Jinx had figured that was the point of this little one-on-one session. “You seem to be making deals with everyone lately. Me, Ali…”
“I could have pushed up there. It’s obvious you know how she’s going to contact Cyrus, and I’m guessing it’s some way that’s not going to make me feel all freaking warm and tingly.”
“I don’t particularly want to know what makes you feel warm and tingly, but thanks.” Jinx lifted his eyebrows. “And as far as how, I think that’s above your tech pay grade.”
Landon surged closer. “You tell me when the meeting is set up. Cyrus isn’t going to come in solo.”
No, he hadn’t thought that the man would. “Ali won’t be there solo, either. I’ll have her back.”
“Cyrus wants to take you out. You’re standing in his way.”
“It’s one of my favorite places to stand.” Between Ali and any threat.
“Jinx, I stuck my neck out for you! I covered your brother and kept him out of jail, and I want to help Ali, too. Dammit, I shot that bastard who was waiting to kill you! I am not the bad guy here! You need to work with me.”
“Thought I was working with you,” he murmured.
Landon searched his gaze before swinging away. He took a few, fast steps for the door.
“Was that the first time you’ve had to kill someone?”
Landon’s hands flexed at his sides. “Yes.”
“It will stay with you.”
Landon threw a haunted glance over his shoulder. “Tell me something I haven’t already figured out.” He wrenched open the door.
And nearly ran right into the pretty blonde who stood uncertainly in the doorway.
“Oh, sorry.” She offered him a weak smile. “I, uh, Maisey Bright told me that Trouble for Hire was located in this building? I know this is the bar, but, I—”
Landon side-stepped around her. “I think she’s here for you,” he threw back to Jinx. “Excuse me, ma’am.” He walked away with a fast, determined stride.
Jinx took a hard look at the woman in the doorway. This visit was the last thing he needed right now.
“There are exterior stairs that lead up to Trouble for Hire,” he told her as he tried to buy some time. “You don’t have to come through the bar.”
“I tried those stairs. The door at the top was locked. The door to Armageddon was locked, too. I was just standing outside, trying to figure out what to do and…then it swung open.” She took a nervous step inside.
Whitney Augustine. Yes, he knew who she was.
The woman who’d been thought dead. The woman with no memory of the six months before her attack. The woman who owned Ramsey’s heart.
And she doesn’t have any clue.
But if she was coming to Trouble for Hire… “Is everything all right?” Jinx asked her.
Her left hand clutched the strap of her purse in a death grip.
“Are you in danger?” Because if she was being threatened…Ram will lose his mind.
“No, no, it’s not that. I’m safe. Perfectly safe.” Her hand twisted around the strap. “I just—I need to hire a PI. Maisey said Odin was wonderful.” She looked around, as if expecting Odin to appear.
Not like there was any place in the bar for that giant to hide. “I’m afraid Odin isn’t here right now.” And I’m afraid the world is on fire so if you could possibly come back… Instead of saying that, he gave her his friendly-client grin. War would have been proud. “Want me to get him to follow up with you when he returns?”
More twisting of the strap. “Uh, maybe…” Her lips pressed together. “No, no, forget it. I-I can’t do this.”
She whirled and rushed back through the doorway.
Well, that had been damn odd. Jinx made a mental note to pass along this odd visit to Ramsey. Though, of course, his brother would deny any interest in Whitney.
But if something is rattling her so much that she came to Trouble for Hire, he needs to know…
Ram might act like he was done with Whitney, but Jinx knew the truth. The woman who’d just walked out of Armageddon was his brother’s biggest weakness in the world.
And the woman upstairs is mine.
Chapter Eighteen
Don’t trust Jinx.
It had taken Ali approximately seven hours to make contact with Cyrus. Every moment during that time, she’d kept hoping that more evidence would emerge. Something that would come along and prove that Cy couldn’t be the one stalking her. He couldn’t be the one behind the attacks on Jinx.
She stared at the computer screen before her. War and Jinx had made sure she had the best possible tech to do her work. She’d been hunched over the keyboard for hours, and now that she’d finally tracked down Cy and gotten him to communicate with her…the message she received was the last one that she’d ever expected.
She stared at the screen, her eyes feeling dry and glassy.
Don’t trust Jinx.
She fired out a quick response. One word. Why?
Ali didn’t even breathe as she waited for the reply.
He’s lying to you.
The hinges of the door squeaked. “Baby…”
Her head whipped up. Jinx stood in the doorway. No shirt. Abs for days and days. Jeans loose around his hips.
“It’s too late, and you’ve been at that too long.” His worried stare swept over her. “Come to bed.”
“I just made contact.”
He surged forward.
She almost covered the screen. Almost. Such a weird instinct, to hide the words that accused Jinx—
“Sonofabitch.” Jinx leaned over her. His hand slammed into the desk. “He’s trying to turn you against me.”
“It’s not going to happen.” She had faith in Jinx. Her head turned. “I know you wouldn’t betray me.”
His gaze cut from hers and flew back to the screen. “He’s sending another message.”
In danger. Meet me now.
Ali licked her dry lips and typed, Where?
He gave her coordinates, and when she plugged them in the map app on her phone, she realized that he wanted her to meet him at an old fort, a historic site in the area.
“That fort is filled with tunnels and passageways. There will be a million places for Cyrus to hide.” Jinx’s voice boiled with frustration. “It’s on the beach, so it can be accessed by land or sea. That gives him two escape options. Dammit, I don’t like this. Type in an alternate location. Tell him to meet you—”
But when she typed, there was no response, and she realized— “He’s gone.”
“No, he’s there. He saw what you wrote. He’s just playing some game.”
“No.” Ali was adamant. “He wouldn’t want to stay on too long because he’d be afraid someone else might be able to reach him. I wasn’t trying to back tunnel to get his location—I just wanted to talk to him. But Cyrus knows that the longer he’s on, the longer he talks to me, someone else could be trying to find him.” She’d deliberately avoided that tactic because she’d feared he’d have too many red herring safeguards in place.
Ali exhaled heavily. “We need to get to that fort.”