Page 12 of In Hiding

Jake made to move but noticed the older woman scowling at him and halted. “May I?”

She rolled her eyes. “You heard the boss, go on.”

Jake bit his lip to keep from laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation and finally moved. He followed the cop through the doorway and into an office. Neat as a pin, the room held little clutter. Even the man’s IN tray was empty. An idle copper was not what he needed, but then, that was old Jake thinking. New Jake had nothing to hide and everything to gain by telling the truth.

“Please, take a seat.”

“Call me Jake. Mr. Langley was my father.”

Eyebrows rose in surprise while Jake sat. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“As I told your receptionist. I’m a long way from home, Sergeant.”

“And you have business in Wills Crossing? Will you be staying long?”

The suspicion unsettled him. “I have a job interview.”

Wilson huffed before turning to his computer and tapping the keyboard, no doubt typing in Jake’s name to pull up his record. Wilson focused on the screen before sitting back into his leather chair. His eyes darted left to right as he read the details, narrowing and darkening.

“What sort of job?”

“A handyman, of sorts.”

Wilson’s gaze snapped toward him. “Here? In the Crossing?”

“A little way out of town, actually. Higher up in the hills, I believe. Andersen House.”

The cop’s pupils dilated. “And would your prospective employer know about your, um, history?”

Hoping to give the impression he didn’t much care, Jake shrugged. “She will, once I tell her.”

“You intend on being honest, then?”

“You did read my record, didn’t you? I handed myself in.”

Wilson clasped his hands together on the desk in front on him, his knuckles turning white. On the outside, he looked calm but Jake suspected the man’s thoughts raced to decipher how much of a problem Jake posed. “I did, actually. You like to abuse women.”

Jake’s stomach dropped. “It’s not like that.”

“No?” Wilson’s eyebrows arched high on his forehead. “Your record says otherwise.”

The scar on Jake’s cheek tingled. He rubbed it. “I’ve been a shitty boyfriend,” he admitted. Shame rolled through him. “I guess some would see what I did as abuse. I’m not proud of what I did but I’ve never hit a woman.”

With a nod, Wilson frowned. “Abuse isn’t always physical. How do I know you’re not going to turn your talents onto the lady of Andersen House?”

It wasn’t Wilson who Jake feared. “I need a job, that’s all.”

“And a place to start over, am I right?” Abruptly, he stood and turned away to look out the window. “I see you are former military.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Wilson glanced over his shoulder. “Army or Navy?”

Wariness stole across Jake’s scalp. “Army. Why?”

“Did you serve?”

Unsure why the question needed to be asked, Jake reminded himself he’d promised to be honest. “East Timor, then Iraq.”

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