Page 25 of Captivating Anika
“All right,” he mutters before hanging up.
“Why was my brother calling you?” she asks.
Ugh. I blow out a breath. So much for my well-laid plans, doing it all in the proper order. I have a feeling Anika might not take kindly to my need to clear things with her brother first.
“I’m supposed to meet him at the rental place.”
She frowns. “You need my brother’s opinion?”
I’m starting to realize nothing less than full disclosure is going to work, since I don’t feel comfortable lying to her. A quick glance shows Evans talking to the uniformed officers and it looks like Kim went back inside the apartment.
“Not really, but it was an opportunity to talk to him alone.”
It’s clear it arouses her suspicion even further, so I clarify, “I wanted to give him a heads-up about us.”
Her mouth falls open.
“You’re kidding, right? You need to ask my brother permission?”
“Who said anything about permission?” I return sharply. “He’s a friend, I’m giving him a courtesy heads-up. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“So that’s why you went cold on a dime after getting me hot and bothered with that scorching kiss?”
The grin is involuntary as I echo, “Hot and bothered?”
I’m obviously not helping my case because she throws me a scathing look before turning her back and walking off.
Twenty feet away, Evans is watching with a smirk on his face, mouthing, “Rookie.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Anika
“I could’ve grabbed a cab.”
Beside me, Hog keeps his eyes on the road and ignores my comment, as he’s ignored me since basically forcing me into his truck.
I don’t have the energy to continue arguing anyway. Fatigue is hitting me like a ton of bricks, so I lay my head back against the seat and close my eyes. I can’t wait to get home, where I’ll probably head straight for bed.
Except, when the truck stops and I open my eyes, we’re not parked in front of my house. I can’t manage much more than a groan in protest.
Hog kills the engine and turns to me.
“Stay put, I won’t be long.”
Then he leans over the center console, presses a kiss to my forehead, and gets out of the truck. I watch him cross the street to the small, one-story house with the blue siding. I don’t recognize the silver sedan parked in front, but I know my brother’s GMC Jimmy right beside it.
I slide down in my seat a little. The last thing I want is my brother in my face. He’s normally pretty laid-back but can be a pain in the ass when his big-brother mode is triggered. The vandalism on my car or Hog spilling the beans on that kiss would be enough to trip his switch on their own. The two combined could get ugly, and I’m not in a good space to deal with him on a rant right now.
I close my eyes again and try to blank my mind, but that’s easier said than done. Inevitably, the image of…whatever the hell eviscerated remains were dumped in my car pops in my mind. The smell, good God, I’m never going to get that stench out of the upholstery.
Who does such a thing? Dumping a dead skunk in my car, its guts spilling all over. Bill figured it was probably roadkill some idiot picked up off the side of the road. I guess it’s better than killing an animal for the purpose of freaking me out, but still, you’d have to be a pretty sick individual.
I have to admit it looks more like a sick teenage prank than something an adult would come up with, but after what I’ve seen and heard of Chris Cooper, he’s still definitely a contender.
Evans explained the dead animal in my car elevated the incident from vandalism to an actual threat, which is why he decided to have the Mazda towed. He also asked me to think of anyone who might have a beef with me, but like I already told him, I wouldn’t know who.
Shit. I’m going to have to find a rental car.