AS I FLIPPED THE OPEN sign to Closed, I could feel Jerome’s eyes on me even as I heard him shuffling around the interior of the store. He’d been an amazing help today. We’d been inundated with people, and while I could have survived without him, I would’ve had a lot more unhappy customers because they would have been waiting much longer while I helped others.
Wondering if my unease at going home was actually visible, I frowned. The shrewd old man seemed to read me too easily. His next words answered that question.
“I’m more than happy to follow you to your apartment and lend my assistance in any way I can.”
“That’s very sweet of you, really,” I said with what I hoped looked like an unconcerned shrug. “But I’m fine. Besides, you probably have the master’s dinner to prepare.”
I’d gotten used to Jerome’s easy chuckle during the afternoon we’d spent working together. It rippled across the store again.
“The master rarely dines at home in the evenings.”
I bet he doesn’t. Probably wining and dining half the town, especially the female half.
Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Lucas Titan was one of the sexiest men I’d ever seen. He made tall, dark, and handsome his bitch. The man had to be at least six foot three, and had thick, black hair that always seemed perfectly styled without trying. Add his dark green eyes, wide shoulders, and narrow hips to the mix, and there weren’t many women who wouldn’t pause to watch him walk by. The diagonal scar slashing upward through his left eyebrow into his hairline added an undeniable hint of danger.
My body lit up at thoughts of him, and I tamped the reaction down. Not going there. Again. It didn’t matter how hot the sex had been; it wasn’t worth my pride.
I pulled my purse from beneath the counter. “Thank you again for your help today.” I was stalling on this last part and couldn’t believe I was actually going to say the words, but I needed to give thanks where it was due. “And thank Mr. Titan as well. Sending you was very thoughtful of him.”
Jerome inclined his chin. “Your thanks is accepted and will be passed on to Mr. Titan.” He walked toward me. “Now, would you at least make an old man feel somewhat useful by taking my phone number in case you run across something troubling at your apartment again?”
“Sure,” I replied. Didn’t mean I’d ever call it, but it was a sweet offer.
“Good,” he said before rattling off the digits, and I punched them into my phone.
We both left the shop, and I locked up behind us. My Jetta was parked at the curb and Jerome climbed into the Aston, which honestly didn’t look that unusual parked on the streets of the Quarter. This area was prime real estate, which translated to big money. Which was why I was going to need a hell of a lot of cash to buy Dirty Dog from Harriet.
I waved good-bye as he drove off, and I got into my own car. A piece of paper sat on the seat. Picking it up, I saw the bold handwriting across the bottom. Paid in full. It was the invoice for my car repair.
When I saw the total, I breathed a sigh of relief. Three hundred bucks. That I could handle. And I’d make sure Titan got a check from me ASAP. I wouldn’t let the man buy me a damn thing.
As I drove home, I debated whether to mail it to his office or his house, and still hadn’t made up my mind when I pulled into the back alley parking spot for my apartment. After turning off the engine, I eyed the exterior stairs for a good five minutes, but didn’t exit the car.
I decided to make a call before I got out. Quickly scrolling through my phone’s contacts, I found her number.
“Hey, it’s Yve,” I said when Valentina picked up.
“Hey, I know.”
“You hear anything from your daddy’s PI? About Jay? Where he might be?”
“Not yet. Daddy has him giving us daily updates, and this morning’s was a joke. Jay has disappeared. Daddy is pissed, and he actually hired me a bodyguard until they find him. The cops have increased patrols in my neighborhood too. I bet if you called in a concern, they’d do it for you too.”
Right. Because the cops would run extra patrols in Tremé because one scared nobody of a woman had no proof of anything. Unlikely. I thought of the detective Titan had offered to call. I bet he could have made it happen, but then again, what couldn’t he make happen?
Stop it, Yve, you’re sounding complimentary about the man.
“Well, stay safe, honey. I’ll be fine,” I said.
“I will, Yve. Watch your back. I don’t trust that bastard.”
Before she could hang up, I asked, “Have you seen anything weird? Like signs that Jay might’ve been around you? In your house?”
Valentina actually laughed. “This place is locked down tighter than Fort Knox. No way in hell he could get in here. My dad made me move home the second we lost our bid to have his parole denied again.”
So maybe I was the only crazy one here.
“Good. Take care, Valentina.”