Wolf’s Heart Read Online Free Page B

He’d never been able to hide much from those two.
    “You been by to see Carlee yet?” Grant asked.
    And there it was.
    Growling at these two was unacceptable. With JT, he could say what he wanted. These two men were a different story. Biting back his retort, he looked down, picking at some nonexistent lint from his jeans.
    “No, we broke it off, remember?” He knew he’d told them, but left out the reasons. Neither would let it go any more than JT would.
    “Sure, but she’s still your friend.”
    Justin was silent, knowing it was a sore subject with Ryden. He didn’t agree with the break-up and he’d certainly let Ryden know often enough.
    “Grant, I’ve not seen her in more than three years. We just weren’t meant to be. I wouldn’t even know what to say to her if I saw her again. I’m sure she’d most likely deck me and I’d deserve it. Army life is no life for a woman like her.”
    At least that’s what he’d told them. Only Ryden and JT knew the truth of why he’d broken things off; it had nothing to do with the Army and everything to do with that fateful night in the desert.
    Changing the subject, Ryden asked both of them about their families, and what all had been going on in his home town. Hours seemed to drift by, and before any of them knew it, the afternoon was gone, shared over a few drinks, a meal cooked by Justin in Grant’s kitchen, and lots of laughs about some of the antics pulled by the boys Justin had dealt with over the years, a few of which Ryden himself had instigated. It had certainly been a good afternoon with his two friends.
    As he said his goodbyes, Grant took him aside, hugged him tightly and said, “Don’t waste your life, son. Don’t live with regrets. Time passes too quickly, then you wonder why you waited.”
    Ryden swallowed the lump in his throat and hugged the old man, knowing in his heart it would be the last time he saw him.
    “Thanks, Grant, for everything.”
    He nodded to Justin and crawled in the Mustang, waving to the two men as he pulled away.
    It had been a good day.
    Now, if he could just get Carlee off his mind.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    “Carlee, come on, it’s time to head home.”
    G’s voice broke through the silence as he pushed through the door. Carlee spun in her chair as she waited for the last set of comparison slides to finish. She still had ten minutes before it was time to go but, as usual, G was early. She hid her smile knowing he would be early. She had already synced her latest notes on the case to the cloud and was waiting.
    “Geesh, G, knock much? You scared the crap outta me. You wanna go home? As in now home? Like right now? Are you crazy! I need to go and see the chief; I’m close, really close. I think I almost have it figured out. When those slides come through, I will have the proof that someone is roaming the country, drugging people and stealing their organs.”
    She was pacing, talking with her hands as she always did when she was excited. She came to a stop as the computer beeped to signal the slide comparison had finished. Before she could walk to her desk she was spun sharply around as G grabbed her arms.
    “Carlee, it can wait until tomorrow. The chief is already gone for the day, and you’ve been here since five a.m. Plus, I have a surprise for you tonight. Remember? We talked about this earlier?”
    G placed his hand gently over her mouth each time she tried to interrupt. She smirked, “Gotcha! I was ready five minutes ago.”
    He guided her toward the door, grabbing her jacket from the hook and leading her out. She should have told him she hated surprises. Of course, his last one was pretty good. It involved her lying naked across the dining room table as his own private sushi bar.
    She knew he was right. The slides could wait until morning. Or, she could come back after he fell asleep. She had all the other aspects of the case in her head, and she could go over them later. When a gorgeous man says he has a surprise