Page 14 of Protecting the Nerd

“You think you can pull off being a Star Wars fan?”

I grinned. “Hey, I can shoot first with the best of them, Han Solo style.”

His smile widened. “I see. In that case, lead the way, Obi-Wan. You’re our only hope.”

5

YORK

My BMW had been a splurge, paid for with the bonus I’d received for my latest patent, but man, I loved that car. It drove like a dream, the engine purring like a jaguar, and it had all these cool little gadgets, like projecting the speed, the maximum speed, and the GPS directions on the front shield. When I’d read it in the description, I’d wondered how that would be practical and not distracting, but I’d become hooked.

“Remember, don’t add too many details when people don’t ask for them,” Quillon said. I’d expected him to want to drive, but he’d preferred for me to take the wheel so he could keep an eye on our surroundings. At least it was easy to see if anyone was following us on this small road—other than the FBI car discreetly trailing us—which confirmed why Quillon had wanted me in Forestville.

“I don’t usually talk much anyway.”

“Just trying to prepare you. You can’t tell anyone the truth.”

“Except Fir.”

Quillon sighed. “I’m still not happy about that exception.”

“I’m not lying to my best friend. I wouldn’t be able to fool him, but I also value our friendship too much to risk it by being dishonest. He’s my only friend.”

I hadn’t meant to add that last part, though it was true.

“I’ll respect that.”

“And you’ll tell Auden, right?”

“Sheriff Frant?”

“He’s Auden to me. He was best friends with Essex.”

As always, when I thought of my brother, my shoulders tensed, but I willed myself to relax.

“I understand that, but as an outsider, I don’t think I should call him by his first name.”

He had a point. “Whatever you’ll call him, you’ll let him know, right?”

“Why are you so anxious for him to be informed?”

“I’m not anxious.”

“Let me rephrase that. Why are you insisting we keep him in the loop?”

“The first rule of small towns is that everyone knows everyone, and the sheriff knows everything. Very little happens in Forestville that Auden doesn’t know about. If anyone new arrives or anything suspicious happens, he’ll be the first to hear it.”

Quillon was studying me, but I kept my eyes on the road. “I’ll take your word for it. I’ve never lived in a small town.”

“Where are you from?”

“LA. I’ve never known anything but a big city and military bases.”

I chuckled. “You’re in for an education, then.”

“Talk to me about Tomás. It’s his house we’re staying in, right?”

“He’s Fir’s boyfriend, and he moved in with Fir and his sons, so his house was empty. Apparently, this couple was supposed to move in, but they found something else. He said he was happy to let us use it for as long as we wanted to.”

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