Through His Touch (Mind's Eye Book 2)
Page 28
Was that a trust issue or a need to control issue? The man had so many issues, it was hard to tell one from another!
Of course, according to him, she had issues, too. She refused to follow directions – orders – and she rarely listened to reason – his reasoning. Oh, and she was foolhardy and impetuous – followed her own counsel and intuition.
How had she managed to get along in the world before she’d met him? she wondered, her tongue firmly in her cheek.
They’d had a long, heart-to-heart a couple of days after Taser’s arrest. When all was said and done, she’d agreed to give more weight to his directions and opinions when they were tracking a criminal. He did have more experience under his belt, she’d acceded. He’d promised to treat her more as a partner than a subordinate. She figured that they both had their doubts on how well they’d adhere to their agreements.
Wandering through the living room with Mouse dancing alongside her, she wondered how long it would take for her to truly feel that this was her home. Maybe by this time next year, it would seem natural and normal. Whether she was in Atlanta or Tulsa, both would feel like home. Their home. Would they still be together in a year? The question hung in her mind, waiting for an answer . . .
She heard Levi’s cellphone ringing and she followed the sound into the kitchen. His phone was on the counter near the refrigerator. She picked it up and looked at the screen. It was a number and a name she didn’t recognize. S. Capehart. Didn’t ring a bell. She thought about letting it go to voice mail, but then her thumb pressed the answer button before she could stop herself.
“Hello? This is Levi Wolfe’s phone.” She heard a scuffle, murmurs, and then a woman’s voice, soft and breathy, emerged.
“Who is this, please? Is he there? Is Levi Wolfe there?”
Oh, no. This wasn’t another crazed fan, was it? “Uh, not at the moment. This is Trudy. Who is this? Does Mr. Wolfe know you, Ms. Capehart?”
“What? Oh, no. I’m using Sam’s phone. He works for us. This is AmyLynn.”
AmyLynn. The name sat in Trudy’s mind for a few seconds before it detonated. “You’re married to Levi’s father!”
“Yes, I’m his step-mother. Can you get him to talk to me? I’ve called and called, but he hangs up on me every time and now he won’t even answer the phone. I’ve left at least a dozen messages for him and I’ve begged his secretary – Darla? – I’ve begged her to convince him to call me. Are you one of his secretaries, too?”
“No. I’m . . . I’m . . .” What was she? Did she want to tell this woman? “I can ask him to talk to you.”
“Will you? Oh, please, please! God bless you!”
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes! But I can’t talk . . . I can only talk to him about it. It’s a matter of life or death, though.” She sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m just – I’m desperate. I feel like he’s my last hope.”
“Is this something to do with his . . . your husband?”
“No. John doesn’t know I’m calling. I must talk to Levi before it’s too late.”
The desperation in her voice was real and it reached out to Trudy, tightening her chest and wringing her heart. This woman was either a fantastic actress or she was near her breaking point. Levi had been refusing to speak her. Why hadn’t he told her about this? She frowned. Another secret.
“Wait just a minute, please,” she told the woman as she left the kitchen and started for the back door that gave access to the rooftop staircase. She was only halfway there when Levi opened it and came inside. He pushed his windblown hair off his forehead and looked at her, then at the phone she held out to him.
“It’s your step-mother. She’s desperate to speak to you about something.”
His eyes frosted over. He shook his head once.
“She says it’s a matter of life or death, Levi,” Trudy insisted, then seeing the intent on his face, whipped the phone behind her back when he moved to tear it from her hand. She retreated a couple of steps.
“Hang up, Trudy.” He spoke softly, but she knew that tone. That deadly, earnest, don’t-mess-with-me rasp.
“But, Levi,” she tried again, the woman’s frantic voice still haunting her.
“Hang. Up.”
“Life or death, she says,” Trudy repeated. “Please, just hear her out.” She shivered from the cold blast of his glare.
“Don’t defy me about this. Never about this.”
“About what?” she asked, flinging her arms out to her sides in exasperation. “Do you even know what she wants?”
“I don’t give a goddamn what she wants!” he roared at her, his eyes going blue/black. The rage was back. The rage ruled him. “She could be lying on the sidewalk, dying, and I’d step over her and keep walking. And that goes double for her husband!” He narrowed his eyes and a muscle in his jaw flexed. “Now do as I say. Hang up the fucking phone.”
The End
Teaser for Book 3 of the Mind's Eye Series
Can’t get enough of Levi and Trudy?
Look for the third novel in the Mind’s Eye series, coming in January 2015.