Page 104 of Deadly Revenge

“I’ve been busy and had my phone silenced—didn’t want it to ring at the wrong time.”

“Did you find the photos?”

“No.”

Swearing on the other end made him move the phone away from his ear. “Stop worrying. I have to pick my times to get into her house, but if the photos are there, I’ll find them.”

“You better. I told you I didn’t get you out of prison early fornothing. You owe me. One snap of my fingers and you’ll be right back in that cell.”

Sebastian ground his teeth. So Ross had pulled a few strings for him. He was paying him back in spades.

He forced the anger out of his body. His time would come, but in the meantime, he needed to keep calm and let Ross think he was in charge, because he was right—he could have him sent back anytime.

“This job is worth more than you’re paying me. She almost killed me tonight.”

“What? How did that happen?”

“I paid her a little visit.” He turned onto the road to the cabin he’d rented.

“Did she see you?”

“Yes, she saw me—but I had a hoodie that blocked my face.”

“You think she doesn’t remember what you look like? She’s a cop, trained to notice—”

“You said yourself that no one recognizes me any longer.” He was no longer the hundred-and-thirty-five-pound drug dealer who had to use a gun to intimidate.

“I get it, but why didn’t you wait until tomorrow while she was at work? Why take the risk?”

“I wanted to let her know who was in charge.” Sebastian hadn’t thought about her sleeping with a gun in the bed.

“I’m surprised she missed.”

He touched his sleeve where the bullet had come very close. “She was off balance.”

“Quit messing around and find those photos.”

“And if they’re not in her house?”

“Kill her.”

53

The next morning, Max was up before Jenna and was glad she’d set out the coffee and filters before going to bed. He made coffee and took it to the patio where he could think and plan.

Her house sat on a hill, and from the patio, he had a view of the mountains, where early morning haze rose like smoke from a chimney. No wonder she liked to sit out here. He turned and looked to the east, where a red sun crept over the horizon.

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.”If the old adage his grandfather liked to quote held true, it would probably storm before evening ... except he feared the storm might not be weather related.

He pulled his attention back to the problem that had him in a bad frame of mind. The problem he’d worried about all night. Had there been an intruder in the house? He wanted to believe Jenna—not that she was in danger from an intruder, but that there had actually been someone here and she hadn’t been dreaming. Either way ... they had a problem.

It was clear Jenna believed a man had been in her bedroom, and she’d fired at him. But Max had found nothing other than a bullet hole in the wooden doorframe.

He’d seen her lock the back door when they came in from the patio and heard the deadbolt snick in place when he left. If she was having PTSD again, he didn’t know what to do about it.

Max sipped his now cold coffee and made a face. Should’ve put it in an insulated cup.

“Good morning.”

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