Page 25 of Smoldering Nights
“Noah’s name came up again.I just want to see where the trail leads.”
She swallowed hard but nodded.“Okay.”
Mitch reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.“I won’t do anything risky.Just observing.But I'd like you to keep your delivery van and your car here in the garage.I don't want you stranded, but if the culprit doesn't know where you are, you're safer.”
She nodded slowly.“Just… be careful.”
He nodded once.“Always.”
But as they left the shop an hour later, slipping through the back alley to where he’d parked under the shade, Mitch felt that thrum in his chest again.That cold, calculated calm he hadn’t felt since his last assignment overseas.
He helped Izzy into the passenger seat and hurried around his truck.He eased from the back of Izzy’s greenhouse and onto Alley Drive, just behind the shop.They both looked closer at Delilah's place as they drove away.He'd watched Noah's truck pull away from the shop about a half an hour after he arrived.There wasn't anyone there now.Not even Delilah's vehicle.
This wasn’t just about fire or sabotage anymore.
Someone had gotten too close to Izzy.
And Mitch was going to get to the bottom of it, one quiet step at a time.
He walked close to Izzy as they entered the Barrack's Condos and stepped quietly down the hall to his place.He opened the door and made a mental note to have a key made for Izzy.She'd likely feel like a prisoner here tonight.Alone, scared, worried.That sat like a hot rock in his stomach, but there was no way around it.He needed to do this.It was his job, and since people could be encouraged or paid to do simple things for others, he wasn't risking that one of his employees would be approached and enticed.Though he'd fire anyone on the spot and kick their asses out the door at the same time if he found out anyone would betray him, his clients, or anyone close to them.
He closed the door and watched Izzy for a few moments."I'll be home before eleven, maybe sooner.I'll call or text when I'm on my way so you aren't surprised.Make yourself at home.Watch a movie or read or whatever you like to do.Just, please, don't leave the condo.Not even to go down and shoot pool.Stay inside this condo where you're safe.I can see anyone approaching on my phone from the cameras."
She bit her bottom lip."Okay.It should be easy, I'm exhausted after all the cleaning today.I'll simply take a shower and huddle in my room or something."
"Sounds good.Don't forget to eat."
"What about you?You need to eat too."
He grinned."I'll grab something I can eat while I'm driving.Tomorrow we'll eat together."
He saw her throat constrict as she swallowed, and his stomach twisted slightly.Poor girl.
He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.They felt perfect against his.Soft and pliable.This close, he could still faintly smell her shower soap from this morning, though it was masked slightly with the smoky air and dirt she'd been mired in all day.Both of them had been mired in.
His right hand slipped behind her head and held her in place as he deepened the kiss.Her soft, warm tongue slipped along his, slowly, sensually, and his heartbeat quickened.Izzy stepped closer to him and her breasts rubbed against his chest.His breathing hitched as his mind whirled, trying to keep up with all of the emotions running through him.Today alone, he had more emotions than a teenage girl, and his head, no man's head, was capable of processing that.
He reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers, and he heard her sigh.He kissed her forehead and let the air from his lungs.When he spoke, his voice cracked."Go take a shower and get something to eat.I'll be home as soon as I can."
She stepped back and looked into his eyes.Hers were incredibly beautiful.Green and clear, even after the day she'd had.Her lips tipped up in a soft smile, and he stepped back or he'd forget himself here in a moment.
"I'll be back soon."
He turned quickly and strode to the door.He twisted the deadbolt into place with his key after stepping into the hallway.As he hustled to his truck, he swallowed to moisten his throat.Things were getting jumbled up.This stopped being a job.When had that happened?It seemed like the instant he'd met her.
As he hopped into his truck, he noticed she'd pulled the blinds in the front window.It made him smile, she was smart and listening, and being cautious.He chuckled as he pulled from his parking spot and headed toward town.
Mitch sat in his truck a half block down from Delilah Parker’s salon, engine off, lights dimmed, and interior cloaked in darkness.The humid Florida night pressed against the windows, and the cicadas buzzed like static.He sipped slowly from a lukewarm bottle of water and adjusted the long-lens camera resting in his lap.
Noah’s truck was parked at the side of the salon again.Same spot.No signage.No deliveries visible.
Mitch checked the time, 9:42 p.m.Way too late for a floral delivery.Actually, way too late for any delivery.Delilah’s place had been dark when he arrived just before nine, but ten minutes later, a faint glow appeared in a rear window.Now a second vehicle, a dark gray SUV, had backed in beside Noah’s truck.
He snapped a few photos and lowered the lens.His gut tightened again.Noah hadn’t looked like a guy wrapped up in anything serious.But criminals rarely wore labels.And Delilah… she had the perfect setup for side dealings: a high-traffic business, private back entrance, and shaky finances.
Mitch jotted a note in his log and leaned back, letting the shadows swallow his truck.He thought of Izzy, safe in his condo, the security system armed, Jayson monitoring the feeds from his place.She’d done everything he asked, and now it was his turn to deliver answers.
Movement.
