I heard the faucet and then he came out and went right to the kettle. He lifted it up, swished it around to check if there was water in it, put it back in its base and flipped the on switch.

“You need coffee,” he announced when he’d set the mug down and straightened.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Right,” he said and walked the four steps to me, his hand at his back pocket. When he arrived, his hand came round, his other one grabbed mine, lifted it, palm up and then he planted an expensive-looking cellular phone in my hand. “Cell,” he said unnecessarily, his one hand still holding mine as his other hand went back to his pocket. It swung around again to put an envelope on top of the phone in my hand. “Your info, your number. It’s charged. Got the charger and box in my bag on the Harley. Saw you fryin’ and left it to wake you up.”

I was still staring at the cell.

Then I looked up at him. “You bought me a cell phone?”

“You were sleepin’ in the sun, babe, not goin’ to the mall to get a phone. So I got you a phone.”

“Why?” I asked.

“You need a phone,” he answered.

“But –”

“It ain’t safe, not having a phone.”

“I –”

“And I’m not f**kin’ squabblin’ about it.”

It was then I realized his fingers were still holding my hand palm up so I tugged my hand from his and took a step away.

“I’ll pay you back,” I said.

“Did already, did most of a stock take. Not your job. That’s your bonus.”

“But –”

He cut me off and he didn’t do it angry, he did it sounding part frustrated but also part tired. “Lauren, seriously, just shut up, all right?”

I stared at him. He’d worked a double shift and it was busy last night. He’d had a long day working a job he wasn’t supposed to be working in the first place. He’d fired someone and even though he was really a jerk about it, with the way Wendy and Dalton reacted and the way I saw Tonia be myself, it was likely a long time coming. Someone had to do it and it probably wasn’t pleasant. Now, we were a waitress down and they’d still been on the market after they hired me because, in reality, before they got me, they were two waitresses down. He was, as ever, stuck.

“You had a long day yesterday,” I blurted.

His brows drew together. “Come again?”

“Nothing,” I muttered. “Do you want coffee?” I asked and his eyes focused on me so intently, I could swear he was looking at me like he didn’t know who I was.

Then he said, “No, Ace, need to get to Bubba’s and make sure its f**kin’ namesake has his ass behind the bar.”

“So Bubba is back?”

“Yeah, though he’s not much better than Tonia, at least it doesn’t cost us money for him to take up space.”

“Oh,” I said softly and then jumped when a knock sounded on the door.

“Expecting company?” Tate asked and I looked at the door then to him.

“It’s probably Betty,” I muttered, turning back to the door and I saw her head peek around the window to look in and then it disappeared so I smiled. “Betty,” I confirmed then I saw a uniformed policeman move to stand full in the window and look in and the smile froze on my face. “What on –?”

But Tate was on the move. He was across the room and had the door open before I could blink.

“Frank,” Tate greeted, opening the door wide and the officer walked in as did Betty.

“Been lookin’ for you, saw your bike,” the policeman said to Tate then his gaze came to me.

“Hope you don’t mind, Laurie, but he said he needed Tate,” Betty put in.

“What’s goin’ on?” Tate asked and he hadn’t taken his eyes off the officer.

“Tonia Payne was raped last night,” the officer announced.

I gasped, tossed the stuff in my hand on the bed and rushed to Tate’s side at the same time I whispered, “Oh my God.”

The officer looked at me and stated, “You got that right.”

“What the f**k happened?” Tate growled and I belatedly noticed he was holding himself perfectly still and his face was rock hard but there was a lethal energy emanating from him. It was so forceful, so strong, it was quickly filling the room and if Betty wasn’t standing in the door holding it open and letting some of Tate’s energy out, I fancied it would choke us all.

“Bad, man, and when I say that I mean bad,” Frank told Tate. “She’s messed up, in the hospital. Did her with a knife.”

Betty cried out and, without thinking, my hand shot up and I grabbed onto Tate’s bicep and leaned my weight into it because if I didn’t, I might faint.

Tate shifted so my hand disengaged but I didn’t drop to the floor because he shifted so his arm was around my waist and he hauled me deep into his side.

“Jesus Christ, Frank, you got an audience,” Tate ground out.

Frank glanced at Betty and me and mumbled, “Shit. Right. Sorry.”

“Right, sorry,” Tate repeated on an infuriated clip. “You can’t say that at three in the mornin’ when these women won’t be able to sleep because that shit you just shared is poundin’ into their brains.”

“Sorry,” Frank mumbled again.

“Tell me you got this guy,” Tate demanded.

“Why you think I’m here?” Frank asked.

“Because you don’t f**kin’ got this guy,” Tate bit out.

“We need you, Tate,” Frank stated and there was the thin, but desperate, thread of a plea in his four words.

But I was surprised. Why would they need Tate?

I looked up at him to see a muscle leap in his jaw.

Then he clipped, “Outside.”

Betty moved from the door and Frank moved out of it but Tate gave my waist a squeeze before he curled me into his front. Right into his front, our h*ps and bellies were touching and everything!

Looking down at me, he ordered, “Close that door, make your coffee and don’t f**kin’ listen. I’ll be back.”

Then he let me go and followed Frank.

“Oh dear,” Betty said and I looked at her.

“Tonia,” I whispered and my eyes filled with tears.

I mean, I didn’t know her very well and I didn’t like her but to be raped with a knife?

Betty nodded, grabbed my hand and led me to the bed. Once there, she put her hands to my shoulders and pressed down.