Unauthorized Affair (Unauthorized #1)(27)
Ten minutes later, he walked her back to the pawn shop. She said thank you quickly and ran in the door, not wanting to deal with lengthy, awkward goodbyes.
Ryker sat in the middle of the store, arms crossed. He nodded at her and gave her a half-smile, then his eyes went back to the one customer at the counter with Ivy.
As Jen crossed into the employee area, Ivy asked her customer to excuse her a second, grabbed Jen’s arm, and pulled her into the back. “You have to see this,” she hissed into Jen’s ear, pulling her to their surveillance screens that showed the parking lot outside.
“What, Ivy?”
“Just look,” Ivy said, flipping on the monitor. Jen saw Coleton getting into a car. At first Jen didn’t know what she was looking at, but then she realized. The car. It was a sleek, in-your-face red, low-to-the-ground sports car, and it looked expensive.
“It’s called a Viper. I looked it up. They cost $85,000 brand new.”
Jen gave a low whistle. And thought back to her half-decision that he couldn’t possibly be a criminal. Where else would a car like that come from? Jen bit her lip and reminded herself not to trust her intuition. Because she knew where that had gotten her in the past. Nowhere good.
Chapter 14
Jen pulled in Jerry’s driveway and killed the engine. She sat in her car for a few moments, mental and emotional weight pressing down on her. She’d never felt this drained in her life before. All she wanted was a shower, some food, and to drop into bed. And then she would do it all over again tomorrow. At least she had the weekend off. And maybe a date on Saturday? She shoved that thought aside. She couldn’t deal with thoughts of Coleton right now. His face popped in her mind anyway. He was a mystery all right. She wondered what Sgt. Foley thought of him. Sgt. Foley’s face replaced Coleton's in her mind. The memory of his strong features, calming smile, and broad shoulders soothed her. She pushed open her car door and plodded towards the house.
As she entered the house, she turned to lock the door and saw a truck pull in behind her car in the driveway. It wasn’t Jerry. He was picking up Sara from the airport and wouldn’t be back for hours if the traffic was bad. She locked the door anyway and waited to see who exited the truck.
Confusion spread across her face as Sgt. Foley got out. Anxiety spread ticklish wings in her chest. Had she done something wrong? Was something wrong with Ivy or Ryker? Why would he come to her home? He caught her eye through the glass and gave her a smile and a wave. She pulled in a deep breath and decided it must not be that bad. He didn’t seem angry or upset. The anxiety was replaced by a queer sort of pleasure that made her smile involuntarily. She opened the door and looked at him expectantly.
“Hi Jen, sorry to come to your home, but I have something to tell you, do you mind if I come in?”
Jen shook her head and held the door open for him, catching his scent as he walked by. He smelled good, like wood chips and soap, and maybe a bit of leather? She shook her head and laughed at herself. Why was she trying to identify what he smelled like? She steered him towards the table and had him sit down.
“Would you like some tea or coffee?”
He looked at her hard, like it was an important decision, and then sighed. “Coffee would be great.” Jen started a pot and then sat down across from him, noticing for the first time that his eyes were a gorgeous and unusual shade of gray-green.
He got right down to business. “First let me say that I’m not supposed to be telling you this, and if anyone in the department finds out I did, I could lose my job.” Jen’s eyebrows went up. She clenched her fingers into her palms tightly, the thought of him losing his job creating real fear inside her.
He took a deep breath and told her everything the retiring Sgt. Poole had told him. And then he sat back and waited for her reaction.
She got up and walked to the coffee pot, pouring them both a cup of decaf while what he had just said bounced around in her brain. Slowly, she took both cups back to the table and sank bonelessly into her seat.
“Do you think I am in danger?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I’m not sure. Coleton Savoy is not Fiore Savoy.”
She shook her head. “Today when I was with him, I got the impression he’s no more dangerous than a puppy dog. At one point I remember myself thinking there was no way he was a criminal.” Jen dropped her eyes to her lap, thinking. “But I’m not that great of a judge of character so…” She trailed off.
“Don’t sell yourself short. I was watching. I thought the exact same thing today. Yesterday I was scared for you. Today I’m not so sure.”
Jen looked up at him. His eyes were kind and truthful and his gaze held hers with quiet strength. She felt a flutter in her belly and tried to dismiss it. He’s your boss.
“Do you think I should call the whole thing off? Like just say I don’t want to do it anymore?”
Hunter’s face changed from contemplative to hard. “I don’t know that either. If I didn’t think there were any chance you could be in danger I would say no. It would be nice to finally know where Coleton Savoy stands. And who knows what kind of information just hanging out with him could dredge up.” His face changed again, illuminated like he had thought of some great secret. “Who knows. If he doesn’t get along with his dad, maybe he’d be willing to give up information, kind of like an informant. You could have your first informant.”