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“Can’t talk about it now?” his cousin asked.
“Wanna think it through a little more first.”
“Gotcha.” Judge picked up Reilly’s bags. “Want me to leave Jury with you, too?”
“Nah. Daisy will miss her too much.”
“She ain’t the only one,” he muttered. He gave Deacon a nod, then turned to Reilly. “Let’s go. Gonna give you the low-down on what you’re walkin’ into before we get there. So there ain’t any surprises.”
He hadn’t told Reilly she was going to be protected by an MC.
But then, Reese had no clue, either.
Hopefully, Warren would be in custody before she found out.
Chapter Six
Reese entered the code to reset the alarm, set her tote bag on the floor and, with a relieved sigh, kicked off her high heels. Her feet were killing her. She was exhausted from working both a long day and night at the office, attempting to make a dent in the mountain of work she had. She hoped tonight wouldn’t be like last night and she’d actually get some solid sleep.
This worry about her sister had been eating at her, not only causing her heartburn, but sleepless nights.
The recessed lighting in her kitchen was on, but dimmed low. It gave her enough light to navigate the open concept kitchen without stubbing a toe or bruising a shin. She didn’t bother to make it brighter since she was fighting a lingering headache.
Beyond the kitchen, the great room was dark, except for the glow from the gas fireplace. Someone must have switched it on and forgot to turn it back off.
Had he left? Had he gone up to the spare bedroom she’d designated as temporarily his?
And was Reilly even gone yet?
The house was way too quiet. Something she was normally used to, but right now, was unexpected since two other adults had been sharing the same roof when she’d left for work this morning.
She had texted Reilly’s cell phone a few times throughout the day without a single response. One of the last things Deacon had said, before she drove away in his blacked-out Ford, was she should trust him to keep her sister safe.
Reese wasn’t sure if she could do that. She didn’t like leaving Reilly’s safety in the hands of a stranger.
Billy Warren had done his best to break Reilly, but luckily, failed. However, Reese didn’t want to risk him getting another shot at her sister and being successful. So, she really didn’t have a choice in trusting the tattooed, bearded and pierced stranger. He was used to dealing with fugitives. Reese was not.
She spotted Deacon’s business card sitting on the counter where she’d left it last night, plucked her cell phone from the side pocket of her large bag, plugged in his number and hit Send.
Before she could even put it to her ear, she heard the faint ringtone of Bad Boys, the theme song from the cancelled COPS reality show.
Which one was it? Was he the bad boy or was he the one chasing them?
Reese tilted her head and listened carefully to locate where the sound was coming from.
Her deck.
She ended the call before he could answer and headed in that direction. She had spotlights along the wrap-around deck, but none were on.
The glowing tip of a lit cigarette pinpointed exactly where he was.
She debated going into her room to change into something more comfortable before going outside, but she was afraid if she did that, she might just fall face-first onto the bed and never move until morning. And she really needed an update on Reilly.
She opened one of the French doors and stepped out onto the deck but immediately jumped and squeaked as a whitish creature rushed toward her.
“Hope you like dogs,” came the low rumble.
It took a second for her heart to restart and her eyes to adjust to realize that, yes, it was a dog. Said dog nudged her hand, then gave it a lick.
Why the hell was there a dog in her house?
“I assume it’s yours and not a stray that came wandering through the woods?”
“Yeah, he’s mine.”
“Is it housetrained?”
“Better than me.”
Reese didn’t doubt it. “Does it shed?”
“Only foo foo dogs don’t shed. Real dogs shed.” Deacon tucked the cigarette between his lips, dropped his booted feet from the railing and sat up. “And stop insulting him. Justice is a he, not an it.”
“Justice,” she murmured. That name was kind of cool. And fitting for a dog owned by a bail bondsman and bounty hunter.
“Yep. His sister is Jury.”
Reese glanced around looking for another uninvited four-legged guest. “She here somewhere?”
“No. She’s my cousin’s dog. He took her back with him along with your sister.”
He took a long drag on the cigarette, held the smoke deep in his lungs, then leaned his head back and blew it straight up into the air.
Her nose twitched. “When I said make yourself at home, I didn’t mean bring your dog and tobacco.”
