Page 18 of Securing the Odds

In a move so smooth and quick it was impossible to stop, Jake had them in the house and shutting the door behind them, with nothing but a startled yelp from the blonde in protest.

Jimmy had backed up a few steps, acting nervous, his eyes darting from Jake to the closed door and back again at such an alarming rate, Tammy was worried he’d give himself whiplash. Not that she blamed him. Jake did look imposing. Not only was he taller than Jimmy by a good four inches, but he radiated a powerful vibe that filled the room as soon as he’d stepped into it.

In an abrupt one-eighty, Jimmy held up his hands, stick-up style, and hastily said, “Listen, man, I haven’t talked with Kevin in weeks. So, whatever he’s done, I know nothing about it.”

Jake’s only reaction was to cross his arms over his chest, highlighting the bulging muscles of his biceps. Tammy wasn’t sure if the display had been intentional, but it got the desired result.

Jimmy took another step back and waved his hands. “Okay, okay. So, I talked to him a few days ago. But I swear, all we did was shoot the shit. I don’t know anything.”

Jake still didn’t speak, but he did adjust his stance, cocking his hip so the bulge at his waist under his t-shirt was apparent. Tammy knew what that bulge was, she’d seen Jake strap his gun on that morning, and by the expression on Jimmy’s face, he’d figured it out, too.

Sweat glistened on Jimmy’s brow, and he raised his hands higher. “Okay, okay. He’d called to tell me he was moving in with his girlfriend, Carmen something or other.” He threw apologetic eyes her direction. “Sorry, Tammy.”

Tammy just shrugged. No skin off her nose. The other woman was more than welcome to him.

“What’s the address?” Jake sounded as if he fully expected to be answered, and Tammy wasn’t surprised when he was. After getting the address, Jake continued, “You said you talked to him on the phone, what’s his current number?”

“I don’t know.” Jake uncrossed his arms and took a menacing step forward, and Jimmy hastily added, “I really don’t. He calls me not the other way around, and the number comes up unknown.”

Jake relaxed his stance and turned for the door, snatching Tammy’s hand in the process.

“Hey,” Jimmy called. “Is he in a lot of trouble? Should I be worried?”

He sounded sincere. Tammy didn’t know Jimmy had it in him to care. But she guessed even assholes needed friends.

Jake opened the door but threw over his shoulder, “He owes money to people who aren’t above using threats to get what they want. What do you think?” He didn’t wait to hear Jimmy’s answer before he had Tammy out the door with it shut behind them.

“Isit weird I’m excited we’re going on a stakeout?”

Tammy glanced over to the driver’s seat in time to see Jake’s lips twitch. “Yes. They’re boring as hell and usually a waste of time.”

She couldn’t imagine there’d ever come a time when she thought sitting alone in a car with Jake boring, but she refrained from sharing that tidbit.

Spotting a minimart on the corner, she pointed out the window and yelled excitedly, “Oh, pull in there.”

“Where, the convenience store?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“We need surveillance snacks.”

“Surveillance snacks?” Jake repeated, sounding… well, he sounded amused.

Tammy folded her arms across her chest. “Surely, you must know you need surveillance snacks for a stakeout.”

Jake pulled into the minimart lot and parked the car. He switched off the ignition and gave her his full attention. “No, I didn’t know that. And how do you know that?”

Her cheeks grew warm. She wasn’t about to admit it was from the hundreds of cop dramas she’d seen on TV in her lifetime. So instead she shrugged, and added flippantly, “Really, Jake,everybodyknows that.”

“Wow.” His eyes grew big. “And here I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time.”

Tammy knew sarcasm when she heard it. She chose to ignore it. “Well, now you know.”

He chuckled as he opened his door and got out of the car. He walked to her side, helped her out, then led her with a hand at the small of her back to the store’s entrance.

She headed straight for the chip section. She might not eat a lot of fast food, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know her way around a bag of Cheetos. Crunchy, puffy, flamin’ hot, she didn’t discriminate and grabbed a king-size bag of each.

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