“Where are you, Jodi?” Hunter murmured.
She stepped out and said, “Right here,” with laconic frustration. She held her gun loosely at her side while giving Turbo an affectionate pat, but her brows were down and her mouth tight. “I told you to stay put.”
Tension gathered in Hunter’s shoulders. How dare she give him an order? How idiotic for her to charge off alone! And then to snap at him? A thousand replies came to mind, none of them very neighborly.
In fact, he was pissed off enough to keep them all to himself, to actually ignore her in favor of speaking to his dog. “Go on, bud. We’ll see what has you so riled.”
Jodi caught his arm. “It’s my business, so butt out.”
Looking first at where her small hand attempted—and failed—to encircle his thick wrist, and then to her aggressively set expression, Hunter said, “Let go.”
Her eyes flared, then immediately narrowed. She jerked away and literally took the lead, stepping around him and Turbo. They were within forty yards of the house when someone shouted, “Quit fucking around, will you? Let’s go, already.”
Jodi stiffened, then stabbed him with a glare. “Stay off my property.” And again, she left him behind as she broke into a sprint.
Of all the asinine... Turbo went nuts once more. It dawned on Hunter that the dog had calmed once he found Jodi, but he didn’t like seeing her leave. “Quiet,” Hunter commanded. Turbo obeyed, but he continued to strain at the leash.
His dog was not an attack dog—but he was incredibly loyal, and apparently, Jodi had already won him over.
Holding the leash in his left hand, Hunter withdrew his Glock with his right. He saw Jodi edge around a tree, then dart to the rear of her house. She tried the back door, found it locked and inched around to the side.
Hating that she’d take such a risk, Hunter detoured to the other side. He had a feeling that the threat was in front anyway, so he’d get there before her. Other than light coming from inside the house, her yard was dark.
Unacceptable.
With his gaze constantly searching the area, he checked the front, where the door and window seemed secure, then the wild, rugged yard. No one would ever call it a lawn, not in its current state.
There were no cars around, only Jodi’s truck, but Turbo stared toward the woods on the other side...that would lead to the main paved road.
Definitely intruders, but why? What did they want?
If it hadn’t been for that deep voice, he might’ve blamed kids looking for a place to party—though, seriously, her house would never have been his first choice, even as a daring high school boy.
Turbo gave up his vigilance of the woods, telling Hunter the threat was gone. The dog now seemed more interested in joining Jodi. Wondering how that would go, Hunter went along. Jodi was sitting in the passenger side of her truck, staring at the open glove box.
She turned her head to glare at him. “The house is fine, but the bastards were looking for something.”
Hmm. So her vitriol was now aimed at the intruders? Fine by him. They could clear up the whole issue of her giving him orders another time. “Is anything missing?”
“No, but my registration was out.” She folded it, put it away and locked the glove box. Agitated, she left the truck, flashlight in hand, and began to search the yard.
“You need some exterior lights.”
She shot him a killing glare. “No shit, Sherlock. Some alarms, too, and apparently a freaking garage.” The second the words were out, she huffed. “Damn it, you made me curse.”
That accusation brought out his own glare. “I made you?” Merely by being concerned?
“I’m trying to quit, but here you are, nosing in and...” She pressed the heels of her hands to her temples, and since she still held a gun, he flinched.
She was far more cavalier about weapons than he could ever be. Not that she aimed at herself, or him, or Turbo...
“Forget I said that.” Dropping her hands, Jodi glared around the area with unspent rage. “I’m lousy company when I’m this pissed.”
“And you’re pissed now?”
“Oh,” she laughed, making it sound like a threat. “Yes, I most definitely am.”
To be sure, he asked, “At the intruder?”
“Two intruders, judging by the footprints.” She pointed the flashlight to a clear path of disturbed weeds where her lawn should be. “This one circled the house, maybe looking for an easy way in.” Next she aimed the flashlight toward the dirt road. “The other only came as far as that.”
He followed the beam of light to see clearly defined boot prints—too large to be Jodi’s—in the road. Amazing. “And you called me Sherlock?” In the short time he’d known her, which wasn’t even a whole day, no matter that it felt longer, she’d made him feel too many things. Confusion was currently in the lead, especially with her bold assertion of two intruders. Protectiveness was close on the heels of that.
If Hunter had been searching, he’d have seen the same. But then, he was trained. And astute.
What is she...?
Besides trouble?
CHAPTER THREE
“SO.” AFTER GLANCING up at the darkened sky, then the darker road, Jodi strode over to him. Impatience seemed to emanate off her, as if she had a hundred things to do and none of them included him. “Will you get home okay?”
Of all the... “I’ll stay until the cops get here.”
“That’ll be a long stay, since I’m not calling the cops.”
No, of course she wasn’t. What was he thinking? She never did the expected. “May I ask why?”
“No.” She flicked the flashlight toward his house, then offered it to him. “You can take this with you.”
Ignoring her outstretched hand, Hunter tried to decide her angle. Dodging cops often meant a criminal background. “Are you a felon?”
“Nope.” Seeing that he wouldn’t take the flashlight, she turned it off and tucked it away. They stood in the gloom of tall pines and long dark shadows.
“In some other kind of trouble, then?”
“Not currently.”
That cryptic answer caused his curiosity to pounce. “Something from your past, then?”
The smile that curved her mouth wasn’t friendly. It said loud and clear: butt out.
Damn it, he should...but he couldn’t. “Someone is bothering you? An ex, maybe?”
With a harsh, strangled laugh, she headed for her front door.