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“Okay, so you’ve seen that he’s not here,” Remy said. “Now you can leave.” Things felt like they were moving too fast. He crossed his arms, appearing so much taller than he did a second ago. “I’m not asking again. Leave now and don’t come back
. Or I’m calling the police.”
He gave an easy laugh that shook her limbs when he moved to the door. “There are many things you could do, but trust me, going to the police is not the wisest one.” He slammed the door behind him.
Remy stared at the door, not quite able to move. She’d met all types of men working in the bar, and she knew without a doubt that this man was not the type she should mess with. Everything he said repeated in her mind as she quickly cleaned the brushes, then headed out the front door, locking it behind her. The brisk air brushed across her face, waving her hair around her face as she glanced up and down the street, not seeing the man anywhere in sight. Feeling like his creepy eyes still watched her, she scooted forward and entered Peyton’s lingerie shop next door.
Uptown Girl was narrow and long and set into one of the historic buildings on Main Street. The walls were painted hot pink, and there was a sales counter out front and white tables set out with the lacy garments, as well as rows of intimate wear hanging on the walls. She found Peyton behind the counter. Though the moment the door closed behind her, another cold breeze sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the guy. Weight suddenly pressed down on her shoulders and the light in the room seemed to fade. “Oh, damn, we’ve got to fix this immediately.”
Peyton glanced up. “What’s wrong?”
“You’ve got a situation in here.” Remy reached into her purse and searched for her black tourmaline stone that she always kept on hand, as well as nearly everything she needed in an emergency. She offered the stone to Peyton when she reached her. “Put this near your register.”
“Why?” Peyton asked, unblinking. “And what kind of situation do I have?”
“There’s still bad vibes in here.” Remy glanced around the shop and shuddered, feeling the hair on the back of her neck now standing straight up. She grabbed her rose water from her purse and began spraying around the front of the lingerie shop, helping protect the space from any lingering darkness that remained. When the sense of dread finally left Remy, easing her chest and allowing her to breathe normally again, she turned back to Peyton to find her wide-eyed. “It’s okay, you’re not being haunted by the woman who was murdered here. The energy just stays around for a while. We need to cut through it.”
Peyton slowly looked around, seemingly ready for a ghost to jump out at her. “If you say so.” She finally glanced back and gave a tight smile. “I wasn’t expecting a visit. What’s up?”
“A guy just came into the store.” Remy felt the hair still raised on the back of her neck, and that had nothing to do with the lingering icky energy in the space. “He said he knew Damon.”
“Really?”
Remy nodded. “Yeah, and I just got this really creepy vibe off him.”
“You should tell the guys,” Peyton said.
Remy gave a quick nod. “If he comes back, I will. Who knows, maybe he’s just a friend wondering where Damon was?”
“You told him that Damon’s in jail?”
“I did, yeah.”
“Good. I’m sure you’re right. Maybe he just wanted to see for himself that Damon’s gone.” Remy watched as Peyton moved to the door, then flipped the closed sign. When she turned back, she smiled. “Speaking of Asher, how are things on that front? You both seemed very comfortable together today.”
“We are comfortable, but there’s nothing more to report,” Remy said, moving to the panty table, picking up a black lace thong that she knew for certain Asher would love.
Peyton sidled next to her. “It’s yours.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “You know, not for any particular detective, just for you.”
“Are you sure?” Remy asked.
Peyton nodded. “Most definitely.” Then color rose to her cheeks and she glanced up through her thick black lashes. “I hate to kick you out of here, but I need to meet Boone in a bit to chat with our travel agent about the wedding.”
“Oh, sure, no probs,” Remy said, giving Peyton a quick hug. “Just wanted to stop in to say thanks again for all the help this afternoon.” Lies! The thought of going home alone after meeting that guy made her want to crawl out of her skin.
“You really need to stop thanking all of us,” Peyton said with a sweet smile. “Everyone wants to help.”
Remy smiled to hide the nerves tickling her belly and then moved to the door. “Call me later and tell me how the appointment went.”
“Will do,” Peyton called as Remy headed out.
Remy didn’t look back, scared that if she did, Peyton would see she was rattled. When the cool, crisp autumn air greeted her outside, she took another quick look around. Seeing no one, but still too freaked to go home, she quickly beelined it for Kinsley’s bar.
By the time she got inside and plopped her butt on the stool, she was breathless.
Kinsley immediately came over. “Hi, buttercup, miss me already?”
“Always.”
