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Kate’s brow lifted higher. Tessa’s shoulders stiffened as she realized her mistake too late. Her words stirred the fiery vat of rage quickly intensifying inside Kate’s body.

“Oh? How is that? What did she look like?” Kate waved her hand. “In short, do I have anything to be concerned about other than that my fiancé chased this woman through the parking lot, grabbed her shoulders, her face, her hand?”

Speaking those atrocities left a vile taste on her tongue.

Tessa knotted her fingers tighter, her knuckles turning white. “I, uh, she…well…”

“Say it!”

Tessa shuddered and jumped to her feet. “Kate, I don’t know what to say. She can’t compare to you. I can’t describe her other than that. It was dark, the light in the parking lot not providing much detail.”

“Ah. But you noticed she was lacking?”

“From where I sat, yes. If you’re asking for fine details, I’m sorry. I don’t have those to give.”

“Did he try and kiss her?”

Tessa’s mouth fell open, her eyes going wide. She shook her head vigorously, lips working silently. At last, she uttered a choked, “No.”

Kate scrutinized her friend for a long, drawn-out moment. Her heart thumped within her chest, echoing through her head and dulling her senses. This was not happening. Not to her. Not to her perfect life. She had everything, strategically placed to bring her the most satisfaction in life. She would not let some outsider, some random woman, barge into her perfect relationship and tear it apart.

Fuck no!

Sucking in a deep, calming breath, Kate rose from her chair, grabbed the bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet against the wall, and poured herself a large glass. Keeping her back to her friends, she sipped the wine, closing her eyes as the liquid coursed down her throat and sent a familiar warmththrough her muscles. She needed to stay calm if she had any hope of fixing Bryce’s mess.

“Tessa, in your honest opinion, what do you make of what you witnessed?” Kate asked quietly, swirling the wine in the glass. She turned around and leaned back against the cabinet, crossing her ankles and pinning Tessa with a focused gaze. “What do you think happened between them?”

Tessa shrugged, lifting her hands helplessly. “I really don’t know. He seemed desperate for something. Initially, she appeared comfortable, maybe? But then her demeanor changed and she rushed to leave. Almost ran him over backing out of the spot. It was strange, really. Maybe an ex? Maybe an old acquaintance? I don’t know, honestly.”

Kate lowered her gaze to the wine before she took another sip, whetting her mouth, which had become dry. Too many scenarios played inside her mind. Bryce’s aloof behavior, his nightly rendezvous with his friends, his recent drunken habits. Something had occurred between him and his mother the day before, but Mary Hampton brushed it off as nothing when Kate’s mother asked about it. Kate wasn’t convinced. Mary’s mood had turned dour behind her false smile and practiced movements. She was never a woman to show defeat or concern, holding her chin up and exuding an air of authority and victory. After all, she was the barracuda of the law firm. Losing was not an option.

Had Bryce been having an affair all this time? Had she been so blind to the obvious?

Speculation never won a case in court. She needed evidence beyond her gut feeling and circumstance, however incriminating Tessa’s testimony. She needed to find out the truth about the woman. About Bryce’s childish nightly escapades. She couldn’t ask Jesse. The man was loyal to Bryce and wouldn’t throw his best friend under the bus.

“You said she practically ran him over when she left. Did you catch her plates? Were they state plates? Or out-of-state?” Kate asked.

“They were Jersey plates.”

So, she’s local. Or at least within the state.

“You didn’t happen to get a plate number, did you?”

Tessa’s eyes dropped. “No. I didn’t think about it at the time.”

Kate licked wine from the corner of her mouth, pondering her next move. She couldn’t outright stalk Bryce, but she could reel him in, tighten the leash, so to speak.

“Kate, what’re you going to do?” Michelle asked.

After another slow sip of wine, allowing the effects to calm her so she could think clearly, her lips curled in a dark grin. “He won’t get away from me that easily. No.” She snickered, a cold, sinister sound that matched her mood. “And I know exactly what to do.”

8

Bryce pulled his Hummer alongside the police cruiser and lowered his window. Jesse finished typing something on his laptop and looked up at Bryce.

“Feeling okay this morning?” he asked.

“Yeah. Drank some water and took some meds to keep from suffering too much when I woke up.” He dug out the scrap of paper from his cup holder and handed it over to Jesse. His friend unfolded the torn paper, his brow furrowing and mouth pinched. “Thanks again for the lift last night.”