Page 39 of Beautifully Broken Control

“And I hear you about the car. I just—” He shifted again, adjusting his hold on the steering wheel. “I have a need to fix things.”

My body stiffened. “I don’t need to be fixed, Cain. I’m doing just fine. Better than.” If he knew the wreckage I’d come from, maybe he’d be able to see. Money,things, they didn’t always solve everything. Sometimes, they made it so much worse.

Cain winced. “I knowyoudon’t need to be fixed. I just saw a situation that could be improved. I have the ability to do it, so why not help?”

“Improved foryou. My bike, my life…it’s how I want it.”

He ran a hand through his hair, distressing it into artful waves. “I’m getting that.”

I studied him in the darkness, trying to see past his careful words. There was something below the surface. Thewhyof it all. “Where does this come from?”

Cain gripped the wheel tighter, his knuckles bleaching white. “I lost someone I cared about.”

My chest constricted in a painful squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. And, sometimes, I can go a bit overboard with all of that stuff.”

There were so many questions I wanted to ask. But I knew if I asked a single one, I’d be inviting the same. And that was a door I simply couldn’t open. “Thanks for telling me.” He nodded into the dark. My voice was as gentle as I could make it. “But I’m not giving up my bike.”

The hands on the wheel tightened again. “Will you let me drive you home after Hope House, at least?”

What harm would that do? Cain wasn’t going to be around forever. He’d take his vacation here for a season, and then he’d head back to Portland. To his real life. This was simply a break from reality for him. “For now.”

Cain’s lips twitched. “I’ll take it.”

14

Cain

I pulledto a stop behind the Kettle. The urge to check out the whole building before Kennedy went inside was so strong. The security system wasn’t in place yet. I beat it back, my eyes scanning the windows. No movement. Everything was fine.

“Why did you come to Sutter Lake?”

The question caught me off guard. I thought for sure Kenz would have asked something about who I’d lost. How? What had happened? But she’d let me off the hook. I studied her face, searching for what, I wasn’t sure. “I needed to get away. Needed some peace and quiet to deal with a few things.” It was a bit of a cop-out answer, and I knew it. I had the urge to give her more, but I couldn’t give her anything that would lead to discussions of Kiara. “And someone’s attacking my company from the inside. I don’t know who I can trust. It helps to have a place away from all that to work on a project that’s the future of Halo—my company. One that, if it fell into my competition’s hands, would sink me.”

Kennedy’s eyes flared as if she were shocked that I’d given her so much information. But unless she was the best actress I’d ever met, this was not someone I needed to worry about revealing my secrets. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with all of that.”

“Me, too.” Paul had done the survey of our system, and someone had, in fact, been let in through backdoor means. Three different programs had been compromised. Tonight, I’d work on the system remotely, shoring up our defenses and reworking things so every entry point would require two employees to access it. Well, for everyone but me.

“Is there anything I can do?” Kennedy’s voice was kind, honest, true.

I grinned at her. “You can let me drive you home.”

She rolled her eyes. “I already agreed.”

I shrugged. “It helps.”

“Well, then I best be getting you that driving cap.”

I chuckled. “I’m officially warned.”

We hopped out of the SUV, and I lifted her bike out so she could lock it up again. “Here.” I handed her the set of keys Jensen had given me. “Jensen gave me these so I could lock up.”

Her eyes narrowed in mock assessment. “You didn’t paw through my underwear drawer, did you?”

My laughter deepened. “No, but your dog did drool on me.”

Pink hit her cheeks. “Sorry about that. He’s got overactive salivary glands.”

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