Page 12 of Daniil
Then she turns and walks in the opposite direction.
I stare after her for a moment before turning back to Jamie.“I’m guessing you’re not going to tell me what’s really going on, are you?”
He looks confused.“What do you mean?”
“She asked you to interrupt if you saw us talking.Right?”
He doesn’t agree or disagree, just stands there waiting for me to continue.
“I just want to know what happened,” I mutter, hoping I can appeal to his sense of camaraderie, two guys commiserating over a woman.
“If you asked and she didn’t tell you, it’s probably a sign to move on.I can imagine sleeping with royalty might be…intimidating.Maybe not in the moment, but the aftermath.”There’s no censure in his tone.“Seriously, man.Let it go.You can have almost anyone—why are you fixated on the one who obviously isn’t interested?”
If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn’t be here.
But my gut has never steered me wrong, and I’m a thousand percent sure there’s more to this story than her simply wanting to move on.
I don’t want to put Jamie in the middle, though.This has nothing to do with him and he was gracious enough to give me a guest pass tonight.The timing was fortuitous in that I was able to finally find Courtney.The problem is that I still have questions.
“I don’t know,” I say.“I guess she’s made it abundantly clear she’s not interested.Anyway, I appreciate you letting me come hang out tonight.”I extend my hand, and he shakes it.
“Any time.”
I motion to Marcus, who joins me at the bar.
“We’re going to follow her home,” I say under my breath.
He arches his brows.“You sure that’s what you want to do?”
“Last time I checked, I was the boss.”
“Last timeIchecked, we were also friends, and as your friend, I’m telling you I think this is a mistake.”
He’s right but he’s wrong.
I’m not going to do anything to interfere in her life or her new relationship.
I just can’t shake the feeling that something is off, and until I can convince myself that she really is happy, and truly has moved on, I can’t let this go.
Chapter6
Courtney
The next fewdays are quiet.Landon is staying with me, so he’s available to watch the baby while I take on as much work as Chains can give me.Tonight’s assignment is awful.Surveillance is the most boring job in the world.Especially when the person you’re surveilling is currently in a seedy hotel room doing God-only-knows what.
I’m probably going to be here all night, which is a drag, but I have to pay the bills.I’m grateful that I have a job with flexible hours that pays well enough for me to support myself.
To my surprise, the man I’m following—who is most definitely having an affair—leaves the motel room around ten-thirty, sloppily kisses the woman he’s been with, and then gets in his car and drives away.
With me following, of course.
I got lots of pictures of him and his affair partner kissing and touching when they arrived, kissing as he left, and now I wrinkle my nose in distaste as I watch him pull into his home driveway.
Gross.
But he’s not my problem.This is nothing but a paycheck for me.
When Landon isn’t here, my elderly neighbor, Adele, will sit in the living room watching her shows and knitting when I need someone to watch Micah at night.In exchange, I take her grocery shopping and to doctors’ appointments.Occasionally I change a lightbulb or do something else that requires standing on a stool, which makes her uncomfortable.
