Page 29 of Hunted: Season Two

He glances around me to see if Nolan was disturbed by my outburst before confirming, “Yeah. That Jolene.”

“What’s she doing here?”

“She technically still works here.”

“Funny, I don’t remember seeing any strip clubs during our walking town tour.”

The Kid does his best to swallow his snicker. “She strips a couple times a week for extra cash-”

“Because she can’t steal it from the church’s collection plate?”

“-but is also Annabelle’s assistant. She handles a lot of the property day to day bullshit. Bunch of paperwork crap for the weddings too. She sleeps in the office pullout when she doesn’t feel like making the drive back to Crystal Waters, which technically I guess means she sort of lives here too.”

Jealousy isn’t hidden nearly as well as I imagine it is in my tone. “Do I wanna know why you know all that shit off the top of your head?”

He shifts his beautiful blue stare to my brown. “Because he was her boyfriend before he was ours.”

The little fact lands poorly on my shoulders yet acknowledging it isn’t necessary courtesy of the gathering finally wrapping up.

Unfortunately, the nagging sensation still planted at the back of my neck, doesn’t lighten.

It deepens.

Whoever it is…they’re on the move.

But where?!

Which way?!

Is it that woman in the puke yellow shirt trying to avoid eye contact?

Or maybe that guy with the mullet?

Ugh.

Why are mullets back?

Why are they an “in” thing again?

“Woods,” a male voice calls out from a short distance commanding Kipp’s attention to where the sheriff seems to be headed straight for us. “A word?”

“Kid,” Nolan quietly begins, maintaining his sitting position, “remember what Garcia said.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he juvenilely brushes off. “I know. I’m not actually a child. You don’t have to fucking parent me.”

“I don’t have to spank you either, but I do that.”

There’s no resisting the crooked grin that wants to grow on his face.

Garcia will probably be a touchy subject for a bit longer – along with some control issues they both clearly have – however, I’m grateful anytime the topic is met with humor as opposed to hostility.

As much as I don’tlovehaving to endure jealousy shit, I do appreciate the odd relationship normalcy it brings.

We don’t get to put a lot of shit in the normal column on our spreadsheet.

Fuck me for trying to warmly acknowledge what we can.

Post takes up residence at the end of our row split seconds prior to Jolene passing by, hazel glare shot in my direction not appearing to be the direct cause for my uneasiness so much as simply exacerbating it.

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