“Can’t wait.” He waved as she eyed him and finally opened the door.
“Oh, shit. I just remembered. I told my brother I’d help him unpack since he’s moved back into his place.”
“If it doesn’t work out tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her pretty smile didn’t hold a candle to Julie’s. “Yes, you will. Bye,” she said, closing the door behind her.
Finally. Alone.
He leaned back on the bed. Had to think this through. He’d have to wait until Julie got back. But when she did, he’d do her a favor and get rid of the new deadweight hanging onto her. Taking out this guy was bound to be harder than offing his father, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. It just required a plan and he happened to be very good at planning.
* * *
“How much longer?” Julie asked. Today marked the first day Troy allowed her to sit in the front seat like an adult. She suspected the only reason he caved in to her constant nagging was because they had a shorter drive to the final destination. Though the last three days had been great as far as research and catching up on the scripts, her vision was shot to hell from reading so much.
“You sound like a ten-year-old.”
She caught the smile he tried to conceal. “Are we there yet?” This time he reached out to tickle her. She laughed and caught his hand, laced their fingers together in an intimacy they hadn’t shared outside the bed. His gaze latched on to hers for a few seconds before turning back to the road.
Yeah...they had something brewing between them. Something big. She felt it bone deep.
Her phone rang. She had to let go of Troy’s hand to fish it out of her pocket and was already annoyed at the caller who’d ruined a good thing. But maybe the detectives had some good news. She checked the screen. Cal. So much for that thought.
“Speak,” she said in her usual greeting to her best friend, as she watched green trees fly by while the car zipped down the road.
“Woof,” Cal answered.
“What’s up? How are you? How’s my house? Everything okay?” She’d had to cut their last conversation short because her battery had been seconds from dying.
“I’m fine and the house is fine. Are you off the road yet? Where the hell are you?” Cal sounded testier than normal.
“Just about the other side of the country.”
Troy shot her a warning glance and shook his head.
“Uh oh. I’ve spilled company secrets. You’re not supposed to know where I am. Actually, I’m not even sure so I couldn’t tell you if I wanted to.” Which was a slight lie because she knew they’d had crazy monkey sex in Erie, Pennsylvania, and tonight they’d be somewhere in Massachusetts. She sighed and a little shiver ran down her spine just thinking about last night.
“Well, when you get there,” Cal said, bringing her out of her daydream, “would you please ditch the bodyguard and tell me? One of us here should know where you are. I don’t like that you’re with some guy we barely know.”
“That guy saved my life. Three times. I think we can trust him.” She pulled some chocolate out of her purse.
“What if he’s the one that’s behind all this?”
Julie hated this conversation. “I don’t believe for one second that he’d take a bullet to somehow drive me toward him. I went six weeks without seeing him after the first attempt.”
“And you don’t think it’s a little strange that he was around when someone shot at you a second time?” Cal asked.
“He nearly died trying to save me, Cal, and you’re not going to convince me that I have something to worry about where he’s concerned.”
Troy’s lifted eyebrows conveyed his surprise at the obvious turn the conversation had taken, but he rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“Fine...whatever. We just don’t know anything about him, so I’m worried. Just please call me when you get there. Hey, before I forget. I met one of your neighbors. Al Gates.”
Julie searched for a face to go with the name as she unwrapped a Hershey’s Kiss. “That doesn’t ring a bell. Which house?”
“The one at the top of the hill.”
“Hmm,” Julie said. “What’s he look like?”
“Nerd. Short curly hair, medium height. Kind of skinny, dark brown eyes and Coke-bottle glasses. He’s one of those gamer guys. Invents those violent video games that sell millions.”
She pictured every house along her run, but this guy didn’t match