Page 21 of Protect Me
His brow furrowed. “Yeah, really weird.”
Gratified, I headed toward his truck. He unlocked the door with the fob. Balancing on one leg, I ditched the crutches in the back, hopped to the front, and climbed carefully inside. With a head full of thoughts, I grabbed the seatbelt and buckled it, then stared at the Frolicking Moose.
“She seemed scared, right?”
“Startled.” Hernandez shrugged, then his gaze tapered. “Why?”
“No reason.”
“Spit it, Vik.”
“No reason!” I cried. “Just . . . weird.”
“You wanna know what’s weird? The mystic breathing crap you just pulled. You, like, sensei-ed her out of the panic attack. How’d you do it, man? Your sublime yoga powers, or something?”
I rolled my eyes. Hernandez took any opportunity to crack at my love of yoga and I wanted to punch the knowing grin off his face now.
“Katelyn is best friends with Vini.”
“I remember.”
“Kate used to do that all the time.” I frowned as he reversed out of the spot, then spun the wheel to head toward the road. “At our house. She’d come over in a panic, unable to breathe. Amma would talk her down just like that. Seemed like what was happening now, so I put a stop to it.”
Hernandez snorted. “With an aunt like hers, you’d hyperventilate too.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s just say that Trina has a history.”
Hernandez remained vague, but his insinuation that Katelyn’s family had run-ins with law enforcement didn’t shock me. He didn’t bring work into his daily life, so he wouldn’t give details.
Not that I needed them.
Katelyn’s childhood had been anythingbutstable, that much I remembered. Details eluded me. She was my kid-sister’s best friend, so I gave her about as much attention as a fly. Now, I couldn’tstopthinking about Kate.
It took all my control not to return to the Frolicking Moose as we sped away. No reason to give Hernandez another reason to be suspicious over my motives when I didn’t even understand them myself.
Whatever just happened, I didn’t like the fear in her eyes. The panic. The sense of something absent, like a puzzle piece I couldn’t find.
“Heard you’re off the alcohol,” he said.
I sent him a sidelong glance. “From who?”
“Reesa, at the liquor store.”
“She has a big mouth.”
“Said you haven’t been there in awhile.” Hernandez shot me a high-browed look. I laughed.
“Small towns are the worst.”
He flashed a quick smile. “Being a deputy gets me so much information, amigo. Is it true?”
“Not your business, either way.”
“Prickly,” he muttered.
“Yes. It’s true.”
