Page 30 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

“Shit. Sorry.” He knelt to ruffle Tiger’s ears. His K-9 leaned into the kid’s hand then licked his fingers. Jesse buried his face in Tiger’s neck, but not before his eyes glossed over.

“What is it?” He rested his hand on Jesse’s shoulder.

“I swear to you I didn’t know about the gun or what was in those drums.”

He wanted to believe Jesse, and in that moment, he decided he did. At least, about the gun and the drums. “Be straight with me, and I’ll do everything I can to help you. If there’s anything else I should know, now’s the time.”

Tiger pawed Jesse’s hand for more attention.

“There’s nothing.” He shook his head. “I told you everything.”

Did you? Eric wasn’t so sure.

He began stowing the training equipment back in the plastic case when Jesse grabbed his arm.

“What if somethin’ happens on Monday?” he asked. “What if everything goes to shit?”

Eric wanted to tell the kid it would be okay, but he couldn’t say that because he honestly didn’t know if that was true. All he could say was, “Pray that it doesn’t.”

Chapter Ten

Tess slipped on her sandals then grabbed her car keys and went outside to get her yoga mat. Thankfully, she’d left it in the car after using it the other day on the back deck of the Dog Park Café.

Yoga was something she’d discovered shortly after leaving Alabama. Since then, it had become an integral component of her de-stressing repertoire, along with her collection of healing and energizing crystals, and scented candles, of course.

The early morning July sun warmed her face, but the air wasn’t as humid as the day before, making it a perfect day to go back into town. With all its eclectic shops, restaurants, and history, Flemington called to her in a way no other town had since leaving Alabama. Then again, maybe Flemington was the last place she should be.

What if that really was Mark Pritchard in the parking lot yesterday?

It probably hadn’t been, but she and Jesse still had to be cautious. Just in case.

Sighing, she pressed the unlock button on her key fob and heard a click. Not a door-unlocking type of click, but the kind of click the lock made when the car was already unlocked.

Stiffening, she glanced over her shoulder. Nobody was there. She spun to scan every yard in the neighborhood and every car parked in nearby driveways. Her heart beat faster as she looked both ways down the street.

I know I locked the doors. I’m sure of it. At least, I probably did. I think I did.

There had to be a rational explanation for why her car was unlocked. Either that or she’d forgotten to lock it. Could Jesse have borrowed her keys to get something from the car? Then again, her brother had nothing with him except what he’d brought in his backpack. She couldn’t be certain about anything.

Letting out an unsteady breath, she tugged on the rear passenger door and retrieved her yoga mat from the back seat. After closing the door, she verified that this time, all the doors were indeed locked.

Back inside the house, she ignored the clanking of weights coming from the basement and shoved Eric’s coffee table to the side of the living room. Next, she unrolled her yoga mat and lit a lavender-scented candle she’d tossed in her bag. Its earthy, flowery aroma always had a calming effect, relieving her stress and anxiety, and was the finishing touch on her Zen space. Yoga was all about diving into the relaxation zone.

She emptied her dozen or so crystals from their dark blue velvet bag then arranged them in an octagon pattern on the side table. After shucking her sandals, she unrolled her mat on the white Berber carpet then raised her arms over her head. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the lavender candle scent, then lowered her arms. When she opened her eyes, she caught her reflection in the framed mirror hung over the sofa and snickered. All the color would probably annihilate Eric’s color-deprived Feng Shui and give him a heart attack.

Between her mop of flaming red hair and the turquoise, purple, and orange swirls of her snug yoga pants and matching midriff top, she was a kaleidoscope in the middle of his boring, monochromatic, gray and white living room. Even her bright pink yoga mat would send Eric’s chi into a tizzy.

Eric had woken before her and had been working out for over an hour. All that clanking left her wondering what all those yummy muscles looked like when he was doing his manly-man thing, sweating and pumping iron. She’d caught him watching her last night while she’d been cooking dinner. It should have felt creepy, but it hadn’t. Au contraire. It had felt good—very, very good—sending little zinging pulses to her belly, making her think about him holding her in his arms, pressing his muscular body to his, and kissing her.

And that was very, very bad.

Not that she was deluding herself into thinking he was thinking of it, but getting more involved with Eric was a disaster waiting to happen.

Woof.

Tiger padded into the room, his tail wagging as he greeted her. Her mood instantly brightened, and she leaned down to scratch his ears.

“Morning, Tiger.”