Page 36 of Death Wish

He beamed at her. “I’ll inform my partner and be right with you.” He glanced at Jesse and Simone. “Stay here until I return. I’ll make sure Joy is safe tonight.”

Although Jesse wanted to escort Joy to the hotel himself, her reaction to the police officer showed a deep interest in the other man. He inclined his head in silent agreement and watched the other man as he strode away to talk to his partner. After a brief conversation, he returned. “You’re free to leave. Joy, if you’re ready to go, I’ll follow you to the Hacienda Hotel. Do you know where that is?”

“I do.” She looked hesitant. “I’m not sure I can afford to stay there, though.”

“The manager is my cousin. He’ll see to it you are safe and can afford the stay. All right?”

She nodded and turned to hug Simone. “Thanks for a splendid dinner. It was fun. Maybe we’ll be able to go on a double date soon.”

“We’d love that. Be safe, Joy. See you tomorrow.”

Jesse said, “Joy, once you’re settled in the hotel room, stay inside. Only open the door for one of us or Mateo. All right?”

She stared. “Do you think the burglars will follow me to the hotel?”

Mateo frowned. “Why would they do that?”

“Just taking precautions,” Jesse said. “We work in a very competitive business, and Joy might be a prime target for retaliation.”

He didn’t think that would be the case but it wouldn’t hurt to have the young police officer looking out for Simone’s friend.

Mateo straightened, his expression grim. “Don’t worry. I’ll escort Joy to her room and check the accommodations myself. No one will harm her under my watch.”

“Good enough.” Jesse held out his hand. “We appreciate you watching over Joy tonight.”

“My pleasure. Truly.”

“See you tomorrow, Joy. Do you want us to swing by the hotel and follow you to work in the morning?” Simone asked.

“I’ll be fine. Really. You go on home and get some rest. If tomorrow is anything like today, you’ll have your hands full with assignments.”

Simone laughed. “I hope so. That was fun.”

Jesse escorted her to the SUV and helped Simone inside. After climbing behind the wheel, he backed into the street and drove away from the house.

As soon as they turned the corner, he activated the Bluetooth and made a call.

“Yeah, Murphy.”

“It’s Jesse. We might have a problem.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

MIGHT HAVE A problem. Boy, what an understatement. Simone frowned as she reviewed her interactions with her colleagues at DA. She couldn’t think of anything she’d said that would have triggered this level of hostility and worry. Was she being paranoid? Was this a coincidence?

She considered that a moment. No, not paranoid. This was too much to be a coincidence. Jesse was right. No way would this be totally unrelated to their investigation. Did she make a mistake or were these people so suspicious of everyone that they automatically assumed the worst?

“Talk to me,” Zane said to Jesse.

“You’re on speaker with Simone.” He explained the incident at the restaurant and the break-in at Joy’s place.

“What do you need?”

“Find video feed near the restaurant around eight o’clock. The vehicle was a large black pickup truck. Late model. Black or blue. Extended cab. Chrome wheels and trim. Tricked up ride. The truck moved too fast through the parking lot for me to see the plates. I’d like to know who owns the truck and get a look at the driver.”

“I’ll see what I can do. No guarantees, though.”

“I understand. Anything will help.”

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