He shook his head, smiled and waved at her, then jumped on his bike and took off before she reached the curb. He wished Laura would let him help her family more, but he knew she was a proud woman—sometimes too much. At least she let him pay for the kids’ private school tuition, but it had taken the intervention of his mother, the parish priest, and all three of her kids before she’d accepted his offer.
He swung a left on Trail Ridge Road and went south toward his rental. He wanted to see what his sassy tenant was up to before he found Joe and ripped him a new asshole. Muerto was so pissed that he knew he’d have to hit the gym to pound out his aggression on a punching bag or else he was liable to use someone’s face later that night at Balls and Holes.
When he rode up to the duplex, there was no sign of her and disappointment weaved through him, making him even more pissed than he already was.What the fuck do I care if she’s around or not? I’m just bored.He spotted Walter rolling up the hose. Walter was the tenant who lived in the back part of the duplex. He parked his Harley and went over to him.
The man looked up and smiled at him. “How are you?” he asked.
“Good. I was just in the neighborhood. Everything going good with your place?”
Walter nodded. “I don’t have any complaints.”
“You getting along with the woman who lives in the front?”Why the fuck am I asking him abouther?
The tenant’s eyes narrowed. “Did she say something to you?” His voice dripped ice.
Taken aback, Muerto shook his head. “Nah, I was just wondering. She didn’t say anything. You good with her?”
His face softened. “Yeah. I rarely see her, but when I do, we get along fine. She seems like a nice girl.”
“Cool. Let me help you with the hose.” As he rolled it up, he glanced at Walter. He’d been his tenant for the past five years, but he was an odd fellow. He never talked about anything personal, and Muerto wasn’t sure if he had a woman or not. He never brought up women or his parents or friends, or anyone. It was like the man lived in a cocoon, sheltered from the rest of the world. He seemed harmless enough, but Muerto thought there was more to him than he was letting on.
“Thanks for helping out,” the tenant said as he placed the hose on the holder.
“Sure. The yard’s looking good,” Muerto said as he started to leave. “If you need anything, let me know.”
“Shouldn’t I call the management company? Does Deanna still work there?”
“Uh… yeah, you’d give them a call first. Deanna’s still there. Why?”
“Every time I call over there, a man tells me she isn’t available.”
“Maybe she’s busy when you call.”
“Every single time? This has been going on for over two months.”
Muerto watched as the man’s face started to redden and his body stiffened.The dude’s real pissed. I’ll have to give Deanna a call.“What do you have going on over here that you need to call that much? Is there a problem in the unit?”
Walter’s gaze drilled into Muerto and he returned it. After several seconds, the tenant glanced away, a small chuckle escaping from his throat. “It’s really nothing. I’ve only called a few times over minor things, like the new trash cans the county made us get.”
The guy’s a fuckin’ weirdo.“If you have trouble getting ahold of someone, you have my number. Use it.” He turned around and went to his Harley. Glancing over at the window in the front unit, he swore he saw the blinds move.I bet she’s inside, checking me out. Well feast your eyes on what you may or may not get, sweetheart.At that moment, he’d decided that she’d have to work to get into his bed. He’d planned on making it easy, but a woman who had that much sass and sexiness had to be taken down a couple of notches, and he was just the man to do it.
He revved his cams for effect and then roared away, sensing her eyes on his every movement. Being a landlord had just become a whole lot more interesting.
