“He usually goes with me.”
“He wasn’t with you when I first met you.”
“Because Turbo hates Worth.”
At that, the dog sat up and grumbled.
“See? Even the name irritates him.”
“Now that I’ve met Worth, I understand why.” Jodi patted her thigh. “Come on, dude. I have things to do.” Still grumbling, Turbo made a big production of getting out of the bed and following her from the room.
With one last glance at that padlocked closet, Hunter trailed behind them. “You have my number, right?”
“Already programmed it into my phone.” She stepped into the kitchen to retrieve the dog’s leash, then hooked it to his collar.
Even knowing she wouldn’t, he gave it a shot. “You’ll call if you see or hear our intruders?”
“Probably not—and they’re my intruders, not yours. Far as we know, they haven’t bothered you.” Taking Turbo to the front door, she opened it, stepped out to the porch and glanced around. “It’s lit up like Christmas. I don’t think I’ll be bothered again tonight, but even if I am, I’m not helpless, okay? I take precautions and I can handle trouble.”
“The way you handled Worth?”
“Worth is just a loudmouthed bully.” Small and cute and with too much interest, she turned to stare up at him. The light added intriguing shadows to her features, making her bold stare even more mysterious. “Why do you put up with him?”
For so long now, Hunter had guarded his privacy with the people of Triple Creek. They asked questions and he dodged them effortlessly. For some reason, with Jodi, he had an urge to reveal just a little. Rolling a shoulder, he decided, why not?
“Worth Linlow is an annoying ass, but he’s a bigwig in the town. He knows everyone and everything that’s going on. He contributes just enough to town functions to keep people coming around. The local historical society needs something, they go to Worth. If he can’t make it happen, no one can. Far as I can tell, no one really likes him, but they respect his influence.”
“So you put up with him?”
Hunter stared toward his house, where lights shone bright, especially around his garage. “I tell Worth what I want him to know. Enough to make him feel informed.”
“Ah, I get it.” Pleased with her deductions, she smiled at him. “You feed Worth a little bait, he spreads it around and everyone feels like they know you—but they don’t.”
Clever Jodi. Maybe this was why he’d felt an affinity to her right off. “Something like that.”
“Smart. I like it. It’s a solid plan.” She nodded while thinking. “So, maybe I could do the same thing, right?”
“You,” Hunter reminded her, “already alienated him. Pissed him off. Even threatened him, I believe.”
“Eh, maybe a little.” Her unrepentant grin made him grin, too. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll try to play nice whenever I run into him again. We’ll see how it goes. My tolerance for creeps is on the low end.”
When Turbo started to stretch out again, Jodi nudged him. “Seriously, you gotta get that boy to his bed or you’ll end up carrying him.”
It took all Hunter’s concentration not to touch her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here, at least until the afternoon.”
Hunter took one step closer. She didn’t back up. “I enjoyed today.”
With clear confusion, she said, “Yeah, me, too. Weird, huh?”
“A little weird.” And maybe that’s why he’d enjoyed it. “Rest easy tonight. And if you need anything—”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved dismissively. “The pathetic little helpless woman will call the big badass man if an owl hoots and makes her tremble.”
Laughing as he stepped off the deck, Hunter said, “You’re small but hardly helpless, and I have a feeling you’re as badass as they come.”
She beamed at him. “Thank you for noticing, Hunter.”
Figured she’d take that for a compliment. “You’re very welcome, Jodi. Good night.” And that silly exchange kept him grinning all the way back to his house...and for a few hours after, as he attempted to research her.
He found nothing.
No social media. No mentions online.
As far as the internet was concerned, Jodi Bentley didn’t exist.
When he turned in for the night, he sure as hell wasn’t smiling anymore. In fact, he decided it was time to call in the big guns.
Tomorrow morning, he’d contact Memphis. His brother would know how to garner some info on Hunter’s intriguing new neighbor.
* * *
STILL FUMING, Remmy waited with Danny in a dim, musty back room of the boss’s house. “That was a dumbass move.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
He took great pleasure in saying, “Pretty sure you’re the one who’s fucked, bud. You know you were supposed to stay in the car. You know I was only supposed to look around. But you ran your mouth, and the woman was there. She heard you.” Hell, the neighbor had heard, too, but Danny didn’t realize that, and Remmy didn’t want an innocent death on his hands. For now, he’d keep the issue of the neighbor to himself.
Danny, the idiot, wasn’t innocent.
Keeping a wary eye on the door, Remmy listened to the sounds of men talking in another room. It was poker night, which meant all the local bullshitters were gathered together to waste money, brag about one thing or another, and likely get drunk.
It was never a good thing when the boss, Russ King, overimbibed. He was always ruthless, but more so when alcohol blunted whatever shreds of discretion he still possessed.
Beside him, Danny pretended not to care.
The door slamming open blew Danny’s cavalier facade all to hell.
Both men straightened, but Russ merely closed the door behind him and then strode in with black eyes narrowed and lean jaw tight. With his straight, dark hair brushed back and the silver at his temples, he looked more like a stocky forty-year-old CEO than a thug. To shore up that impression, King wore a button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and carried a glass of whiskey on the rocks in his hand.
Not a good sign.
“So,” King said, his dark gaze stabbing Danny with accusation. “What the fuck did you think you were doing?”
The mild tone put Remmy on edge. Seriously, it might be past time to move on from this job. It seemed King got bolder and more unhinged by the day, while Danny continually pushed the limits. Eventually, one of them would kill the other. His money would be on King.