Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker: Off the Books Book 4) Read online

  “Tesha, was that the right thing to do?” JJ asked the sleeping dog a short time after Baz walked out the door.

  Watching him leave had been more difficult than she’d thought it would be. For whatever reason, she’d thought he would fight for her. For them. Instead, he did the same thing everyone else in her life did: walked away.

  And fine, perhaps she was having a mini pity party in the here and now, because yes, he’d left at her request, merely doing what she wanted, so it wasn’t his fault. It was just that, deep in her heart, she’d hoped he would ignore her pleas for space and distance. Just once she wished someone would push back, demand that she listen to reason rather than walk away.

  “It’s the right thing. Makin’ him leave … it’s the right thing to do,” she whispered, more to assure herself than to continue the conversation with Tesha.

  JJ glanced at her computer screen one more time, sighed. No way would it benefit her to sit here another minute. As it was, her thoughts were elsewhere, her focus for shit, and every attempt she’d made to find Juliet Prince today had failed.

  Maybe she should go to Moonshiners, have a couple of beers with Brantley and Reese. It would be the only way to avoid ringing in the new year alone.

  Or perhaps she’d just go home, have some wine, and go to bed early. What did celebrating the new year get her, anyway?

  JJ glanced at the full bowl of popcorn and the opened can of Orange Crush. She suddenly wasn’t in the mood for those either.

  “All right, girl,” she finally said, pushing to her feet. “Let’s get you in the house.”

  It only took a couple of minutes to gather her things, another few to let Tesha do her business then get her into the house and settled.

  It wasn’t until she’d locked the front door and was off the porch that she realized Baz’s truck was still in the driveway, the detective sitting in the driver’s seat.

  Son of a—

  Her heart skipped a beat, but she ignored it. This was for the best. She had absolutely no business bringing Baz down, which she would do if she let him hang around any longer. It was inevitable. She brought everyone down with her mood swings and her self-loathing. Her father said it was her superpower.

  As she clicked the key fob to unlock her little SUV, she wondered whether her father actually believed that made her feel any better about herself. Then again, she seriously doubted Joshua James cared. He did hate her. Both of her parents did. For whatever reason, they blamed her for her brother’s death. For years, they’d accused her of letting Jeremy down, not bothering to help him in his time of need, and because of that, according to them, he’d had no other way out, so he had taken his own life.

  They couldn’t have been more wrong. About all of it.

  Without looking at Baz’s truck, she reached for the door handle, fully intending to jump in and speed off. No sense making this night worse than it already was.

  His window lowered. “JJ.”

  She sighed, fingers curled under the door handle. So close.

  “I don’t want to leave things like this,” he said, opening the truck door and getting out.

  There should’ve been no reason her body responded to such a simple statement, but it did. Every time. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself she didn’t want this man, that they didn’t belong together, her body still craved his touch.

  “JJ, please.”

  She doubted it was his words, more so his voice that had goose bumps forming on her arms. She’d always liked Baz’s voice. Hell, she liked everything about the sexy detective, had since she’d first laid eyes on him. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? There wasn’t anything about him she didn’t like, which scared the shit out of her. JJ was all too aware of what falling in love could do. Which was the very reason she had no desire to bring about heartache if it was at all possible. After all, that was why she had continued that ruse of a relationship she’d had with Dante for so many years. It damn sure hadn’t been because she thought the guy would ever change.

  Baz’s boots crunched on gravel as he approached. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. She could do this. She would be strong.

  “Why don’t we go grab some coffee,” he suggested. “Talk this out.”

  “Baz…”

  When she turned around, she found he was closer than she’d anticipated. Close enough she was forced to look up at him. Close enough she could feel the warmth of his body against her front, smell the delicious scent of his cologne. She had no idea which fragrance it was because he was obsessed with so many different ones, but it went right to her head.

  And the fact that she found him absolutely irresistible only made it more difficult to stick to her guns.

  “Where?” she heard herself ask.

  “Your choice. I’m sure there’re plenty of places open late tonight,” he said, that sexy voice rumbling. “Or, if you prefer, we can go back to your house.”

  She was already shaking her head, but JJ wasn’t sure which of those options she was rejecting. It irked her that Baz had the ability to leave her tongue-tied and confused. It’d been that way since the day she met him.

  “The diner’s still open,” she said, wondering just what she was doing. This was not supposed to be happening.

  “I’ll follow you.”

  He did, and all the way to town, JJ berated herself. Not because she had agreed to coffee but because what she’d wanted was to invite him back to her place. To pick up where they’d left off before he’d invited her to have Thanksgiving with his family. Why had he gone and complicated things? She didn’t understand it. They’d been doing fine, hadn’t they? The sex was off the charts, plus they had enjoyed one another’s company. Why did men think women were eager to move things to the next level? JJ was content to stay in the getting-to-know-you phase for … well, forever.

  And of course, she would go and find a guy who wasn’t looking for a one-nighter or short term or even temporary. Worse, he was open and honest about it, taking things at her pace. He’d been patient with her since the beginning, never rushing, never pushing. Every step they’d taken had been her move.

  Right up until that holiday-dinner invitation. He was responsible for that one.

  However, agreeing to go was on her.

  JJ pulled into the diner’s parking lot. It was still pretty busy, which she figured would only continue through the morning hours when those celebrating the new year would venture out for a late-night/early-morning meal before spending the first day of the year sleeping it off.

  Before she’d even turned off the ignition, Baz was outside her door, opening it for her just like he always did. He was a gentleman of the highest order. Something else she found incredibly hot about him.

  Once inside, a waitress approached, and Baz asked for a table for two, preferably in the back. With a glowing smile, Rachel Talbott, the daughter of the diner’s owners, led the way to a booth.

  “Two coffees, please,” he told her before she could disappear.

  “Comin’ right up.”

  “I figured you’d be out with Brantley and Reese,” JJ said, attempting to make small talk when the silence got too heavy.

  He didn’t respond, merely stared, those brilliant blue eyes skimming her face and heating her up from the inside out.

  God, he was … hot. That strategically disheveled sandy-blond hair, the teal-blue eyes, those sharp cheekbones, and the angular jaw. It all came together to make a remarkable-looking man. Don’t even get her started on his body.

  To keep the conversational ball rolling, she continued, “They were headin’ to Moonshiners. You can probably still—”

  “I don’t want to talk about Brantley and Reese.” His eyes skimmed her face, his expression serious, tone equally so.

  Yeah, this was a big mistake. Then again, she’d known it would be.

  JJ huffed. “Fine. What would you like to talk about?”

  “Us.”

  She refrained from saying, There is
no us. It was her go-to phrase, the one that had gotten her through all the rotten relationships in her past, of which there’d been many. Okay, maybe not many, but enough.

  “I’ll take that as a good sign,” Baz said softly.

  “What’s that?”

  “That you’re not in denial.”

  JJ couldn’t help it, she chuckled. He knew her so well, despite the fact they hadn’t known one another for all that long. It hadn’t been until they’d encountered him while working on their first official case that Baz had become part of their world. Since then, JJ had relied on him so many times. Not only at work but also … also to make her smile, because that was what Baz did. He made her smile even when she didn’t want to.

  He held her gaze, those ridiculously blue eyes scorching her down to her soul.

  “Baz…”

  She could see the question in his eyes. He wanted her to speak her mind.

  Like that could ever happen. JJ wasn’t one to open up about her feelings, never had been, and she had no desire to start now. It was easier to pretend she didn’t give a damn about anything, to take on that carefree air that got her through each and every day.

  Before she could shift topics to something more comfortable, her cell phone rang. Since the only person who ever called her was Brantley, and only when a text wasn’t suitable for the situation, she snatched it from the table, hit the talk button without bothering to look at the screen.

  Holding Baz’s gaze, she answered with, “Hey, why are—”

  “JJ, I need to talk to you.” The words were rushed, dripping with what sounded like panic.

  Frowning, she tried to place the voice. Definitely not Brantley.

  “JJ? Are you there?”

  Pulling the phone away from her ear, she peered at the screen. The number wasn’t familiar, nor was it in her contact list, because there was no name.

  “I wouldn’t call you if it wasn’t urgent.”

  She was about to ask the caller to identify himself when it clicked, the metaphorical lightbulb shining brightly in her head.

  “Dante?” She listened for a response, heard only breathing, so she added, “Where are you?”

  JJ saw Baz’s expression shutter, his eyes darkening, clearly with disapproval.

  Dante’s tone bordered on hysterical when he answered with, “I didn’t know who else to call. I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”

  “About what?”

  “I can’t say over the phone,” he said in a rush. “It’s … life-or-death.”

  It wasn’t the theatrics that got her, because JJ was used to Dante’s dramatic flair. It was that he sounded so unlike himself that she agreed. “Fine. Where?”

  He was huffing, his words high-pitched. Definitely panicked. “Your house. Ten minutes. Alone. Please, JJ.”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded as though Dante could see her. “Okay.”

  The call disconnected abruptly, and she looked up to see Baz was watching her closely.

  “Dante’s callin’ you?” he asked, sounding not at all pleased but at the same time curious.

  JJ glanced at her phone. “Evidently.” She met his gaze again. “I have to go meet him.”

  Admittedly, she was using Dante as an excuse to get a pass on this conversation. Despite her feelings for Baz, or maybe because of them, she wasn’t ready for them to put the brakes on completely. And if she stayed, she knew that would be the outcome, because aside from being a world-class hacker, JJ’s other talent was pushing people away.

  “Why?” Baz asked.

  “He didn’t say.” She scooted out of the booth. “I’m sorry.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to speak before she was hurrying toward the door. Any other time, she would’ve told Dante to go to hell, but right now, she was honestly concerned. She’d known Dante Greenwood for most of her life, and even though he’d fucked her over on too many occasions to count, JJ couldn’t leave him in the lurch. Never once in all that time had Dante asked anything of her.

  Not like this.

  It took less than ten minutes to get to her small house just a few blocks from Main Street. She slowed down on the approach, scanning the street and the houses. There were no other vehicles in her driveway or parked at the curb, which she took to mean she’d beaten him there.

  It wasn’t until she was unlocking her front door that her heart was jolted by a man stepping out from beside her house.

  “Holy shit, Dante,” she gasped, clutching her chest. “You damn near gave me a heart attack.”

  His eyes were wild, his usually perfectly styled hair sticking up everywhere. He certainly didn’t look like the well-put-together man she’d known for so long.

  Dante scanned the street, the yard, behind him, keeping to the shadows as he approached the front porch.

  “We need to go in,” he urged, his voice low and still ringing with hysteria.

  Figuring she might get answers if he felt safe, JJ opened the door, stepped inside, and was practically mowed down by Dante.

  “Lock the door,” he insisted, moving toward the kitchen, peeking around the wall.

  JJ locked the door and turned to watch as he hurried to check all the rooms, as though he expected her to have company.

  “No one’s here,” she assured him.

  “You don’t know that.”

  JJ frowned. “I’d like to think I do. This is my house.”

  “Where’s your gun?” he asked.

  Now she was really getting concerned. “Dante—”

  “Where is it, JJ? Are you armed?”

  “It’s not on my person, no,” she snapped back. “It’s locked up. Why?”

  “You need to get it.” His gaze swung to the windows, the door, then back to her. “You need to have it on you.”

  JJ was beginning to wonder if he was high. Dante had never been the paranoid type, but he was clearly on edge right now.

  “Now, JJ!”

  She shrieked at the bark in his voice, instinctively flinching.

  “Get it now,” he demanded.

  “Fine,” she huffed, stomping to her bedroom, then into the closet. She placed her finger on the biometric sensor, retrieved the gun, checked the chamber and the safety, then carried it with her back to the living room, where she found Dante peeking out the blinds on her front window.

  He shot a look back over his shoulder, so she held it up, showed him she had it.

  “Good. Keep it with you.”

  When he went back to looking out the window, JJ knew she needed some answers, but before she could get them, she was hoping to calm him down some.

  “Can I get you somethin’ to drink? Water? Tea? Coffee?” she offered.

  “I’m good,” he said on a rush of air before moving back to the couch and sitting on the very edge of a cushion. It was like he thought the thing would swallow him if he dared lean back and get comfortable.

  “Are you sure?”

  Dante waved her off, his gaze fixed on the front door again.

  Since she’d already talked herself into coffee at the diner, JJ decided she could make a cup. What could it hurt? At the very least, she would be up at midnight, ringing in the new year with all the happy people.

  “Give me a minute, then,” she said, moving toward the kitchen. “I’m gonna make some coffee.”

  After setting her gun on the counter, she popped a K-cup into her Keurig then set her mug beneath it. When it started the process of heating water, she stood there, watching it as though that would make it hurry along.

  While she waited, she figured maybe she could get Dante started on explaining why he was so freaked out and why he felt she needed to be armed. And more importantly, how he thought she could help.

  “So, what’s so urgent that you had to come over on New Year’s?” she called out, eyes focused on the coffee now dripping much too slowly into the cup.

  He didn’t respond, but she was used to that. When they had dated, Dante rarely paid much attention to her.
r />   “I can’t help if I don’t have some details, so you might as well cough ’em up now.”

  JJ never did get a response.

  Then again, the bolt of pain that pierced her skull and had her crumbling to the floor took her mind off the answers.

  In fact, it took her mind off everything as the world went black.

  Chapter Ten

  Baz had hoped he wouldn’t find himself here tonight, but he’d known it was a possibility. After all, convincing JJ to talk to him had been a long shot.

  What made it worse was the fact that she had agreed and then she’d hurried off to meet her douche of an ex-boyfriend rather than try to work things out with him.

  If that wasn’t telling, Baz didn’t know what was.

  Now as he walked into Moonshiners, he let the sounds block out all the emotional turmoil he’d experienced in the past hour. He wanted to believe her meeting with Dante didn’t mean anything, but Baz wasn’t one to make assumptions. Not usually and certainly not when it came to JJ. Then again, she hadn’t hesitated to rush to Dante’s rescue, so what was he supposed to think?

  One look at the crowd surrounding the bar told him if he went that route he’d probably still be waiting by the time the clock struck twelve, so Baz bypassed it, hoping one of the waitresses might get to him faster.

  He scanned the room, saw Brantley, Reese, and Cyrus chatting at one of the tables. He headed over, smiling and nodding at a few familiar faces. He purposely kept going, not in the mood to chat it up with those who would want to know how he was doing, what he was up to. Right now, the only thing he was interested in was numbing himself with booze.

  “I was hopin’ you wouldn’t make it tonight,” Brantley said when Baz approached the table.

  Baz could see the concern in his boss’s eyes, knew Brantley had been hoping for the same thing he was: for him and JJ to work things out. Unfortunately, neither of them got their wish tonight.

  “You and me both.” He nodded at Reese, then Cyrus. “But here I am.”

  “Grab a seat.”

  Baz glanced around, noticed there weren’t any to be had. His gaze snagged on a couple of ladies looking his way, a pretty blue-eyed blonde wearing a dark purple sweater, smiling brightly. Baz managed a smile back, thinking that she was the polar opposite of JJ, and he wasn’t sure that was a bad thing right now. Considering the woman he was in love with had left him high and dry so she could go traipsing after her ex-boyfriend, maybe it was time he found someone who could take his mind off Jessica James. Even if for only one night.