Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker Off the Books #4) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,104

team hadn’t questioned why she had so many cameras in her house, she knew they were thinking she was paranoid. And they were right. She was. But thankfully she didn’t have to explain herself, because she wasn’t sure if they would ever understand. After all, she didn’t really understand.

But she did have to find a new normal, one that included a place of her own. What worried her most was how long it would take to get to that new normal. Building a house would take time, but how much time was the question. Six months, a year? Longer? And where was she going to stay during that process?

She felt more than saw Baz standing beside her. He’d offered to drive her here so she could see what she was dealing with. Ever since he’d taken that phone call from the Molly woman he’d spent the night with, he’d been acting strange. Six days and counting. Definitely not his usual laid-back, fun self. And if she was being honest, it worried her.

“We got lucky,” she said under her breath.

It had been a stroke of luck that no one had been in the house when it had blown up. Based on what they’d ascertained, Juliet Prince had convinced Marcus to set that bomb to do the most damage, then she’d texted Travis Walker pretending to be JJ so that he would arrive just in time to go up in flames. Juliet would’ve wiped them all out in one fell swoop.

It was another reason JJ hated that bitch.

But now she was also questioning Juliet’s skill set. The woman would’ve had to hack her phone to send that text. How had she done it? It wasn’t an easy thing to do. Where’d she acquire that skill set? Or was she working with someone?

So many questions, not nearly enough answers.

“You’re welcome to stay at my apartment until it’s completed,” Baz said, his voice soft. “I’ve got the second bedroom. I can clean it out, get you a bed and whatnot.”

The old JJ would’ve immediately refused the offer of help. But that was the JJ who’d had something of her own. This woman, the one staring at the charred rubble of her existence, wasn’t in a position to refuse anyone.

“I’d appreciate it,” she said softly, glancing over at him. “I’ll pay you rent. Split the utilities.”

Baz nodded, his gaze never quite meeting hers.

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

His pretty blue eyes lifted, but the luster that was usually in them was dim. “What? Of course, JJ.”

Although she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage living with Baz, especially if she had to endure him dating this Molly person—or any other woman for that matter—she wasn’t disappointed. She knew Baz, she trusted Baz. Most importantly, she felt safe with Baz, and right now, she didn’t feel safe anywhere. And she definitely didn’t want to be alone.

After taking one last look at what was left of her house, JJ turned around, started back toward Baz’s truck.

“You ready to go home?” JJ realized how that sounded. “I mean, you know, to your apartment?”

“It’s home,” he said in that monotone she was getting used to. “For now.”

Yeah. For now.

That seemed to be where everything in their lives was currently positioned: right between somewhere and nowhere.

She only hoped this was the worst of it.

<<<— STAY TUNED —>>>

I hope you enjoyed the fourth installment of the Off the Books Task Force. There’s definitely more to come for Brantley and Reese, JJ and Baz, Trey and Magnus, and the rest of the task force. Each book in this series is a full-length novel involving a new case and the continuation of the relationships between them all. And I promise not to keep you waiting long for each installment.

If you enjoyed Deadly Coincidence, please consider leaving a review.

WANT TO READ ABOUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS?

If you haven’t had a chance to read about RT and Z, you can find their story in the Sniper 1 Security series. Their story unfolds in Never Say Never, which is available on all retailers. There is also a follow-up story in Naughty Holidays 2015, which includes the recipe for the Jack Daniel’s pecan pie. You can find the buy links in the book list at the back of this book.

ABOUT NICOLE EDWARDS

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in the suburbs of Austin, Texas with her husband and their youngest of three children. The two older ones have flown the coup, while