“You waitin’ on somebody?” I ask.
“Actually, dropping off supplies.”
I glance toward the empty SUV before looking back at him. “Supplies,” I repeat.
Beside me, Jules folds his arms across his chest. “Wow. Invisible supplies. Very innovative.”
The man’s smile never slips. “They’re coming in another truck.” His eyes dart toward the shelter behind me before returning to my face. “You Maggie Hayes?”
The fact that he already knows my name makes my shoulders tense up even more. “Yes.”
“Nice place you’ve got here.”
His eyes move toward the front windows again, where Ivy runs laughing past the desk, carrying a tennis ball nearly as big as her head. Then he looks back at me.
“You stay busy here?”
Every instinct I have tells me to pull back. “What exactly do you want?”
Before he answers, the security man near the entrance starts walking toward him calmly. The stranger notices him immediately, though his expression never changes.
“Relax, sweetheart. Just trying to donate.”
I hate “sweetheart” coming from him.
Jules takes half a step closer to me immediately. “Yeah, we’re not doin’ that. You can either explain why you’re sittin’ outside staring at the shelter or you can leave.”
“Or call during business hours like everybody else,” I add.
“Thought this was business hours.”
“It is,” Jules replies flatly. “Which means we’re busy and you’re acting sketchy as hell.”
The security man stops beside me. “Sir, I’m going to ask you to move along.”
The stranger studies us before smiling again, though this time the warmth never reaches his eyes. “Didn’t realize animal shelters came with bodyguards.”
“He asked you to leave,” I say.
Beside me, Jules lets out a humorless laugh. “See, now that sounds exactly like the opening scene of a true crime documentary.”
The security man steps forward again, but the stranger is already climbing into the SUV. Seconds later, the vehicle disappears into Savannah traffic without anyone stopping it.
“You know who that was?” I ask the security guard.
“No, ma’am.”
“Then why didn’t you stop him?”
“We don’t engage unless necessary.”
Jules plants his hands on his hips, annoyance practically rolling off him. “Pretty sure threatening Maggie outside an animal shelter qualifies as necessary.”
His expression stays blank. “Mr. Agapov requested minimal disruption around the shelter.”
Of course he did.
I drag both hands through my hair before turning back toward the entrance, my pulse still pounding in my veins.
