated the guys who tried to kidnap you. They’ve been following up on leads all day.” He watched her closely for a moment. “He’ll be okay. He’s good at what he does.”

“I know.” They began walking to the house. “I didn’t mean he wasn’t, I’m just—” Going absolutely nuts not hearing from him.

“Worried, I get it,” he said, filling in the blank. “My wife worries every time I walk out the door, but she accepts who I am and what I do. Even before we got married, it was hard on her. It took time for her to adjust and not let it get to her every second of the day.”

“’Night, Andi,” Tess called from the open window of her beat-up Camry as she drove past.

She waved back. “I don’t have any right to feel this way,” she mumbled, more to herself.

“Why not?” Matt chuckled. “From what I’ve seen, he feels the same way.”

“Who feels the same way?” Kade asked as he caught up to them.