“Yeah, someone just slashed all my tires while we were inside talking to you,” Avery said.
The woman gasped. “Oh, no…” She glanced past Avery to look at the vehicle.
“Mrs. Steiner, we’re going to need to talk to your son. Immediately,” Tate said in a low voice.
The woman wrung her hands, distress clear on her face. “I’ve already called him twice and texted him. He won’t answer.”
“Well, he’s gotta be close by,” Avery muttered, and went back down the steps. Tate followed, and just as they got close to the side of the house, the sound of a small engine starting up caught their attention.
“I see him,” Avery said, and broke into a sprint as a flash of red appeared between the house and the shed. She raced for the ATV, the rider’s face hidden by a black helmet. Tate darted past her and cut left as Avery angled to get in front of the ATV.
She ran through the trees, then veered right, stopped directly in front of the vehicle’s path. The kid shot out from behind another outbuilding, saw her, and swung a hard right to avoid hitting her.
Dirt kicked up from under its tires, and the driver eased back on the throttle. Giving Tate just enough time to act.
He caught the kid around the ribs in a flying tackle and knocked him clear off the vehicle, which stopped suddenly. They hit the ground with a thud and rolled.
Avery raced toward them, knelt down and grabbed one of the kid’s arms as Tate eased off him into a kneeling position. She straddled the kid’s hips and pinned his arms behind his back, pushing back her temper as Tate reached down to remove the helmet.
A pair of frightened, hostile brown eyes glared up at them both. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snarled.
“Watch your mouth,” Avery snapped, and yanked him to his knees. “Where’d you get this shiny new ATV from, Trevor?”
“A friend lent it to me. Get off!”
“Hey.” Tate got in the kid’s face as Avery put the cuffs on him. “Settle down. You’ve been caught with stolen property, and my partner’s tires were just slashed. Know anything about that?”
“I didn’t slash any damn tires!”
A door slapped shut behind them. Mrs. Steiner appeared on the side of the porch, her hands over her mouth in distress, eyes wide.
“He’s all right, Mrs. Steiner,” Avery called up as she stood and hauled Trevor to his feet. “But we’re going to take him into the station now for questioning, if you’d like to come.”
“Yes, of course.” She rushed to the stairs.
“As soon as we get a ride,” Tate muttered under his breath.
Trevor twisted his head around to glare at his mother. “You did this? You narced on me?”
“Trevor—”
Avery gave him a shake. “Quiet. You’ve put your mother through enough already.”
“I didn’t slash anyone’s tires,” he insisted, mouth pinched.
Tate was on his phone. He took hold of Trevor’s elbow and walked him toward the driveway. While they waited for their ride, Avery called for a tow truck. Minutes later the same patrol car from before pulled up.
Avery opened up the back passenger door, giving Trevor a quelling glare as Tate put him in the back. She slammed the door and marched around to the front passenger seat, fuming inside. First the cabin and her stuff burned, now this. It pissed her off to be someone’s target. She wasn’t a fucking victim, and wasn’t going to just take whatever this person dished out.
Avery was going to find out who it was, and end this.
“I’ll drive you home after work,” Tate said from the back.
“Thanks.” Trevor seemed guilty enough to her.
But at the station, he held firm during the questioning. He admitted he’d been part of the theft ring, but swore up, down and sideways that he’d never been anywhere near her vehicle.
Avery’s irritation turned to unease as she shared a look with Tate. If Trevor hadn’t slashed her tires, then it meant she had a faceless enemy watching her every move.
Chapter Thirteen
When Mason saw Tate’s truck pull into the driveway that evening and Avery climbing out of it, he knew instantly that something was wrong.
He dropped the Frisbee on the front lawn, gave Ric the command to stay and hurried to the driveway. “What’s happened?” he demanded.
She shot him a look that warned him to keep his distance. “Nothing, I’m fine.”
Bullshit. Her face was drawn. Something had definitely happened. “Then where’s your vehicle?”
“In the shop getting new tires.”
Mason glanced away from her to Tate, who gave him a wave and started reversing out of the driveway. Mason absently waved back and returned his attention to Avery. “What happened?” he repeated in a less demanding tone.
She sighed and strode for the brick walkway that led to the front door, briefcase in hand. “Someone slashed my tires while I was conducting an interview.”
He frowned. “Where?”
“Up in the hills at a suspect’s house.” She started to pass him, but he caught her elbow, bringing that irritated, golden gaze to his.
Mason wasn’t fazed. She could be annoyed all she wanted, but if her safety was in question, he wanted to know what was going on. “Did you catch whoever did it?”
“No.” She looked frustrated and tired, as though she hadn’t been sleeping well.
He’d love to think it was because she couldn’t stop thinking about him, but he had a feeling the incident at the cabin was weighing heavier on her mind than she would ever let on, and now someone had slashed her tires. The behavior was escalating and had now followed her home.
“We were up there to talk to a teenage kid about some stolen property. I was interviewing the mother, and when we came back outside, I saw my tires were slashed. Tate and I caught the kid and took him into the station for questioning. He confessed to his part in the theft, but was adamant that he had nothing to do with my tires. And he says if one of his friends did it, he wasn’t aware.” She didn’t sound convinced.
Yeah, given the timing, it was too much of a coincidence for the incident at the cabin and the tires not to be related. This was definitely personal, and whoever was responsible had a fondness for blades or sharp objects. That bothered him. This was a definite escalation and it made him even more protective of her.
Avery would never admit to being upset. So Mason stepped forward and drew her into a hug.
She stiffened a little and opened her mouth to no doubt tell him she was fine. He cut it off with a kiss. Nothing like the one from last night. This was soft, tender. All about comfort and protectiveness instead of dominance and seduction. It was just…real and heartfelt.
When he lifted his head, she stared up at him, her amazing eyes searching his. He’d missed her today. Wanted to spend more time with her, take her mind off everything. “You hungry?”
“No, not really. I had a sandwich about an hour ago.”
“I didn’t get Ric out for his hike yet today. Want to join us?”
She seemed skeptical of the offer. “Really?”
He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek. It was shiny and soft and smelled good. He loved the feel of it between his fingers. “Yeah.”