Blaze (Steel Brothers Saga 21)

I knock on the door.

It opens and—

I gasp. Standing before me is none other than Pat Lamone, a ball cap hiding most of his dark hair.

Now I know why my heart was beating fast, why I was fearful. On some level, I must have known he was here.

“Callie,” he says. “What the hell are you doing here?”

I gulp back the fright that is trying to overwhelm me. I won’t give him the satisfaction. “I’ll ask you the same question. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Brittany and I are…seeing each other.”

I feign surprise. “Really? That’s odd, since I saw Brittany this morning and she claimed to hardly remember you. She didn’t even know you were back in town.”

His cheeks redden. Ha! I got him.

“She was just… I’m sure she was just nervous.”

“About what? About the fact that she was talking to one of the women she shot with her father’s tranquilizer gun ten years ago?”

He doesn’t reply right away.

“Cat got your tongue, Lamone?”

“You can’t prove any of that.”

“I can prove you’re an asshole. Did you really think Donny Steel was going to bring charges against me for spilling coffee on you?”

“I’ve got some burns.”

I shake my head. “You’re something else. I know exactly why you called Donny. For the same reason that you lied about Rory and me and our ties to you. The same reason you told the same lies to Raine. You’re trying to mess with Rory’s and my relationships.”

“You think so? If that’s true, I guess I was successful with Rory.”

“She and Raine were over before you came back to town. I won’t let you take credit for that breakup.”

He scoffs. “You won’t let me?”

This is going nowhere fast. “Just get Doc for me. Or get the hell out of my way and I’ll find him myself.”

“I think he’s out back.”

Pat shuts the door in my face.

The door opens again a few seconds later, and Doc Sheraton stands before me. “Callie, is everything okay with the new dogs?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering if you had a minute.”

“Sure. Do you want to come in?”

Pat is inside, which means Brittany is probably also inside. “Could we talk out here?”

“I suppose so. Let me grab a jacket.” He returns a minute later wearing a denim jacket, which looks really odd on him. “What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.”

“I’ll try.”