“Nothing.” He gently took my arm and walked me toward the little house with Tripper glued to my side, only stopping when we reached the door.
“So, the twins convinced you to play their game?” He gave me a sideways glance.
“Actually, I asked to play. Liam couldn’t get past level one, so I offered some tips.”
“Impressive.” He nodded.
“Yes, my video game skills are widely talked about.”
John opened the door with a chuckle, set the basket on the table, and went in to turn on the fireplace and a few lights.
“It will take a few moments, but the place will warm up.”
“I don’t mind the cold.”
“Good, because winter is coming in fast this year.”
We both stood by the door as Tripper pushed inside and crawled up on the couch.
“No, Tripper, you can’t stay here.”
“Can he?” I interrupted. “I mean, I don’t know if he stays with you, but I’d love the company.”
John eyed the fur ball on the couch and looked back at me. “Well, all right, I guess. But just so you know, the grounds are protected twenty-four-seven. No one can get in or out without someone knowing.”
“Good to know.” I removed my jacket.
“Well, goodnight, Sloane.” He looked over at the dog and made a face. “Night, traitor.” Tripper’s tail beat the couch cushion, totally comfy already.
“Thanks, John.”
I went to the window to watch him walk back up the path. When I turned back around, Tripper tilted his head to one side as he watched me.
“What?”
Chapter Five
John
“I have some questions myself, Trigger.” I held my phone to my ear as I moved to the window and looked down at the lake. It had been one week since Sloane arrived at the house, and I might have seen her twice. Frank had sent some boxes down to her, and she’d been quiet ever since. I knew she was alive only because the girls had been bringing her food and checking in, and whenever I asked how she was doing, they’d simply say she was busy. I knew I was being cold and edgy when she was around, but that was because I couldn’t figure out why she drew all these new feelings out of me. Feelings I didn’t deserve to feel. I knew I shouldn’t be interested, but…I rubbed my head, frustrated. I hated that a woman got inside my head. Not to mention my dog seemed to have totally fallen for her. But along with the excitement of an interesting woman came the acid in my stomach. Happiness just didn’t sit very well inside me anymore.
“Because you helped get my VP out of that shit hole,” Trigger broke the storm in my head, “I’ll agree to chat. But, ah, some shit has been brewing, so you gotta come here or we can call again.”
“All right, but I need to know why Brick was there. Can you tell me that much?”
There was a long measure of silence before he cleared his throat like he was annoyed.
“He was following up on a personal lead but also trailing the president of the Stripe Backs. Guess he’s stepping down, and the rumor is his nephew Caleb may take over. We’re trying to learn what they’re up to since that surfaced, and our new guest in Hawaii has made his mark. Think it’s best to watch all that want to take us down. Since Brick was already heading that way, I got him to tail the president, but shit went down, and that’s when he ran into you.”
“What was the personal lead?” I knew I was digging too far, but I needed answers to rule out Brick.
“Nothing that concerns Blackstone.”
“Fair enough. I appreciate the time.”
“Yeah.” The phone went dead.
“All right, bye,” I said to no one. He always was a guy of few words.
I changed into my camo pants and t-shirt and headed down to where the guys were training. I raced to catch up. I hated to show up late, but Cole knew I needed to make some calls. We were all a little extra forgiving lately with the present situation.
Three of North Rock’s members were still in the hospital, one in critical condition. We all waited, desperate for intel to come back on who had messed with the team and killed our guy. We were waiting for the call to ship out to even the score. It was painful not to just go, but we had our orders, and no matter what, we had