modest and not wanting to speak ill of someone. A white and red cloud of rage made it hard to actually watch the man.
“Laura always had a flair for the dramatic,” Frank said with a low chuckle, moving covertly toward the door. Perhaps Mike wasn’t hiding his anger as well as he thought.
Perhaps that was a good thing.
“Dramatic.” Mike repeated the word like he’d taken a bite of fresh cow shit.
“So you know?” Frank’s smile twisted Mike’s guts.
“I know what?”
“How she can make situations seem different from the facts.”
Oh, no. Oh, no. The man did not just do that .
“Get out,” Mike roared. The sound was so loud, so packed with sheer fight, that it made Mike’s ribs vibrate. He half expected the window to shatter.
Frank jumped, his neck twisting with shock. “Excuse—”
“Get out of my office before I show you exactly how I handle someone who comes into our life and accuses my woman of lying.” Mike bore down on him, making Frank stumble. A warning voice told him not to touch the man, but there were about three seconds left between Mike’s ability to hold himself back and the need for Frank to get the fuck out of his sight.
“Lying? No, I wasn’t—” Frank froze. Whatever he saw in Mike’s eyes made him shut up and walk to the door, as jittery as a man fleeing an uncaged game lion.
“You have exactly twenty seconds to be out of my building before I call security,” Mike ground out from his door, grabbing the edge with a hand that left finger imprints in the soft wood.
Shelly came out of her office and looked at both men. “Can I—”
Slam!
Mike picked up the phone, stabbing the numbers with brutal efficiency. Dylan’s voice cut through the oppressive cloud of everything.
“Mike?”
“He was here.”
“And?”
“Get that PI on the case now. Right now.”
“You okay?”
“No.”
Dylan’s long sigh made Mike wince. “Go for a run, man. Right now.”
“Can’t. I’m in a suit.”
“You own the place. Just run. Do the stairs, go on the trails—just run. I don’t want you driving like this.”
“Like what?”
“Mike,” Dylan said in a low voice. “You sound like you’re about to murder someone.”
Mike’s hand holding the receiver began to shake. “I was.”
“I know.” The gentle tone his partner took made the mist clear, dropping like a fine dust all over Mike’s soul. “And I know you. Run it out. Fuck the expensive suit and shoes. Pound it out before you come home. And for God’s sake, don’t go near that motherfucker. I don’t want to bail you out of jail for assault.”
“Hasn’t happened yet,” Mike barked.
“And I hope it never will.”
“That guy comes near Laura or Jillie, so help me God—”
“He won’t.”
“But if he—”
“He won’t . Just run.”
Mike could feel his heart beat again, the slow adjustment back to a more aware state seeping in. Pure fury had taken over, mingling all his body functions into a cloud of noise. Now he could feel the hard plastic of the phone against his palm, how the receiver scratched against his chin, the way his blood pounded through his thighs, needing to be drained and wrung by a long run.
“Just run,” Dylan repeated.
So Mike did.
Chapter Four
Laura
The front door opened and in walked Mike, dripping wet from sweat, wearing the same gorgeous suit he’d worn this morning, battered black dress shoes flying across the floor as he kicked them off. His hair was absolutely drenched, so wet it curled up in little ringlets around his head, just like Jillian’s did after a bath.
He was soaked through, suit jacket and all, a handful of dry patches here and there. Pants, too—sweat spots took over most of the clothing.
“Run into a sprinkler on your way home?” Laura joked. She caught a peek at the driveway outside before he closed the door behind him and stared in confusion. “Where’s the Jeep?”
“Not here.” Mike could barely talk as he peeled off his clothes
“Laura always had a flair for the dramatic,” Frank said with a low chuckle, moving covertly toward the door. Perhaps Mike wasn’t hiding his anger as well as he thought.
Perhaps that was a good thing.
“Dramatic.” Mike repeated the word like he’d taken a bite of fresh cow shit.
“So you know?” Frank’s smile twisted Mike’s guts.
“I know what?”
“How she can make situations seem different from the facts.”
Oh, no. Oh, no. The man did not just do that .
“Get out,” Mike roared. The sound was so loud, so packed with sheer fight, that it made Mike’s ribs vibrate. He half expected the window to shatter.
Frank jumped, his neck twisting with shock. “Excuse—”
“Get out of my office before I show you exactly how I handle someone who comes into our life and accuses my woman of lying.” Mike bore down on him, making Frank stumble. A warning voice told him not to touch the man, but there were about three seconds left between Mike’s ability to hold himself back and the need for Frank to get the fuck out of his sight.
“Lying? No, I wasn’t—” Frank froze. Whatever he saw in Mike’s eyes made him shut up and walk to the door, as jittery as a man fleeing an uncaged game lion.
“You have exactly twenty seconds to be out of my building before I call security,” Mike ground out from his door, grabbing the edge with a hand that left finger imprints in the soft wood.
Shelly came out of her office and looked at both men. “Can I—”
Slam!
Mike picked up the phone, stabbing the numbers with brutal efficiency. Dylan’s voice cut through the oppressive cloud of everything.
“Mike?”
“He was here.”
“And?”
“Get that PI on the case now. Right now.”
“You okay?”
“No.”
Dylan’s long sigh made Mike wince. “Go for a run, man. Right now.”
“Can’t. I’m in a suit.”
“You own the place. Just run. Do the stairs, go on the trails—just run. I don’t want you driving like this.”
“Like what?”
“Mike,” Dylan said in a low voice. “You sound like you’re about to murder someone.”
Mike’s hand holding the receiver began to shake. “I was.”
“I know.” The gentle tone his partner took made the mist clear, dropping like a fine dust all over Mike’s soul. “And I know you. Run it out. Fuck the expensive suit and shoes. Pound it out before you come home. And for God’s sake, don’t go near that motherfucker. I don’t want to bail you out of jail for assault.”
“Hasn’t happened yet,” Mike barked.
“And I hope it never will.”
“That guy comes near Laura or Jillie, so help me God—”
“He won’t.”
“But if he—”
“He won’t . Just run.”
Mike could feel his heart beat again, the slow adjustment back to a more aware state seeping in. Pure fury had taken over, mingling all his body functions into a cloud of noise. Now he could feel the hard plastic of the phone against his palm, how the receiver scratched against his chin, the way his blood pounded through his thighs, needing to be drained and wrung by a long run.
“Just run,” Dylan repeated.
So Mike did.
Chapter Four
Laura
The front door opened and in walked Mike, dripping wet from sweat, wearing the same gorgeous suit he’d worn this morning, battered black dress shoes flying across the floor as he kicked them off. His hair was absolutely drenched, so wet it curled up in little ringlets around his head, just like Jillian’s did after a bath.
He was soaked through, suit jacket and all, a handful of dry patches here and there. Pants, too—sweat spots took over most of the clothing.
“Run into a sprinkler on your way home?” Laura joked. She caught a peek at the driveway outside before he closed the door behind him and stared in confusion. “Where’s the Jeep?”
“Not here.” Mike could barely talk as he peeled off his clothes
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