each other, that’s up to them. You stay out of it.”
“But I’m curious,” I whispered under my breath, glancing briefly at Penny in the backseat. She was rummaging through her backpack, paying no mind to me.
“You were curious with Locke, too, and look how that ended up,” Billy replied, swinging his mocking eyes at me.
I scowled. “That was different. I didn’t know at the time what I was signing up for…”
Billy gave me a dry look. “You did.”
I did.
Sort of.
But not to the extent it ended up being.
“They’re meant to be friendly,” I explained tentatively. “They’re meant to be on the same side…”
“What if Locke has no use for them anymore? What if he’s discarding them?” Now Billy was staring intently at me like…like maybe I ought to have the same worries for myself.
“Nice.” I nodded, sarcastically. “Not going to work on me. He wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Reid probably thought the same thing.”
Alright, that was enough of Billy for one day.
“Go away, asshole,” I mouthed at him.
He didn’t, and I didn’t expect him to. He would leave when I started to calm down, but in the meantime, there he was, talking sensibly at me, and I didn’t mind it so much.
“Who’s that?” Penny asked, drawing me out of my reveries.
I noticed a truck in the driveway as I pulled in beside it. I didn’t recognize who it belonged to. My chest went tight at the thought of someone inside the house with Conor. He might not be ready to see just anyone.
“No idea,” I answered Penny, killing the engine. “But if there’s someone visiting that we don’t know, you should run along to your room, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay. Can I go on Minecraft? Kane said he would wait all day and night for me.”
I smiled, holding back my laugh. “Uh-huh. You’re meant to put away your things first, but I’ll let it slide today.”
“Thanks, Mommy.”
Leaving the car, we walked up the driveway, hand in hand. My gaze swept over the front yard quickly, taking in the shovel still buried in the dirt. It stood there, threatening, its message perilous to anyone who dared step foot on the property with bad intentions. It made me question who was inside the house all the more.
We entered the house and Penny kicked her shoes off while I set the backpack down by the entry table. I was going to remove my heels when I heard a voice I wasn’t familiar with. Curious, I followed it to the kitchen. I saw Conor first standing behind the island, arms crossed. Then my gaze flickered to the stranger sitting on the stool. To my dismay, Penny came bounding behind me, leaping into Conor’s arms.
Didn’t I just tell the girl to go to her room?
My eyes hadn’t strayed from the stranger. He was a solid guy with a dark beard and scruffy hair.
I knew everyone in Blackwater. This guy was not from here. And Conor…
Conor didn’t look right.
Even Billy had stiffened alongside me, shooting me a cautious look.
I looked back at Conor, feeling edgy.
When he caught my gaze, I noticed the darkness had returned.
Chapter Eighteen
Thames
Charlotte was due to return any minute when the doorbell rang. Thames could have ignored it, but curiosity prompted him to answer. He’d opened the door a few inches, weary of who was on the other side. The shovel was still in the ground, and it’d driven the mob away, but maybe the men had worked themselves up again.
When he saw Holden on the porch, he suddenly wished it were the mob.
Holden had found him.
Not that he had been hiding from him or anyone for that matter.
But it was the first thing he asked when he opened the door wider for him. “How’d you find me?”
Holden smiled pleasantly, chewing hard on a piece of gum as he pointed behind him. “Tracked the truck’s gps to the motel and asked around. It wasn’t hard chasing you up. You’re well-known here, aren’t you, brother?”
Thames frowned. “I wasn’t running.”
Holden entered, nodding at Thames. “I know that.”
Thames led him to the kitchen because he didn’t know where else to go. The kitchen was simple enough. The picture frames weren’t all that visible from the family room. If Holden sat down, Thames could relax and not feel like his life was on display.
This was a major invasion of fucking privacy.
Holden slid into the stool and rested his elbows on the island, appearing relaxed. He smiled at Thames, saying, “You don’t look very happy to see me, Thames.”
Thames