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He glanced her way again. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
Okay, he won that round. “Did you tell him you were coming?”
“If I told him I even thought about it, he’d gut me…” On a gruff exhale, he dropped his wrist to the top of the wheel. “I’m going to hell.”
“Think we already knew that anyway,” she said, raising a shoulder in a half shrug. When he looked at her again, she smiled. It was a joke, geez, the guy didn’t have to take everything so seriously. “I appreciate what you did tonight. Looking out for me… getting us out of there.”
“You wouldn’t have been near Manzani if it wasn’t for me,” he said. “Been a long time since we stood eye to eye.”
“How long?”
“Long time,” he said. So specific. And so frustrating. Time was absolute. Straight questions should get straight answers. Though he wasn’t the story, it wasn’t her right to pry. “Your brother was right, by the way, writing about the Manzanis will get you killed.”
“Obviously, you don’t pay that much attention because I told Ford I’m not writing about Manzani… I don’t think so anyway. Just up here…” She pointed at her stoop. “With the red door.” He pulled over and put them in park. “Thank you again, Jagg.”
“Want me to walk you up?” he asked as she reached for the handle. His eyes closed. “What the hell is wrong with me?”
She laughed and grabbed for the shoulder of his chair to boost herself over to kiss his cheek. “Cut yourself some slack, Jagg.” Her smile grew as she sat down and reached for the handle again. “I’m hot, baby.”
Slinking out of the car, she didn’t look back while running up the stairs and unlocking her door. The car didn’t move. As she slipped through the door, she peeked over her shoulder just as he upped the revs a few times. Funny. Who knew Jagger Dunn was funny? Maybe there was hope for him yet.
SIX
OKAY, SO HUSTLE hadn’t worked out, but she wasn’t ready to give up. There were other avenues to explore.
Women were dying. That wasn’t something she planned to forget. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any new homicides reported to the office that morning. The Chronicler got a daily bulletin from law enforcement. That day’s report contained nothing of interest to her investigation. Steadfast in her pursuit, she’d meet Lachlan later to see if there were any updates.
That would come after her trip to the most recently deceased woman’s apartment. Her roommate, Mila, had been the one to give up Hustle as a location for Stephanie’s boyfriend. Hustle was keeping its secrets for the moment. If she couldn’t talk to Mila again, the club may make it back onto the to-do list.
No one answered the buzzer. She didn’t have to wait too long for the door to open as someone exited. The trick was to appear like she belonged there.Most things could be bluffed if you exuded confidence… Something she’d learned from her father.
Jogging up the stairs, her eagerness fueled her desire to know. It wasn’t just the mystery. Yeah, those always bothered her, but these women deserved more attention than they were getting.
Mila had just lost her best friend. It was understandable that she didn’t want to answer the door to anyone. She expected to go up and knock, to call through the door and appeal to the woman she’d got along with so well.
As she approached the apartment, it became obvious it wasn’t going to play out that way. First came a spike of concern, the door hung open a couple of inches. She considered calling the cops. Intrigue took her closer. Her fingertips drifted across the wood, heading for the handle. Before they got there, the door opened.
She gasped.
A tall, glaring man stood on the other side, trash bag in hand. “What do you want?” She blinked at his bark. “You gonna pay the rent?”
“Am I… what?”
“You know her? You a friend?”
“Of Mila’s?”
“Yeah,” he said, crowding her out of the doorway. “Know where she is?”
Panic hit hard. “She’s missing?”
The guy gave the door a shove, opening up the view of inside. “Bitch ran out on her rent.” It was empty of furniture. Possessions. Everything was gone. “The first went and died, then the other one bails on me.”
“Stephanie didn’t mean to die,” she said, though there wasn’t any evidence to prove that either way… so far. “It’s a traumatic time for Mila. She won’t be thinking straight.”
“Yeah, she’s running out on everyone.”
Everyone? He’d headed down the hallway, so she scurried after him. “Everyone?”
