him. Who would’ve guessed he’d fuck it up so badly?
He wanted to hug Ames and maybe do more, but he had no idea how she felt about him now. Besides, they didn’t have time to stop. The sun was already setting, and he didn’t want to light up the scene in case their visitors were already on the way.
To resist the temptation of her, he took a step away from the porch and disguised the motion by shuffling from foot to foot. “We’re both annoyed as hell at him, but Elliot was—is—a good guy in a lot of ways. We’ll find out what happened to him, okay?”
She nodded and bent to tuck the little box into a sack. When she straightened, all signs of anger and grief were gone. “What now?”
“We keep looking. Inside again, I guess.”
She wiped sweat from her forehead. “You have no idea what we should do next, do you?”
“Give me a minute. I’ll think of something.” I have to.
“I think we should talk to Jake Greely. He was one of Elliot’s best friends. Perhaps he has some idea of his whereabouts.”
“The fewer people we talk to, the better.”
“Maybe I can do it so he won’t get suspicious. The last time I saw him, he asked me out on a date, so that’ll be a good excuse to stop by. Of course that was a while ago—a few months.” She frowned as if regretting lost opportunities.
Jake Greely. Nick’s mind had grown clouded with desire and exhaustion. “Why does that name sound familiar anyway?”
“You met his mother at the movie night in the park. My brother might have come back to town quietly—I sure didn’t hear a thing—but if he got in touch with anyone, it would be Jake. If he saw Elliot, then we know we should keep looking around here. Jake’s living at his mom’s house. I’ll go there.”
“We’ll go.” He’d been trying to get her away from him for safety’s sake, but now he thought perhaps that was a mistake. Nothing to do with the fact that the guy had once asked her out.
“I might have an easier time alone.” She rubbed at a blotch of dirt on her arm.
“We’ll go,” he repeated. “I’ll wait in the car.”
“God, you’re bossy.”
“Yeah, about that.” He fell silent, waiting until she looked up and met his eyes again. “Until this thing with the Espositos blows over”—and wasn’t that a euphemism?—“I think you shouldn’t be alone, and you should probably stick around someone who’s armed.”
“A lot of the guys around here hunt.” Her dimple showed. “And there’s the county sheriff’s department. Of course, you have a pretty big gun.”
Her manner was ever so slightly flirty. Her fear and anger had apparently passed. Ames Jensen was a tough cookie, as his father would say. Damned good thing too.
He folded his arms. “Going to the sheriff might be a great idea after I leave town.”
Her smile vanished, and he almost wished he hadn’t said that. But, yeah, it was right to remind them both that he would move on and that her safety mattered more than their tentative new relationship or whatever was forming between them.
The chances that the Espositos had influenced local law enforcement in Podunk, Wisconsin, were miniscule and even Bert’s most testosterone-powered thug wouldn’t go after her if Ames was with the sheriff.
He picked up the shovels and carried them onto the porch. “Fast showers, fast food, then this Greely guy.”
“Let’s get cleaned up at my place. I have nothing to wear here.”
He thought about following her into her apartment and into her shower. He’d hold her slippery, warm body in the spray of water… “No. Sandy Marvin knows your real name. That means the Espositos do too. And how hard would it be to track you down? Answer—way too easy. Someone could be waiting there now.”
He sat on the porch steps, only for a moment, to regroup. Trouble was, Ames joined him and leaned against his shoulder. She heaved a big sigh, and he had to lift his arm and pull her against him. She fit perfectly in that spot between his arm and his body. He considered how to kiss her without distracting them too much and then realized she’d muttered something.
“What?” he asked.
He’d supposed she’d just cursed under her breath—hell knew he wanted to scream out curses—but not Ames. She’d come up with a plan. “We’ll stop by the diner. I’ve got an extra uniform there I can wear so I don’t look like a