Page 46 of See It Through

“Hello?”

“Hey, Remi. It’s Hannah.”

“Hannah,” he breathed, and my toes curled. He had a way with his mouth, and my name uttered from it sounded better than ever. “Good to hear from you. Been a while.”

He wasn’t pleased with me, and he had every right to be pissed. Since he’d walked me home from Joy’s Elbow Room, I’d gone back to avoiding him. I hadn’t wanted to, but being near him, I would’ve had to fight myself from jumping into his arms—and that was exactly why I’d kept my distance. The fact remained, getting close to Remi wasn’t going to end well for me. He wasn’t here for long, and I knew myself well enough to predict how this would go. I’d get attached like always, and he’d break my heart in one way or another.

“I hate to call you like this, but I need help. Are you busy?” I asked.

“Not with anything I can’t put off ’til later. What do you need?”

I rolled my eyes skyward. This man, contrary to what I’d originally thought of him, was a good one. I’d known before I’d called he would drop what he was doing to help me. And that was why I had to say away. He might not have wanted to admit it, but he was Graham’s son, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Before I could finish telling him where I was, he was already on the move, coming for me.

All I could do was brace myself and wait.

Remi was spitting mad. He kicked the hell out of my tires, spewing a litany of curses as he paced.

“Who the hell did this?” he snapped. “Where’s the owner of this place?”

“I don’t know, and the owners are working.”

Hands on his hips, he scowled at me. And goddamn if he didn’t look good in a ball cap, maroon T-shirt with the sleeves rolled all the way up, and a pair of faded blue jeans. When my eyes reached his face again after checking him out, his scowl deepened.

“Hannah,” he growled, “you don’t seem to be taking this seriously. What the hell?”

I shrugged. “It’s a pain in the ass, but I don’t have time to throw a hissy fit over it. I need to load my tools in your truck and get to my next job.” Tipping my chin toward the house, I went on. “I talked to Jacob, the owner of this property while waiting for you to get here. He’s going to check his cameras but said he’d be surprised if anything was picked up with where I’d parked.”

“Don’t have time for a hissy fit,” he muttered, pacing in tight circles next to my broken-down truck. “Dammit, Hannah. Who did this? An angry ex? Someone else?”

“Don’t have any angry exes.” I bent to grab my tool bag and started toward Remi’s truck, his heavy footsteps nipping at my heels. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was Cleve. He’s been trying to poach my clients. Jacob told me he’d been out here last week, looking for work, and that he’d informed him I’d be out this week to do the job. Cleve was well aware I’d be here.”

As soon as I put my bag in the bed of his truck, he gripped my bicep and whirled me to face him.

“Why do you sound so nonchalant about this?” he demanded.

“Oh, I’m mad, Remington, but I don’t have time to dwell on it. I’m already late for my next client—which is where I need to keep my focus. Once I’m done, I’m gonna kick Cleve’s ass.”

His glare could’ve set me on fire; it was so hot. “You’re not kicking anyone’s ass. We’re going to the police.”

“Of course.” I looked down at his hand. “Can you let me go? I can drive if you want.”

His grip loosened, and he slid his hand down my arm all the way to my fingertips. He held them, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles as he frowned at me. The two actions were so incongruous I almost laughed but held it in. I didn’t think Remi would appreciate it very much.

“You’re not driving.” He pulled me toward the passenger side and yanked open the door. “Get in, Hannah.”

I must’ve been too slow to comply because he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me clear off the ground, plopping me in the seat. Then he leaned in, stretching the seat belt across my body, and latched the buckle. His head was right at my chest. Without thinking, I stroked my fingers along his nape, where it met his T-shirt and ventured just beneath it.

He turned, his eyes landing square on mine. “What are you doing?”

“Saying hi to you. Maybe trying to calm you down.”

“You think touching me is going to calm me down?”

I dug my teeth into my bottom lip, nervous at how fiercely his brow dipped over his stormy eyes.

“Let me roll with this, Rem. I need to work right now. When I’m done, I’ll deal with it all.”

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