Page 112 of Criminally Yours

Her brow furrowed as Strike held her hand and walked her toward the door.

“Sorry, ladies. My husband has spoken. Rematch in the week?”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Elsie shouted. “Does your husband have a younger sister? Because fucking hell.”

“Sister?” Merryn asked.

Joyce rolled her eyes. “She’s gay, Merryn.”

Merryn gasped and pulled Elsie into a hug while Elsie huffed.

“Don’t you dare let go of my hand,” Strike growled as they left the pub.

Millie scraped her teeth against her lip as they walked through an alleyway. Strike’s silence was deafening.

“I didn’t try it on with him. I tripped,” Millie blurted. She couldn’t decipher if he was angry with her for risking her safety or getting herself into that situation. “I didn’t want him.”

Strike hissed, “I know that. I was watching from the window the entire time I was trying to call Bear.”

“Trying?”

“There’s been an emergency. I need to get to Devon.”

CHAPTER 47

Strike

“What sort of emergency?” Millie struggled to keep up with his long strides, but there was no way he was letting go of her hand. Even with Bear’s radio silence, his whole body flamed. Some fucker touched his woman.

He wanted to claim her with the feral force he’d spent days trying to hide.

“Strike,” she shouted as they walked the cliff route to the house. “What’s happening?”

He stomped through the brush.

She yanked her hand from his. “Tell me now.”

He fisted his hands and turned. He’d spent years making demands of everything and everyone, but after the pub and knowing something was wrong with his team and his family, he wanted to rage.

“We need to walk as I talk. We’re running out of time. I need to breathe so I can tell you. I can’t.” He clutched his hand to his chest. She gripped it and held it to her heart.

“Do you feel that?”

He nodded as his whole body shook.

“Count the beats with me.” He dropped his head, but she snapped her fingers until he met her gaze. “Count with me.”

They counted to ten together.

She balanced on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Well done, baby. Let’s continue walking and you can tell me what’s happening.”

“Stal volunteered to go on a job this morning. My parents took Jenny to Bear and Liss’s. Stal called them an hour ago, but none of the phone lines, including mobiles, worked. I’ve tried as well, but I can’t get anything. He’s on his way there. I need to protect you, but?—”

“But nothing. We’re going. Right now.”

“You can’t come with me.”

“If something’s happened to any of them, I’ll kill Hugo myself. I care about all of those people, and they mean the world to you. I’m coming. And before you tell me it’s not safe?—”