Games of the Heart (The 'Burg #4)(183)

“I’ll get right on that,” Mike murmured and she grinned then pressed closer.

“I think it would take about seven elephants to drag Fin and Rees back to the house so I also think you’re pretty safe to get right on something else right about now,” she whispered her invitation.

Mike smiled. Then he accepted her invitation, taking her to her back on the couch and he got right on that.

*

Late Friday night…

Mike’s eyes opened as did his senses.

Still.

Quiet.

Nothing.

Nevertheless, carefully, seeing as every time he’d done it before he’d woken Dusty, he slid away from her at the same time pointing at Layla. Her head had come up from Dusty’s ankle but she saw Mike’s hand, knew his command and she stayed where she was.

Mike went to the dresser and tagged a tee. Dusty had clearly been in a mood or she’d needed something to do to kill time while she was waiting for cakes to bake because he came home that night, went up to their room to change and found, for the first time since she moved in, the bedroom floor clear of clothes and shoes and it had been vacuumed.

He tugged the tee on, opened the door and went through. Down the hall, he went to Reesee’s room first. Opening her door, he saw her head on the pillow, the shadow of her cell on the nightstand within reaching distance but it was late. She was out. Fin had got her home on time and although they sat in his driveway for fifteen f**king minutes in Fin’s truck (which had a bench seat, for f**k’s sake) before she wandered in with a dreamy look on her face, it wasn’t any dreamier than other looks she had after leaving Fin so Mike relaxed.

He moved out of her door, closed it and checked on No. His head was also on his pillow and he was also out. Mike was surprised about this. He’d gotten home from the gig completely wired. Clearly, it had gone well but Mike also knew it had gone well because he stood in No’s doorway leaning against the jamb while No put away his gear and told him about it. Mike thought it’d take him a while to wind down but he’d obviously since crashed.

Mike moved out of his door, closed it and then retraced steps he’d taken time and again in his walkthrough of the house.

The house was still.

It was quiet.

Nothing.

All good.

Rhonda was sorting her shit, helping out. She’d even worked with Della to crate Dusty’s pieces that week.

Debbie was disabled.

McGrath was in jail.

Audrey seemed to be keeping her shit and making inroads with Rees.

With four people working the farm, the corn was nearly finished being planted.

Nothing bad.

All good.

Mike stood in his living room looking out the doors to the deck at his moonlit backyard.

Nothing out there either.

All was still.

Quiet.

Good.

“So why in the f**k can’t I shake this f**kin’ feeling?” he whispered to no one.

Unsurprisingly, he got no answer.

So with the weight he’d been carrying in his gut for a while still heavy, even after Rhonda was shaking it off, Audrey stepped up, Debbie was sorted, McGrath was put out of commission, Mike walked back upstairs and to his room.

He closed the door and carefully slid back in with Dusty, fitting his front to the curve of her back and snaking his arm around her waist.

She hadn’t woken.

All good.

Except it wasn’t.

And he knew it.

He just didn’t know why.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Games of the Heart

Late May…Saturday…

I was walking from the barn to the house to get a drink when the backdoor crashed open and a nanosecond later, Rees flew out, face red, wet and ravaged. Hair flying, she dashed down the steps and headed immediately to the field toward home even though Fin followed her and shouted, “Reesee!”

At this dramatic display, I had stopped and, weirdly, Fin did too. His eyes were glued to her departing back and his body was still as a statue.

I started out of my halt and moved quickly to him.

I was hesitant when I called out my stupid question, “Everything okay?”

It was a stupid question because clearly, everything wasn’t. And seeing as these were teenagers, no matter that they were mature ones, butting my nose in would probably not be welcomed.

But Rees’s face and Fin’s body did not bode good tidings.

Furthermore, something had been going on with them for a few weeks. Rees started whatever was going down acting the same as ever but Fin was different. He got quieter and quieter until he was brooding even worse than after his Dad died. Rees responded to that also getting quieter and quieter, more watchful then, lately, hesitant and unsure of herself like she had been when I first met her. And this was something she had blossomed out of entirely by the time Jerra and Hunter came with their kids for a visit.

And whatever was happening between Fin and Rees was the only thing that was of concern the last month. Everything had settled. Life was good.

No. Life was great.

Now this.

Shit.

Fin’s eyes sliced to me and he growled the obvious answer, “No, everything is not f**kin’ okay.”

Then he shared no further, turned on his boot and stalked into the house, slamming the door behind him.

I followed him much slower, hit the kitchen and saw Rhonda pressed into a corner, her wide eyes on the doorway that led to the hall, her hand at her throat.