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“Glad to hear it. Now… I’ll make this quick. Because as much as I enjoy dragging things out, I can also find great pleasure in striking. Suffice it to say I have something you’d be very interested in seeing.”
Jaxon raised his eyebrows. “That stuff I sent you? I’ve already seen it.”
“No, no, no. Not that. What do you take me for? An idiot? No. I have something you haven’t seen before…” he paused, a sickening grin taking shape. “Well, I guess youhaveseen it. Maybe not like this. Or this version… or…” he trailed off and pulled out his phone.
But two pairs of footsteps stopped Eric dead in his tracks.
“Hi Jaxon,” a familiar voice stated. More of an announcement than a greeting. Jaxon glanced up to see Dave and Andrea standing there. He’d never been so happy to see Dave’s ugly mug than he was right then. He could have hugged him, but he didn’t. Dave wouldn’t take to Jaxon’s show of emotion. At the very least he’d push him away.
He pushed his phone back into his pocket and slunk off before Jaxon could blink. Dave was a cop and Andrea also worked for law enforcement in another division. The last place Eric wanted to be stuck was between two cops.
Jaxon blinked when he turned towards Dave and Andrea. He was grateful for the reprieve and was about to say as much but Dave continued talking, lowering his voice so no one else could hear.
“If you drag Teagan intoanythingwith that man, I will kill you myself.”
Jaxon was speechless for a moment, unsure of how to react to Dave’s terrifying expression.
“I… I was just buying lumber.”
Dave’s brow jumped a little. He sniffed like he didn’t believe him.
“It’s true. I’d never-”
“Just be very sure that you don’t.”
It had never been so apparent to Jaxon how unfriendly he and Dave were. They didn’t hang out without Brad as a buffer. In fact, the only thing they had in common was their love for Brad.
Dave had come over and helped him out occasionally. But never without Shea.
And he’d string him up by his toenails if he found out what Jaxon had used his car for the night he helped Teagan.
“I don’t intend to,” he said, feeling more than defensive.
Andrea spoke up. Bless her. “Jaxon, I’m glad we saw you here…” She glared over at Dave for a moment. “I’d like to pick your brain for a mo’, if you don’t mind.”
She had some plans for a bookshelf that she looked very much like she didn’t need his help with. But Jaxon welcomed the distraction and truly, the time he spent going over her plans helped to dissipate the foul mood. Which left them with a very neutral, but very nonvolatile one.
But leave it to Dave to have to hammer in his point once more once Andrea had finished. It was like no time had passed at all, he jumped right back in. “Jaxon? I swear to you-”
“He heard you the first time, for fuck’s sake, Dave.” Andrea sighed in exasperation. “You know nothing about what was going on. So, drop it. You know nothing.”
Dave turned to lock eyes with his girlfriend, blinking twice.
Jaxon didn’t know how to react either.
Andrea rolled her eyes at Dave and sighed. “Jaxon, you won’t drag Teagan into any bullshit with Eric, right?”
Jaxon shook his head. “I’d never, ever drag her anywhere. But especially not near that man.”
She shrugged her shoulders and swatted Dave in the shoulder. “You heard him, right?”
Dave took forever, but he nodded. “Yeah, I heard him.”
“Okay then. You have a good one, Jaxon.”
“You too,” he said, his voice sounding hollow. Dave nodded in his direction before Andrea steered him away.
Davis had every right to be suspicious, Jaxon thought to himself. Not that he would ever involve Teagan in anything, but hehaddone something to him. Not that Dave knew that or anything, but if Dave was anything, he was a good judge of character. That’s the same quality that made him a good cop. He could smell a lie from miles away. Whether or not he did anything about it wasn’t up for discussion, but Dave had always been something of an annoying goody-two-shoes about everything. Even growing up. True, he had graduated from admitting to sneaking cookies from the Madden’s kitchen to a very decorated officer in the City Patrol Police Department, but he had integrity. Jaxon couldn’t help but respect him for that.
