Page 33 of Pax

“That’s amazing,” said Deanna. “Did you invent that?”

“Not me,” smirked Pax, “but our genius people at G.R.I.P. All of our comms systems are more advanced than others. Speaking of, we also use trackers in case someone is taken. Sometimes it’s jewelry, always in our phones, tablets, and laptops.”

“So, are you tracking me right now through my ring?” she asked.

“No.” He smiled at her, stopping to give her a kiss. “No, the ring is just sapphire, diamond, and gold. It’s also too easy for someone to steal. We’ll be talking to you when we get back about tracking you in other ways.”

“Is my phone being tracked?” she asked. He smiled at her.

“Are you going to hit me if I say yes?” Deanna laughed, shaking her head.

“No. In fact, I just might have to kiss you. No one has ever loved me enough to want to ensure my safety the way you do.”

“That makes me sad for you,” he said. “You’re so perfect, Dee. So absolutely beautiful and wonderful and smart. I was panicked when you left Belle Fleur.”

“I could tell when you showed up on my doorstep with groceries,” she grinned. “It was the sweetest, most generous thing anyone has ever done for me. Including my parents.”

Pax stared at her a moment as they walked, shaking his head. Sooner or later, she was going to need to forgive her parents for trying so desperately to protect her that they inadvertently put her at risk. They didn’t know what could happen. But he worried about Deanna carrying that much frustration and disappointment.

“Pax?” she whispered. “That man up there ahead of us. Those are the shoes I saw in the grocery store.”

“Where?”

“Him. He’s wearing dark blue dress pants and the leather loafers with a gold horse bit on them. He’s wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt.”

“You’re sure?” he asked her.

“Positive. I know that brand. They’re about five grand per pair. I had an account once that wanted to use them as a tax deduction, saying they were part of his work uniform.”

“Everyone hear that? Five-eleven, brown hair, blue slacks, blue and white polo, and loafers, scanning them now.” He heard a chorus of ‘roger that’ and continued following the man. He still couldn’t see his face, but once he stopped, Pax would get a good view of him.

They followed him up and down the aisles until he finally stepped into a large booth displaying several boats.

“That’s the dude from the bar,” said Christopher, sidling up to the pair.

“It is,” whispered Deanna.

They walked around the boats, touching them, looking at the sales materials provided, then listened to the conversation the man was having with a potential customer.

“You won’t find anything faster, sturdier, or more capable,” said the man.

“What are these for?” he asked, tugging on metal loops attached to the top deck.

“Sometimes you have to tie things down when it gets windy, or you need to make sure something doesn’t go overboard,” he grinned. “I mean, you don’t want a hot babe on your arm to get away.”

The man gave an awkward laugh and turned, leaving the booth. As the salesperson tossed the selling catalog on a table, Pax walked toward him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey, there! How can I…” Turning, he froze, seeing the man standing in front of him with the Jordan twins behind him. “Listen, I’m working. I don’t know what you want.”

“We just wanted to return this to you,” said Pax, dangling the medal and key. The man looked surprised, almost pleased at first, then shook his head.

“Sorry, that’s not mine,” he said.

“Bullshit,” said Christopher. “You were tossing that thing back and forth in your hand while sitting at the bar. It belongs to you.”

He took it from Pax, examining it like he’d never seen it before, and then nodded.

“Oh. Right. Yeah, I remember now. I was holding this for my niece.”

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