“You know you should vary your routine. If someone is watching you—and we damn well know someone is—having your schedule down gives him plenty of chances to attack.”
She would not just stare at his dick. Wait, she was just staring. Her gaze flew up. “I vary my jogging path. Always do. Don’t go the same way more than once in a week.”
“But if you run first thing, he knows that. He could be waiting outside for you.” Jinx strode toward the chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of black jogging shorts. “He could be waiting for you right now.”
It was barely dawn. “The beach will be deserted. If he’s out there, I’ll certainly have plenty of time to see him coming.”
“You mean we’ll have plenty of time. Because I’ll be with you. Bait, remember?”
Her lips tightened. “I would prefer that you stopped calling yourself that.”
His gaze raked over her. “Are you going to run in that robe? Sexy choice.”
“Smartass. I will be changing.”
“Excellent. You change, and I’ll wait for you outside. After I brush my teeth. Got to have fresh breath for running, especially if we’re halfway down the beach and you get so overwhelmed by my body that you just jump me. When you throw yourself into my arms, I have got to have fresh breath.” He headed for the bathroom.
Ali just shook her head.
Jinx.
What was she going to do with him?
And a little voice whispered…Keep him, forever.
***
She wanted to run at the crack of dawn? Jeez. Why? Who chose to do things like that? Jinx would have much preferred to drag Ali back into bed and go for round twenty-four or, well, whatever round they were on. He’d stopped counting.
Yet, after being pretty much insatiable for her last night, he was trying to show Ali that he had a little control.
Some.
Maybe.
Hell. Where she was concerned, he had more like five percent control? If that?
His running shoes kicked up a little sand as he paced in front of the beach house. Ali would be down soon, he knew that, but he’d gone out first because he wanted to make sure—
“Don’t fucking move.”
Because he’d wanted to make sure there were no unexpected surprises waiting for him. Jinx stifled a sigh.
Good morning, surprise number one.
The low voice snarled, “Put your hands up!” A voice that was coming from the right, on the side of the beach house that faced the Gulf.
Jinx took note of the position and had to give the guy points. He’d been hiding with his body pressed against the house. When someone looked down from above—as Jinx had done—he hadn’t been able to see the man.
“If I put my hands up,” Jinx said as he did not put up his hands, “then I’ll be moving. You just very clearly told me that I was not to move. You should make up your mind and give better instructions.”
“Asshole! Put your hands up! I want to make sure you don’t have a weapon!”
Jinx laughed. “I’m wearing running shorts. No shirt. Where the hell would I hide a weapon?” A deliberate choice. He’d wanted anyone watching to think that he was vulnerable. It had seemed like the perfect time to step up his bait game.
Ali might not like the word bait, but it was exactly what he was, and it seemed his strategy had worked.
“Face me!”
Jinx turned toward him. He expected to come face to face with the bastard who’d been making Ali’s life hell—
“What the fuck?” Jinx frowned at the kid who was gripping a gun. A shaking gun. The guy barely looked eighteen. “Who the hell are you?”
“Someone who won’t be forgotten.” Sweat covered his face.
That was a lot of sweat. How long had he been waiting near the house?
“You’re a p-problem,” he told Jinx, the gun bobbing up and down. “One I’ll take care of, and then he’ll see how good I am.”
Jinx heard a door creak open from above. Then the pad of steps on the stairs that led down to the beach. “Ali,” Jinx snarled. “Get back inside. Now!”
She stilled, but he didn’t hear the sound of retreating footsteps.
“Go back inside!” the kid yelled. He swiped his free hand over his sweaty forehead. “This doesn’t concern you, lady!”
Wait…it didn’t?
Jinx tilted his head. “Who are you?”
A sniff. “The guy who is solving a problem for the boss, that’s who I am. I heard him telling you to stay away. He didn’t want you in his place. Didn’t want you anywhere near him. Then he came here last night, and I know he must have put the fear of God into you—”
Shit. This wasn’t the perp they were after. This wasn’t Ali’s stalker. This was one of Ramsey’s wannabe thugs who thought he could get an in with the boss if he eliminated a problem.
I’m the problem.
“But I’m gonna do more than make you scared,” the punk promised. “I am going to end you.”
“The hell you are.” From Ali. Hard and unyielding. Jinx hadn’t heard her descend the remaining steps, but her voice had come from right behind the perp.
Jinx had forgotten how very light she could be on her feet.
“I have a gun pointed at your back,” Ali informed the jerk in a steely voice. “If you don’t drop your weapon, right now, I will shoot you. This close, there is no way I will miss.”
Fear flashed in the kid’s eyes.
“The bullet will go straight into your spine,” Ali continued grimly.
Jinx took a quick step forward.
“It will sever your spinal cord. You’ll be on the ground in moments—”
“Gah!” A guttural scream broke from the punk as he started to whirl toward Ali. Only he hadn’t dropped his gun as she’d instructed.
There was no way he’d be pointing that weapon at Ali. Jinx launched at him. His body slammed into the kid’s, and they hit the sand.
Chapter Eleven
Jinx yanked the gun from the kid and tossed it toward the stairs. Ali grabbed it because—yep, she’d been lying. She had no weapon. As he’d suspected. There’d been no time for her to go back into the house and snag the gun up there. She had kicked off her shoes and tiptoed down so she could get the drop on the would-be shooter.
Now Jinx had him pinned to the ground. Jinx was drawing back his fist to plow it into the guy’s face—
His very young face. Jinx hesitated.
“That can’t be him,” Ali said as she gripped the gun and hurried forward.
“This guy isn’t your stalker.” Rage simmered in Jinx’s voice. “He’s a wannabe for Ramsey. Thought he’d break through the ranks if he did something to impress the boss.” Instead of slamming his fist into the jerk’s face, Jinx grabbed the kid’s shirtfront and hauled the asshat to his feet. “You have no idea what a fatal mistake you just made.”
The punk twisted and squirmed, but Jinx didn’t let him go.
“I-I was doing the boss a favor! When I was sweeping up, I heard him say you weren’t to come around again! Then he came after—after you—”
Jinx let out a disgusted sigh. “Did he ever say for anyone to so much as touch me?”