“You believe that?”
“Sure.” No. Not really. The perpetrator might be dead but her family was dead and she was left with an irrational fear of small spaces, insomnia, and a host of other quirks.
He rested his hand on his hip and, for a moment, didn’t say much. “I was a grown man when I was shot. I was a cop doing his job who understood the risks. You’d think I could handle trauma but I still have nightmares.”
She resisted sharing her laundry list of quirks. “No one gets out of life unscarred.”
“Aren’t we the pair?” His voice had dropped to almost a whisper and she knew the admission cost him a measure of pride.
She didn’t want to like or care about Rick. Soon she’d leave Nashville. “Yeah.”
Silence settled between them. “Jenna, if you need anything, call me. You helped me out and I want you to know I’m here.”
Her tangled past was her problem. She’d never dumped her burdens on anyone else before and she’d not start now. “Thanks. And thanks for stopping by but I’m fine and can handle a few kooks.”
A slight cock of his head telegraphed disbelief. “You sure?”
She coupled a grin with an exaggerated shrug. “Please. I’ll be fine.”
He slid his hand into his pocket and rattled change. “Okay. But promise you’ll call if you have trouble.”
“Sure. I’ll call.”
But she wouldn’t. She never called for help.
Ford left work early because he’d been so angry. His boss had threatened to fire him but Ford had cut the conversation short when he’d quit. He’d had it with the bullshit and couldn’t take the talk, talk, talk knowing that she’d humiliated him at the package-delivery office.
His phone rang as he moved toward his car, a beat-up Ford wagon that rattled when he drove. “Yeah.”
“You sound upset.”
The familiar voice calmed him instantly. “I am. Everything is a mess.”
Silence. “Tell me.”
Ford hated screwing things up. He’d messed everything up in his life and now here he was again with another screwup. “I went to see her.”
Silence. “Not the waitress.”
“No.”
“You went to see her.”
“I couldn’t help myself. I just want to do this so bad.”
More silence. “What happened?”
He recounted what happened. “It was a mess. I can’t do this without you.”
Through the line he heard the faint jingle of bells. “This isn’t good.”
“I know. I’m sorry I screwed up. What do I do?”
A door closed. “Do you remember the place we discussed?”
“Yes.”
“Meet me there in fifteen minutes.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to do it tonight.”
Relief and excitement rushed over him. He thought he’d totally screwed up his chances. “Why?”
“Because I want it as well. Don’t be late.” The line went dead.
Ford got in his truck and drove through Nashville, crossing the Cumberland River until he reached a small, deserted gas station. He got out of his truck in time to see the nondescript, green four-door pull up.
Ford waited in his truck as instructed until his mentor slid into the passenger seat.
In the dim light, he felt the sharp eyes staring as if trying to read his mind.
“I feel like a fool,” Ford said.
“No reason to feel like a fool, Ford. In the long run, this might be a good thing.”
Ford gently pounded his fist on the steering wheel as if the action would tamp out the memory. “She made fun of me in public.”
Even, white teeth flashed. “Don’t worry about that. It’s easy for her to be brave when there’re people around. She wouldn’t be so brave if it were just the two of you.”
Simple words soothed his wounded soul. “Thank you.”
The lights from the dash sharpened the angles of the beautiful face. “I’m your mentor, aren’t I?”
His lip curled into a childish pout, childish but he’d felt alone these last few weeks and couldn’t stop himself. “Yes. You’re in charge. I’ll never question you again!”
“Good.”
Tears choked his throat. Ford was damned grateful to have his mentor back, that he didn’t dare push his good fortune. “What do I do?”
Dark eyes narrowed with approval. “You know where she lives.”
“Yes. I followed her all those nights just like you told me.”
“Go to her house and wait for her. When she arrives home, do as we discussed.”
Excitement simmered in his veins. He’d felt lost these last days without his mentor. “I’ll go there now.”
“Try not to be obvious.”
“And I take her to the house we looked at?” He pictured the rancher in the 12 South neighborhood. It had been vacant for weeks.
“Be very quiet. She can’t make a sound.”
“She won’t.”
“Half the fun is killing amidst many unsuspecting people.”
“I’ll get her now.”
“Don’t be too anxious.”
He drummed his fingers, already halfway to her house in his mind. “I won’t.”
“Remember how we rehearsed it?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure? We can run through it again. Everything has to be perfect.”
“I’ve imagined it a thousand times in my head.”
“Good. I’ll see you there.” His mentor slid out of the car. Ford put his truck in gear and slowly and carefully drove across town. He arrived just after three in the Germantown neighborhood. He’d have to wait for her. Normally she didn’t get home until six.
He considered where he should wait. Even he knew not to park a van in front of her house. As he considered his options, he saw a flicker of movement in the front window. Excitement surged as his anxiety rose. She was already home. This was not what he was expecting.
He considered his options. Wait. Call his mentor. Grab her now.