his training go to waste because you're being so bull-headed."
Drops of water sprayed him, as if she'd turned to walk away, then swung back toward him quickly.
"Just for the record, there's nothing about you to pity. You're an able-bodied man who needed a kick in the butt and you're just sore that I, unwittingly, was the one to give it to you."
"I was doing perfectly fine before you showed up."
"Not from where I've been sitting!"
She turned and stomped toward where Otis was patiently waiting. She grabbed the leash and gave the forward command. With a scratch of claws on the ground, Otis immediately stood and began walking away toward the French doors. Cody heard the squeak of the patio door.
"Where are you going? I'm not done."
"Well, I am, and if you want to continue taking your bitterness out on me, you're going to have to come find me. I'm not putting up with you or your bad moods anymore. You're on your own."
"Wait a minute."
He didn't hear anything more except the quick slamming of the door.
"Lyssa!" he hollered, not caring that he was now inside the house and in his anger his voice was booming against the walls.
His boots were still filled with water, adding a burden to his movement that only fueled his anger. He yanked them off and tossed them aside. However, the puddles he'd created by dumping his boots, combined with his wet feet slipping on the slick surface of the floor, didn't make walking any easier.
Cody held his arms out straight and waved them back and forth, reaching for things he knew were there but couldn't see. His hip collided with a chair and then a table. He felt the centerpiece that had been filled with ceramic fruit for as long as he could remember tip over. The fruits rolled to the edge of the table and crashed to the floor into what sounded like a million pieces. Undaunted, Cody didn't stop to pick up his mess. Instead, he used the table as an anchor and eased his way around it.
His foot slipped on a wet spot on the tile floor and he fell hard to one knee, wincing at the pain that shot through his leg.
"Oh, my goodness, Cody. Are you all right?" Isadore was behind him. "All this water on the floor. Let me help you."
"Don't touch me." With his hands in front of him, Cody crawled along the floor, trying to distinguish the direction Lyssa had taken. The puddles turned to the left. Toward the kitchen stairway that led to the second floor.
"I didn't hear you come into the house," Isadore was saying, but Cody wasn't listening.
His hand slipped on the wet surface beneath his palms and he went down again, this time smacking his shoulder and his cheek on the floor. Instead of defeating him, the pain only fueled an already burning anger.
"You're going to hurt yourself." Isadore's voice was just short of a cry, but Cody was infinitely glad she didn't attempt to approach him.
The stairs were wet when he reached them. He stood and gripped his hand on the rail and used it to propel himself up two steps at a time. When he reached the landing, he ran his right hand along the smooth walls and counted doors until he reached Lyssa's bedroom.
He leaned on the middle of the door, intending to steady himself just enough not to attack. Instead, the door gave way and he stumbled in, crashing to the floor.
# # #
Chapter Three
"The door was closed."
Lyssa tried not to act as alarmed as she was by Cody's sudden intrusion.
She'd needed to get away from him. To clear her head. Hell, to even find it. Never in her life had she acted in such an unprofessional way with a student. It shamed her to think she'd stooped that low. But Cody was just so ... infuriating. How could he think she'd be so cruel as to intentionally stage a drowning? It was beyond comprehension.
But while her little stomp through the house, soaking wet and fuming, had been enough to cool her unleashed fury, it was clear that hadn't been the case for Cody.
He quickly got to his feet and stared at her. Well, not at her. It was as if
Drops of water sprayed him, as if she'd turned to walk away, then swung back toward him quickly.
"Just for the record, there's nothing about you to pity. You're an able-bodied man who needed a kick in the butt and you're just sore that I, unwittingly, was the one to give it to you."
"I was doing perfectly fine before you showed up."
"Not from where I've been sitting!"
She turned and stomped toward where Otis was patiently waiting. She grabbed the leash and gave the forward command. With a scratch of claws on the ground, Otis immediately stood and began walking away toward the French doors. Cody heard the squeak of the patio door.
"Where are you going? I'm not done."
"Well, I am, and if you want to continue taking your bitterness out on me, you're going to have to come find me. I'm not putting up with you or your bad moods anymore. You're on your own."
"Wait a minute."
He didn't hear anything more except the quick slamming of the door.
"Lyssa!" he hollered, not caring that he was now inside the house and in his anger his voice was booming against the walls.
His boots were still filled with water, adding a burden to his movement that only fueled his anger. He yanked them off and tossed them aside. However, the puddles he'd created by dumping his boots, combined with his wet feet slipping on the slick surface of the floor, didn't make walking any easier.
Cody held his arms out straight and waved them back and forth, reaching for things he knew were there but couldn't see. His hip collided with a chair and then a table. He felt the centerpiece that had been filled with ceramic fruit for as long as he could remember tip over. The fruits rolled to the edge of the table and crashed to the floor into what sounded like a million pieces. Undaunted, Cody didn't stop to pick up his mess. Instead, he used the table as an anchor and eased his way around it.
His foot slipped on a wet spot on the tile floor and he fell hard to one knee, wincing at the pain that shot through his leg.
"Oh, my goodness, Cody. Are you all right?" Isadore was behind him. "All this water on the floor. Let me help you."
"Don't touch me." With his hands in front of him, Cody crawled along the floor, trying to distinguish the direction Lyssa had taken. The puddles turned to the left. Toward the kitchen stairway that led to the second floor.
"I didn't hear you come into the house," Isadore was saying, but Cody wasn't listening.
His hand slipped on the wet surface beneath his palms and he went down again, this time smacking his shoulder and his cheek on the floor. Instead of defeating him, the pain only fueled an already burning anger.
"You're going to hurt yourself." Isadore's voice was just short of a cry, but Cody was infinitely glad she didn't attempt to approach him.
The stairs were wet when he reached them. He stood and gripped his hand on the rail and used it to propel himself up two steps at a time. When he reached the landing, he ran his right hand along the smooth walls and counted doors until he reached Lyssa's bedroom.
He leaned on the middle of the door, intending to steady himself just enough not to attack. Instead, the door gave way and he stumbled in, crashing to the floor.
# # #
Chapter Three
"The door was closed."
Lyssa tried not to act as alarmed as she was by Cody's sudden intrusion.
She'd needed to get away from him. To clear her head. Hell, to even find it. Never in her life had she acted in such an unprofessional way with a student. It shamed her to think she'd stooped that low. But Cody was just so ... infuriating. How could he think she'd be so cruel as to intentionally stage a drowning? It was beyond comprehension.
But while her little stomp through the house, soaking wet and fuming, had been enough to cool her unleashed fury, it was clear that hadn't been the case for Cody.
He quickly got to his feet and stared at her. Well, not at her. It was as if
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