Page 13 of Jealous Mountain Man
7
LARSEN
After we’d made love, Enzo was slightly distant—probably not something I would’ve noticed if I wasn’t so tuned in to his reaction to every word I said. But it had now been four days with no word from him.
“Can I try a little more of that one?” the customer asked.
He was a middle-aged guy, but nothing like the normal group of tourists who came through this tasting room. He looked like something out of a cheesy movie—a stereotypical bad guy who wore all black and had dark hair.
“Only one sample of each per customer,” I said.
“That’s a rule?” the guy asked. “Like a state law or something?”
“Just our policy.”
He reached for his wallet, and I knew what was coming next. “How about a little paper cash incentive?”
We were the only two in the store, and I was starting to regret that. I looked back over my shoulder toward the back room.
“My boss watches on camera,” I said. “I don’t want to lose my job. Besides, you can buy a whole bottle of the stuff minus thefive dollars you’d pay for the tasting anyway. It’s probably not much more than whatever cash you were about to hand me.”
He held his wallet in his right hand for a few long seconds, studying me. But suddenly, he folded it up and shoved it into his pocket.
“Before I go, maybe you can help me,” he said. “I’m looking for a friend of mine who moved to this town. Name’s Enzo Osgood. You happen to know where I can find him?”
My mouth fell open. This guy was looking for Enzo. My Enzo. Well, judging by the way he’d disappeared on me, I couldn’t really call him mine. But one-sided or not, I had serious feelings for Enzo already, and this sketchy-looking guy didn’t seem like someone who needed to know where he was.
“I’m new to town,” I said. “I don’t know anyone just yet. You ready to check out?”
I did a sort of half-twist, preparing to head to the cash register. But he didn’t budge. And something in his glare froze me in place.
“You know Enzo,” he said. “You want to know how I know?”
Oh crap. He didn’t have to say any more. I knew exactly how he knew I knew Enzo.
“I just shot some video of him and shared it online,” I said, trying to sound calmer than I felt. “If that’s what you’re talking about.”
Okay, that was a lie. But if I was going to lie, why didn’t I just stick with pretending I didn’t know him?
I had a feeling not only was Enzo in danger, but I was too. Something told me this guy would think nothing of disposing of me if it meant getting to his real target.
“She’s not who you’re looking for.”
The male voice boomed through the small shop, making me jump. The guy in front of me didn’t jump, though. Instead, he burst into a big smile as he turned.
“Osgood,” the guy said. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“You found me, Chuck,” Enzo said, stepping into the doorway.
My heart beat a little faster. That was saying a lot because it was already at what I thought was peak speed. I let the intense feelings for Enzo wash over me briefly before reminding myself this was serious. One or both of us could get hurt. Or worse.
I could run. I could hide. I could get the hell out of here. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay and make sure Enzo was okay.
“Let’s take this outside,” Enzo said. “It’s between us.”
Chuck, now with his back to me, shook his head. “Oh, no. We’re going to do this right here, where nobody can watch.”
“There’s a camera,” I blurted. “It records everything.”
