Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(57)

Still keeping my eyes averted, I found myself nodding out of sheer terror. The man laughed louder. “Don’t worry about the price either. I got all kinds of payment options for customers who look as good as you do.” I cringed at the thought, and he added, “Aw, don’t look so scared. You come spend a few minutes with me in the back, and I’ll get you so high you’ll think you’re in heaven.”

More like hell, I thought.

“Zeb,” Jimmy interjected, though his rattled voice betrayed his fear. “Leave her alone.”

I looked up to see Zeb turning to Jimmy, fury emanated from him. “You don’t tell me what to do, you got that, man?” Jimmy nodded meekly as he refilled Zeb’s mug, his hand trembling. “You just worry about getting me what you owe me, or we’re gonna have some real problems on our hands.”

Thankfully Zeb was more focused on Jimmy now. He stared intently at him as Jimmy slid Zeb’s now-full mug toward him. As Zeb picked up his beer, his eyes never left Jimmy. Not even as he headed back to the back room. Finally he looked away.

A few minutes later, when Zeb disappeared into the men’s room, Jimmy leaned toward me and whispered, “Listen, Maddy. You better get outta here.”

I had every intention of hitting the road before Zeb had another chance to harass me, but first I wanted to take care of something. It was clear Zeb was a dealer, and Jimmy owed him money. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the kid. He probably needed as much help as J.T. A part of me wanted to talk to him about getting his life together, but I knew Zeb would be back soon. Right now, the only thing I could offer was some help to get him out of financial trouble with the scary dealer.



I stood up, readying to go. “How much do you owe him?” I asked Jimmy in a hushed voice.

He cast his eyes down. “Five hundred, but he’d leave me alone if I could get him sumthin’.”

I didn’t have five hundred dollars on me, but I pulled out the extra money I had brought. Sliding two one-hundred dollar bills across the bar, I said, “Here, take it. But God, Jimmy, try not to buy from him again.”

“Hey, I’m not some charity case, ’ya know,” Jimmy protested.

“Then think of it as an advance,” I offered. “For the picture.”

He hesitated but ultimately snatched the money up. He sounded deflated when he said, “I’ll get ’ya whatcha need, I promise.”

“Can I ask you one thing before I leave?”

Jimmy nodded, and I whispered, “Was that Zeb-guy Chelsea’s dealer?”

He looked like he wasn’t going to answer, but then he glanced at the money in his hand. “Yeah,” Jimmy said quietly. “Anyone here who needs sumthin’ they go to Zeb. Always have, probably always will.”

Considering Chelsea’s drug habits, I wondered if she’d ever taken Zeb up on any of his special “payment options.” I was going to ask, but Jimmy glanced uneasily to the back. “You better go.”

So I nodded and rushed out of Billy’s. When I slipped back into my car and adjusted the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of a man ducking behind one of the warehouses. Unfortunately he was too quick for me to get a clear view. But there was no more doubt in my mind that I was being tailed. But who would be following me? And why? I debated whether I should get out and confront the person. But then I thought of Zeb. I took action, all right—I got the hell out of there.



Even though I thought of a bunch of good retorts to throw back at Jennifer the Bitch on my drive to Cove Beach, I was, nevertheless, relieved to see that Brody, not his sister, would be taking me back to the island.

Once back on Fade Island, I hopped into the Lexus and drove back to the cottage. Pulling into the driveway, my eyes were drawn to a small square of paper taped to the front door. Fluttering in the breeze as I approached, I could see it was a handwritten note of some sort. I peeled it loose. It was a simple message from Adam; he wanted me to stop by his place as soon as I had a chance.

Curious as to what was up, but wanting to freshen up after my time at Billy’s, I took a quick shower. Then I changed into a nicer pair of jeans; a long-sleeved, mocha-colored tee; and a pair of ballet flats. After brushing out my hair, I left for Adam’s house.

Trina was back in Boston, so I knew we’d have the place to ourselves. Something I was definitely looking forward to. I knocked on the front door and waited.

When Adam opened the door, my breath caught in my throat. Wow. He looked exceptionally hot, even though his expression betrayed a brooding kind of anger. Still I lowered my eyes to the ground and began a slow, appreciative ascent up his physique— starting at the expensive-looking black shoes he wore, up to the alluring way his dark gray slacks fit him in ways most men wished for, and to the black button-down shirt he was wearing, top buttons undone. Finally my eyes came to rest on his face.

It was the first time I’d seen Adam with a shadow of stubble, which was definitely working for him. I met his eyes, and they flickered in annoyance. Something was definitely not right, because this look was far different from his usual expression of amusement when he’d catch me blatantly ogling his magnificence.

“Maddy, are you going to just stand there, or are you coming in?” Adam snapped, impatience coloring his every word.



Huffing, I brushed past him into the foyer. “Geez, somebody sure is cranky,” I muttered under my breath.