A negative shake of the guy’s sandy hair.
“Okay, genius, if he didn’t say for anyone to touch me, why the hell would you think he wanted someone to kill me?”
“I was just gonna shoot you in the leg. Maybe the arm. Not kill you.”
Jinx’s gaze drifted to Ali, but he didn’t let go of his prey. “You think this kid can aim for shit?”
Ali shook her head.
“Yeah. Me, too.” His stare slid back to his prey. “Your hand was shaking so hard I thought a bullet would come flying out at any moment, jackass, and you were pointing the weapon at my heart.”
“I’ve never shot anyone before!”
Are you kidding me? This was just getting worse and worse. “Why do I get to be lucky victim number one for you?”
Jinx saw Ali examining the gun. “Uh, Jinx?” she called.
But he’d turned his glare back on the kid. “You’ve never shot anyone. And you thought you’d just start with big game?”
“Jinx.” Ali cleared her throat. “It’s not even loaded.”
“What?” Both Jinx and his prey whipped their heads to look at her.
“Not loaded,” Ali repeated. She frowned at the boy. “You didn’t even check for bullets?”
“I bought it last night. Figured it came with them?”
Save me from idiots. “No, guns and bullets are not always a package deal,” Jinx informed him. “Here’s some advice. The next time you bring a gun to a battle, make sure it’s loaded.”
Hell. The kid looked as if he might pass out.
“Better advice,” Jinx snapped. “Don’t bring the gun in the first place. What are you? Eighteen? Nineteen?”
His thin shoulders straightened. “Sixteen.”
Sixteen. Rage burned in Jinx. “Why the hell is Ramsey employing kids to do his dirty work?”
“He’s not, he’s—look, he said I could clean up the bar for some extra cash, okay? I wanted to impress him. He’s a big deal, you know.”
Jinx could only shake his head. “This is not going to make Ramsey happy. You have read the scene very, very wrong.” He blew out a breath. The sun was rising higher as the waves rushed to the shore. “Get your dumbass back home. Get in school. Go tell your mama you love her.”
The teen’s pointed chin rose. “I don’t have a home. Or a mama. So why would I go back? Now get your damn hands off me before I—” He broke off.
Jinx waited.
And waited some more.
“Before you…what?” Jinx finally prompted, truly curious about what this threat would be.
“Before I mess you up!”
Jinx quirked one brow. “I would love to see you try.”
“Jinx,” Ali warned. She shook her head and mouthed, No.
“Just call the cops already!” the wannabe criminal cried out.
“Oh, no, that would be too easy. I’m not letting them handle you. I’ll let Ramsey settle things. We’ll see what happens when he finds out you went off book and didn’t follow orders.”
The kid in his grip started shaking all the more.
“Jinx, stop playing with him.”
Did it look like he was playing? “It’s called teaching a life lesson. He needs it.” He lowered his voice. “The next time you aim a gun at someone, be prepared that you might be the one to die. Because as easily as I am holding you now…”
The boy’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“I could kill you in a heartbeat. You wouldn’t even have time to scream.”
“Oh, God!” The kid swayed, seemingly on the verge of passing out.
Jinx smiled at him. “Good talk, am I right?”
***
“Maybe the punk kid was the one who sabotaged your ride.” War stared down at the street below.
The would-be thug had been hauled away, and Jinx was certain that Ramsey would deal with him. Sixteen. No family. No home…
I was you once, kid. Except Jinx hadn’t tried to get the jump on a much bigger, tougher bastard…with an empty gun.
Though if the kid had used a loaded weapon…
It could have proven to be a fatal mistake.
“Jinx?” War prompted. They were in his office above Armageddon. “Did you hear me? Do you think the kid could be the one who screwed with your brakes?”
“It’s a possibility. I’m sure Ramsey will get to the bottom of things and let us know.” And about Ramsey…
Jinx steepled his fingers beneath his chin as he studied War. Jinx was in the desk chair, leaning back, propping his feet on the edge of the desk as he assessed his friend. “You and Odin think you’re extra clever, huh? Knowing my business but not saying a word.”
War shrugged. “Was waiting on you to say the word. Figured when you wanted us to know, you’d tell us.”
“Uh, huh. You just want to flex that you’re good at uncovering secrets. I get it.”
“I am a PI,” War replied, voice modest.
“You’re a pain in the ass.” A pain who was also a damn good PI. “Right now, though, I really want to know why the hell you insisted I come up here and talk to you, without Ali, when you know my whole goal is to stay close to her.” It was step one of his plan. Stay close to Ali.
“Relax.”
For real? Uh, no.
“Odin is at the beach house with her. He’s not going to let anything happen to her. And, before you get all extra pissy, know that I’m not the one who wanted this meeting. If I’d had my way, you’d still be close to her.”
Wait…what?
The door to the office swung open.
“I didn’t schedule the meeting. He did,” War added softly.
Jinx didn’t move. He kept his feet propped on the desk. Kept his hands steepled beneath his chin as the SOB he’d never hoped to see again stood in the doorway.
Landon Hatcher wore gleaming loafers, pressed khakis, and a spiffy polo. He also had a wary expression on his pretty-boy face. An expression that said he was more than a little bit concerned about the reception he’d be getting.
Good. The man wasn’t a total idiot. Oh, wait, he is. “I can give you a two-minute head start,” Jinx offered as he considered the matter.
Landon’s jaw tightened. “We need to talk.”
Jinx reevaluated. “One minute. Just one. Because I’m feeling pissy.” That had been War’s word, and he decided it fit. “I had a gun shoved at me today. Granted, it wasn’t loaded, but it still pissed me off.” Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his feet to the floor. “One minute, Landing Zone.” He deliberately used the nickname that he knew Landon hated. “Then I’m kicking your ass.”
“You can’t threaten me.” But Landon’s expression had tightened. “I’m your boss!”
“Didn’t you get the memo?” Jinx jerked his thumb toward War. “I’m working for him now. Sure, the pay is crap, but I happen to like him about a million times more than I like you.” He rose. “No, come to think of it, I just don’t like you at all.”
“It wasn’t my place to tell you,” Landon said quickly. “How would I know that Ali was going to share with you? How would I know that she’d want to share anything personal at all with you about—”