I think of the men responsible.
Bent limbs. Slit throats. Entrails trailing across the floor.
I hold his gaze and answer with the truth. “They got what they deserved.”
He nods once. “Good.” Then he looks over at his beautiful daughter. “Keep an eye on her, yeah?”
I suppress the inappropriate urge to smile but once again answer with the truth. “I do.”
Giving her mom one last hug, Cassandra turns to me. “You finally ready to go?” She laughs at her joke as I pull the door open and usher her out into the hall.
Her steps are bouncy, which is her normal way of walking, so when she bumps into my side for the second time, she doesn’t notice my hand sliding into her bag.
And as she uses her hands to tell me about the time her mom’s suitcase burst open on a baggage carousel, she’s too animated to notice my attention is pulled down low and off to my side.
While she finishes her story, I download my location tracking software onto her phone.
As we exit the building, I place my hand on her back, and she sways into me, just like I knew she would.
The sky is right on the edge of darkness, so when I reach across my body and slip the phone back into her bag between us, the colorful case is hardly visible.
CHAPTER 37
Cassie
“So…” I drum my fingers on my knees as the highway hums below us. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
It’s dark inside the truck, but when I glance at Hans’s profile, I can see his brows rise.
“What part of me having my hand on your hot little pussy makes you think I could have a girlfriend?” His tone is dry.
My face flames at his choice of words, and I shift in my seat.
But if he’s going to be direct, then I will too. “Well, it was probably the part when you got a bunch of text messages, dropped me over the back of the couch, and rushed out of my house.”
He waits a beat. “Oh.”
I press my hands between my thighs. “Was it a woman texting you?”
“Yes.”
His answer spears through my chest, and I regret asking.
“Now ask me if it was personal or for work.” The tone of his voice tells me the answer, and that spear evaporates.
“Oh.” I repeat his response from earlier. “Is the woman your boss?”
Hans huffs out a breath. “Feels like it sometimes.”
We slow, and Hans takes the exit to our little town.
I want to ask if health inspectors usually get called out to job sites on a Friday night, but a different question comes out of my mouth. “Have you slept with her?”
His head jerks in my direction like he can’t believe I asked that. “No.”
I roll my lips together. “You’re sure?”
“I tend to remember who I’ve slept with. Our relationship is strictly professional.”
The sound of the blinker is loud inside the truck as we make our way closer to our neighborhood.
It only takes another minute before I break the silence. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s none of my business.”
I mean, it kind of is my business if he has a girlfriend because I don’t want to be the other woman. But I believe him.
Hans doesn’t say anything at first, but I hear the steering wheel creak under his grip. “Have you slept with any of the men going to Mexico?”
“My coworkers?” My face pulls into a disgusted expression, and I see Hans glance over to catch it. “No.”
“You sure?”
He’s trying to be a pest, so I drop my voice and do my best impression of him. “Watch the attitude, Grizzly Bear.” I can hardly hold in my laugh at the look on Hans’s face. “So you can dish it out but you can’t take it?”
He shakes his head while he turns onto our street. “Grizzly Bear?”
“You started the whole animal thing.” I shrug. “And if you’re gonna prowl around all gruff and angry…”
“Gruff and angry,” he repeats slowly.
“Like a bear,” I confirm. “But then I guess when you’re being all sweet and stuff, you’d be more of a teddy bear.”
Hans slows to a near stop as we reach the spot where our driveways meet the road. I almost think he’s going to pull into my driveway first to drop me off, but then he turns down his.
Okay, so no front door service.
He presses a button on the dashboard, and the garage door ahead of us starts to open, but he parks the truck in the driveway rather than pulling into the garage.
I unbuckle my seat belt as Hans turns off the engine. “Thank you again for the ride. And for putting up with my parents.” Hans turns toward me but doesn’t say anything. “If you’re serious about bringing me to the airport tomorrow, I need to leave at like five thirty.” My smile falters. I hate getting up early. “But if you don’t want to, that’s okay. I can totally figure it out.”