Page 65 of Dangerous Obsession

The server nodded and walked back to set the dishes in a bin near the door to the kitchen.

“Here’s the key to the truck.” Cliff tugged it from his pocket, and they exchanged keys. “I’ll take care of the check on my way out.” He zipped up his coat to secure the hat, slid across the bench seat, and stood. “Thanks again for letting me use your ride.”

“Sure.” Greg tapped his phone screen. “But if you don’t want my mom asking questions”—he lifted his eyes in challenge—“you better have it back to my house before three. That’s when she said she’d be home.”

“Not a problem. You’ll have it back long before then.” Unless things went sideways, then all bets were off.

He left the kid to his stupid video game, strolled up to the register, and paid in cash. The server tried to hand him the change.

“That’s for you, darlin’.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “If it’s all right, I’m just going to use your men’s room before I leave.”

“Certainly.” She wished him a good day and headed over to a table with three small kids and a couple of harried-looking adults.

Greg’s head was down, paying attention to his phone, so Cliff headed toward the hallway. He tugged the hat down on his head as far as possible, glanced over his shoulder, and, not seeing anyone, jogged to the back door. He pushed the door open enough to step over the cinder block and walked over to Greg’s car.

Cliff braced himself for the stench before climbing into the car, then slid in behind the wheel. He immediately started the engine, rolled the windows down a few inches, and moved the seat back to make room for his legs. Once comfortable, he pulled up the directions to Marigold’s shop on his phone, set it in the cupholder, and pulled out of the parking lot.

About thirty minutes later, he heard, “Turn left at the next intersection.”

He rolled to a stop at the red light, leaned forward, and craned his neck to look down the street. A bunch of fucking trees lined the sidewalk and blocked his view. The light flipped to green, and he turned left.

“Your destination is on the right.” He tapped the phone screen to silence the GPS and slowed his speed to a near crawl.

It was still early, and only a couple of the businesses were open at this hour: a trendy, pretentious-looking coffee shop and a family bakery. Up ahead, he recognized the sign from the Timeless Designs website and rolled to a stop in a spot right in front of the door.

Cliff was taking a massive risk being here and could end up being sent back to prison. But he wanted to familiarize himself with the area and was prepared to take as many risks as necessary to achieve his goal.

Suddenly, lights began to turn on in the store. He ducked sideways and lay across the center console.What the hell?The website said the hours were nine thirty to five on Saturdays, and it was only twenty-five after seven.

He froze in place, expecting someone to reach in and drag him from the truck. When that didn’t happen, he slowly rose and glanced over the dashboard. The teenager—the girl from the picture—had her back to the street, moving stuff around in the front window.

Like a smack to the back of the head, inspiration struck.

He sat up, tugged the pistol free from his waistband, and tucked it into the pocket of his coat. He adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see himself and pulled the bill of the hat down to conceal his face, then he shoved open the truck door and climbed out.

He maneuvered his hand around the grip of the pistol. He had no idea how powerful a gun could make a person feel. As he approached the window, the girl must have sensed his presence and turned to look at him.

Cliff smiled.Yeah, she would do.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Anobnoxiousnoisethreatenedto disturb Marigold’s amazingly sexy dream involving her, Viking, and chocolate syrup. Then she recognized the tone from her store surveillance camera app, and a rush of adrenaline woke her instantly.

The bathroom door swung open, and Viking stepped out. Warm, steamy air that smelled of his body wash drifted over her, making it very hard to concentrate.

“Isn’t that the store alarm?” He was freshly showered, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips that showed off every single one of his incredible abs and that magical V at his hips.

“It is.” She dragged her eyes from his incredible body, snatched up the phone from her nightstand, and her brows crunched together. “It’s the front window alarm.”

“Shayna was planning to go in early this morning to finish the window display, right?” Viking sauntered over to the bed. “Maybe she bumped one of the connections and accidentally set it off.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Marigold scrambled to sit up and tucked the sheet beneath her arms. “She works in that window a lot and is always really careful to avoid them.”

“Here.” He lifted the tablet from where it sat atop her dresser and handed it to her. “It’ll be easier to see the video on this.”

He picked up a pair of boxer briefs from his suitcase, stepped into them, then sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Her hands shook so badly, it took three times to enter her password. Viking set his hand on her leg, which helped settle her nerves a bit. She tapped the security icon, and a list of surveillance cameras installed in and around the boutique appeared. She selected the camera at the front window and pressedplay.

Her heart nearly stopped at what she saw.

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