AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He said nothing. What she’d said was true, but what she didn’t say aloud was she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach, too. It was fear. She was afraid. A storm was coming, and there was nothing she could do. She was already caught in it.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Dane pulled into his driveway and parked the SUV in his garage. He got out slowly. His back, already stiff from the events of the day, had frozen on the drive over.
“You, okay?” Mac asked.
“Yeah. It’s just been a long couple of days, and my back needs a bit of a break.” He hit the lights and studied the door that led into the house.
“What are you looking for?”
“Just some things I left so I know if anyone has opened the door.” Since Owens and the team tried to kill him, he’d taken extra precautions for his safety. He didn’t believe for a second those assholes wouldn’t try to finish the job. He looked closely and found that the tiny thread he’d left was still in place. He used the key to unlock the door and then walked into his kitchen, flicking on the light as he went.
“Nice place,” she said as she came in behind him.
“Thanks.” He liked his little house. The kitchen, although small, had enough room for a small island in the middle. A counter on the left side separated the kitchen from the dining area. “I’m just going to check the other doors.” He went to the front door and did a check and then cleared the sliding glass doors to his back patio. “Everything is good. No one has been in here.”
Mac had taken off her shoes and was standing in his kitchen.
He walked toward her and then jumped. “Seriously, Beans? I’m not that late.” The cat had bitten his ankle.
“What?” She turned and stared at him.
“Beans.”
“Er, no thanks, I’m not hungry.”
He cracked a grin. “No. Beans.” He pointed down at his cat. “He’s hungry and mad at me because he can see the bottom of his bowl. He bit me to tell me he’s pissed off.”
Mac looked at the cat and then at the bowl, which was on a mat with a pet drinking fountain, next to the door to the garage. “I see. He still has food, but he doesn’t like it when he can see the bottom of his dish?”
Dane nodded.
“I had a cat like that growing up.” She squatted down, and Beans prowled over to her.
He was a short-haired tabby cat with a couple of rings of long hair around his shoulders, which made him look very odd.
“I found him on my doorstep one day. He’s a little wonky looking but super friendly unless he can see the bottom of his bowl. Then he bites.”
“I can see he’s got quite the coat.” She scratched Beans under his chin and then petted his head. He started to purr, and she said, “And a loud purr.”
“Yeah. He’s like an engine revving. You get used to it.”
Dane walked over and grabbed the cat food from the cupboard. After filling the dish and setting out a couple of treats, he straightened and leaned against the sink. “Can I get you anything?”
Mac stood. Beans was busy eating. “No, I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine. She was upset, as she should be. He could see it in the fine lines of her face and the jerky way she moved. If he told her not to think about it, she’d probably just think he was being a dick. “You want some tea or something?”
She shook her head. “I’m set, thanks.”
This wasn’t going to work. She was wound tight. There was no way she would sleep like that.
“I know you’re upset about what happened tonight. You’re in a tough spot, and I would imagine you’re feeling pretty much alone. You aren’t.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Can we skip the pep talk? I just want to go to bed.”
Fine.He wanted to help her because he knew what it felt like, but some people just couldn’t be helped. At least not in the moment anyway.
