“I’m here,” he said in a tight voice as his silhouette appeared in the doorway. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” I said, feeling foolish. “You were gone, it’s dark, and I was in an unfamiliar room I’m not familiar with…”
He sat down on the bed next to me and wrapped me up in his arms. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“You didn’t.” I snuggled into his bare chest. “What were you doin’?”
“Dermot called so I took it downstairs.”
I pulled away from him and tried to look up into his face, but the room was too dark to see his expression. I leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp, wincing as my eyes adjusted to the light. “What happened?”
“He thinks he found out what Adkins was up to, but he says he wants me to come see it for myself.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t now, but he wants me to come out to the Broken Branch Motel.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s where Carol Ann Nelson was murdered.”
He made a face. “It wasn’t the first murder there, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I have a feeling Adkins was holed up there.”
“Wouldn’t the sheriff’s department have found that out?” I asked.
“No. Henryetta PD won’t give up the case.”
“But the motel is outside the city limits.” Rose and I had figured that detail out when we’d investigated Carol Ann’s murder a couple of weeks ago.
“First of all, Henryetta PD couldn’t investigate their way out of a paper bag, and second, if Dermot found something and neither law enforcement agency knows about, it’s likely because Adkins didn’t leave a paper trail. Witnesses are far more likely to talk to Dermot and Skeeter’s guys before they’ll talk to someone with a badge. But the sheriff’s department isn’t stupid, which means they’ll figure it out soon enough. So before you ask,” he said, leveling his gaze, “yes, that’s why I need to go see it now. To beat them to it.”
“I’m coming with you.”
His lips pressed together. “I was gonna tell you to stay here with the guards, but I’m feelin’ even more protective of you now. I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”
I leaned closer and gave him a kiss. “That was easy.”
He grinned, but his eyes were troubled. “I’m gonna get dressed. How long will it take you to be ready to leave?”
“Five minutes.”
“It rained while we were sleepin’, and the temperature cooled off. Did you pack a pair of jeans?”
I shook my head. “No, but I have a pair of capris and a T-shirt.”
He stood and pulled me over to the edge of the bed. “I hate that our night got ruined.”
“What time is it?”
“One thirty.”
“Then our night wasn’t ruined. It’s the next morning.”
He kissed me again, then headed into the bathroom. It was then I realized he’d been walking around stark naked downstairs. But then again, I was naked too.
I pulled the capris and a T-shirt out of my suitcase, retrieved my underwear from the floor, then quickly dressed. When I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, I saw Jed walking out of his closet—still naked but carrying a big handgun.
“Do you have your own gun?” he asked in a serious tone.
“Not with me.”
“I’d feel better if you carried one.”
That made me nervous. “Okay.”
“You have a concealed carry permit, so I want you to carry one all the time. At least for now.”
“Okay.”
He walked out into his room and got dressed while I brushed my teeth. When he came back in, he had a small holster. “I’m gonna slip this into the back of your pants.”
I laughed. “That’s quite the pickup line.”
I expected him to laugh, but the corners of his mouth barely tipped up as he slid the holster between the small of my back and my capris.
“What do you expect to find there, Jed?”
“Dermot didn’t say, but he was spooked.”
A spooked Dermot was a bad sign.
I shooed him out so I could pee, and when I emerged from the bathroom, he had a gray hoodie in his hands. “It’s pretty chilly tonight, so take this in case you get cold.”
I took the hoodie, still amazed that Jed Carlisle was concerned about my comfort. He was an imposing figure to people who didn’t know him, and even after I’d first met him, he’d been the strong, silent type. But that man was nothing like the man I’d gotten to know. This man was loving, protective, supportive, and at times downright chatty, but he wasn’t chatty right now. He was retreating into himself, which meant he expected to find something bad.
“I’m gonna get you a gun out of my gun safe,” he said, striding toward the bathroom.
“I’ll head downstairs and find my phone,” I said. “I haven’t seen it since we got here.” But as soon as I started down the stairs, I realized I’d left it in Jed’s car.
When I opened the front door to retrieve it, a large man dressed in black quickly blocked my exit. “I need you to go back inside, miss.”
I took a step back, slightly startled. “I just need to get my purse out of the car.”
“Mr. Carlisle asked us to make sure you stay inside. He’s worried someone might be in the trees waiting for you.”
My stomach dropped. “Have you seen anyone out there?”
“No, miss, but we follow Mr. Carlisle’s instructions. Can I get it for you?”
“No. I’ll just wait until we leave.” I closed the door and walked into the kitchen, trying to dispel my nervous energy. The dirty glasses and dishes were on the table out on the porch, so I set the hoodie on the counter and headed out to grab the wine glasses and the silverware. Jed was in the living room, coming toward me, as I set them in the kitchen sink.
His brow furrowed as his gaze landed on the open door. “Neely Kate. Don’t go out there.”
“I’m just getting the dirty dishes. I doubt there’s anyone out in your backyard.”
“Just humor me.” He shut the door to the porch and pivoted to face me. “I have a really bad feeling.”
I might have argued with him if I didn’t have a bad feeling myself, like the boogeyman was waiting to pounce. “I left my purse in the car, and your security guard wouldn’t let me go out to get it.”
“After Dermot’s call, I told them to stick close to the front door. He knows you’re what they’re protecting, and he takes his job seriously.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You talked to him naked?”
A mischievous grin lit up his eyes. “Why not? It’s not like my dick is crooked.”
“Jed!”
He laughed. “I wasn’t standing in the doorway showing it off. I called him on the phone.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “You’re terrible.”
“And you like me that way,” he teased.
It was true.
I closed the distance between us and hugged him, burrowing into his chest. “I had no idea what I was missing in my life until I had you, Jed, and I don’t want to go back to that emptiness.”
Slipping his arms around my back, he snugged me closer and rested his chin on my head. “I feel exactly the same way.” He held me for several seconds, and then his arms tightened as though he’d thought of something distasteful. “You ready to go?”
I was scared to see what Dermot had found, but I was ready for this nightmare to be over. “Yeah.”
He dropped his arms and, reaching around his back, he pulled out a small handgun. “Here’s the weapon I got you.” He showed me the safety, then popped out the clip and slid it back in, before spinning me around and inserting the gun into the holster at the small of my back. With a deep sigh, he rested his hands on my shoulders, and rubbed gently. Jed’s every moment was usually purposeful, but this was reflexive. He was nervous.
I lifted my left hand to cover his and glanced over my shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, Jed.”
“Something’s off, Neely Kate. I can feel it.”
I could too, and we both had pretty good instincts. I turned to face him. “What do you think it is?”
He shook his head, worry in his eyes. “I don’t know, and that’s what has me worried. I can usually see what’s comin’, but this time… I see nothin’.”
I forced a laugh. “The next thing I know, you’ll be tellin’ me you have visions of the future like Rose.”