Evidence of Trust (22 page)

“Hi.” Her smile faded as she cast a glance toward the check-outs. “You see who’s working up front?”

He nodded. “Did he see you when you came in?”

“Mmm, yeah. And if looks could kill…”

“Bet he doesn’t do that when he sees me.”

“Of course not. Because the idiot thinks he can intimidate me.”

Clearly, she wasn’t intimidated. He admired her resilience while at the same time worried it would make her careless.

Kelly wasn’t at the front of the store when they went through the check-out line, but he came in with a bagger’s cart as they were on their way out. With Joel at her side, the guy completely avoided eye contact with both of them.

“Typical,” she muttered as she followed him to her truck.

Joel was one step ahead of her, and as they approached, his steps slowed. Both front tires were flat. What were the odds of that? “Did you drive over some glass on your way in?”

“No, why?” She stopped beside him and spotted the tires. “Oh, come on.”

Joel took a step back to check the back passenger side, but that tire was fine. He made his way around to the driver’s side as she opened the passenger side door to set her groceries inside.

“I’d have noticed glass.”

“I hate to say it, but this looks deliberate.” The hair on the back of his neck pricked as he met her gaze through the back window. “This one is flat, too.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She slammed the door and came around to the back as he set his purchases on the ground and bent to check the tire. It only took a moment to find the slash. She moved to the front tire and found one, too.

“Well, there it is. Gutless little worm.”

Joel rose to his feet to see her headed back inside. He hurried after her and caught her arm. “Whoa—where you going?”

“It’s not like we don’t know exactly who did this.”

She jerked free, but he spun her around to face him. He’d love to go and show the guy his fist up close, but that wouldn’t help. They needed to be smart about how they handled the situation if they wanted justice.

“He’s my first guess, too, but we should let the police handle this.”

“I want to see his face.”

“And you will.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and held it up like he was ready to dial. “
When
the police get here.”

“Fine.” She pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest, staring him down as if he were the bad guy. “He doesn’t scare me,” she stated.

“That’s what worries me,” he muttered as he made the call and spoke to the dispatcher. As she promised to send someone right over, Britt stared at the front of the grocery store as if she could will Stevens out.

The dispatcher asked Joel for the license plate number, and he twisted around to read it off. When he disconnected the call and turned back, Brittany was a good ten yards away, headed straight for Kelly and his cart full of groceries.

“
Gol-dammit
.”

Short of sprinting, there was no way he’d prevent the confrontation. Even then, they arrived at the same time. The customer stepped back, wide-eyed as Joel grabbed Brittany to hold her back. Kelly glared at both of them from behind his cart.

“Do you feel better now?” Britt demanded.

“What are you talking about?” Kelly grumbled. “This job sucks. If it weren’t for you—”

“I’m talking about my tires,” she snapped.

“What about ’em?”

“I know you slashed them.”

He scoffed. “I didn’t touch your tires, but my hat’s off to whoever did.”

Joel tightened his grip as Brittany surged forward. “You got yourself fired, Kelly, not me! We’ll see what you have to say once the sheriff gets here.”

He leaned forward, hands braced on the cart. “I didn’t touch your fucking tires. Now leave me alone before you get me fired from this job, too.”

Joel pulled her back and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Can you settle down long enough to give me a minute with him?”

Her deep breaths strained against his hold. After a tense moment, he felt her body relent and she gave a curt nod.

He turned her around. “Wait for me at your truck? Please?”

When he let her go with a little push toward her vehicle, she glanced back over her shoulder, first at Kelly, then at Joel. He trusted her at her word and turned back to face the two people watching him; Kelly wary, the lady fearful.

Joel held up a reassuring hand to the woman. “I apologize for the scene. Kelly, take care of the groceries and then we can have our talk.”

Once the bags were loaded, he motioned to the side of the store, and they walked across the short span of asphalt so they were out of the way for the woman to leave.

“Listen man, I have no clue what the bitch is talking about—”

Joel reached over and fisted his hand in the guy’s shirt to drag him around face to face. He forced his jaw to relax so his voice came out low and calm. “Don’t call her that again, understand?”

Kelly’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he held up his hands in surrender. “I got it. Sorry.”

“Now, about the tires.”

“I swear, it wasn’t me.”

“The store has security cameras. Won’t take long to find out if you’re lying.” He didn’t know that for sure, but figured the threat would be enough to scare the truth out of the spineless weasel.

Instead of fear, relief filled Kelly’s expression. “Go ahead and check ’em. You’ll see I wasn’t anywhere near her truck.”

Well, sonofabitch, he was inclined to believe him. “We’ll see all right. And just so we’re on the same page, is there anything about our previous conversation that needs repeating? You remember, the one where I told you if you touch Brittany you’d wish you were never born?”

“No, you were perfectly clear,” Kelly hurried to assure him.

Flashing lights in the corner of his eye told him the police had arrived. A glance over his shoulder revealed the Sheriff himself exiting the patrol car. Joel turned back to Kelly and set him back against the wall before unclenching his fists and smoothing the guy’s shirt.

“Good. Stay put now. Sheriff Thompson’s gonna want to talk to you.”

His stomach did an uneasy roll on the way back across the lot. If Stevens didn’t slash Brittany’s tires, who the hell did? The vandalism was not only personal, it was downright viciously cold.

He nodded to the sheriff and the accompanying deputy as Brittany braced her fist on her hips. “Well, what did he say?”

“That he didn’t do it.” Joel looked back to where Kelly now lounged against the side of the store. The red-tipped end of a cigarette arched from his side to his mouth, then glowed bright in the shadows as he took a drag.

“Of course he’s going to keep lying.”

Joel shook his head, his frustration with her beginning to mount. “You shouldn’t have confronted him like that.”

“I wanted to catch him off guard.”

“All you did was antagonize him further.” He was pretty sure he had Kelly contained, but didn’t want her to know that.

Brittany’s gaze bore into his. “So? Whether it came from me directly, or Aaron, he’s going to know who accused him.”

“You should’ve waited,” Joel restated, teeth clenched. “Next time I tell you to do something—”

“
You
are not my boss.”

Sheriff Thompson stepped forward, one hand raised for silence. “All right, let’s just all calm down. Britt, how about you work with Craig to get the report started while I take a look at your truck.”

She turned away to talk to the deputy, and Joel exchanged a look with Aaron. The guy gave him a brief smile of commiseration before dropping down to examine the first tire. He hunkered down beside him.

“You think Stevens did this?” Aaron asked.

Brittany stepped up behind them. “After his threat the other day, it’s obvious he did it.”

Forearms braced on his knees, Thompson glanced up at her. “I was asking Joel.”

Oh, she’s going to be pissed
. Joel met Aaron’s gaze and gave a slight negative shake of his head. The cop’s mouth compressed into a tight, displeased line.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Brittany exclaimed.

As Aaron brushed off his hands and stood to face her, Joel rose, too.

“Did you see him over here?” the sheriff asked.

“No,” she admitted, her glare still lasered on Joel. “But he came in from the parking lot just as we exited the store.”

“Did
anyone
see him by your truck?”

“I don’t know, no one’s said anything. But we haven’t asked, either.”

“I told him we’d check the security tapes,” Joel told the cop.

“Perfect!” Brittany threw her arm out and up. “That’ll prove he’s lying.”

“Do their security cameras cover the lot?”

Joel lifted a shoulder as Aaron looked to him like he knew the answer. “I don’t know. I was only trying to scare him into a confession.”

“I’ll talk to the manager, see what I can get.”

The knot in Joel’s stomach wound tighter. “It’s not Kelly. He wasn’t worried about any cameras. Said they would prove he was innocent.”

“Who else would it be?” Brittany demanded in disbelief.

Aaron held his gaze for a moment, then turned to her. “We’ll haul the truck to the station to examine the tires and maybe get a print to match, but that’s an extreme long shot. Right now, unless Kelly confesses—which seems unlikely since he’s already denied it to both of you—I can’t bring him in.”

“Even after his threat the other day?”

“Not unless I see something on the security footage.”

Brittany’s clenched jaw confirmed she was still stuck on Stevens. Joel’s gut was screaming there was more going on than met the eye.

“I’ve got a blade in the tire back here,” the deputy called from the back of her truck.

“That’s good,” Aaron said. “We’ll have a better chance of getting prints off that than the tires. Craig, you get this towed in and I’m going to head inside.”

“What do I do?” Brittany asked.

“Go home for now. Joel, can you give her a ride?”

“Already planned on it.”

“Good.”

“Excuse me, did anyone want to ask me?”

Aaron took her by the shoulders. “Listen, and listen good. I’m going to talk to Kelly, but don’t discount Joel’s instincts on this. With your truck being keyed and now your tires, there’s a chance this person could be following you, so don’t be taking any chances.”

Her wide-eyed gaze ping-ponged from Aaron, to Joel, and back again.

“Can you provide police protection?” Joel asked.

The sheriff shook his head, regret in his expression. “I don’t have the manpower. The main thing is, Britt, you need to watch your back and don’t go anywhere alone. As soon as we find something out, we’ll be in touch.”

Chapter 26

Britt wasn’t sure what to think as Joel drove her back to Gina’s apartment. If Kelly wasn’t responsible for the tires, who was? Could it be the same person who’d keyed her truck?

Who hated her that much? Kelly was the only one who made sense.

She glanced over at Joel. He’d been quiet as he drove. His fingers kept flexing on the wheel and each car that approached cast his stony profile in stark relief. She wanted to go back to the teasing exchange they’d had on the phone earlier, but he was still mad at her for the confrontation at the store.

“Your friend Gina home tonight?”

“No. She texted me earlier to let me know she’s staying at Jackson’s one more night.”

“Then I’ll wait while you pack a bag. You’ll be staying at my place tonight.”

Again with the orders. Her stomach flipped over for a couple reasons. “Do you think that’s necessary? Aaron said not to
go
anywhere alone.”

“He also said this guy might be following you, in which case, I don’t want you alone
at all
. Not until we catch him.”

The severe tone of his voice sparked the anxiety she was trying to deny. Kelly she could deal with; someone else made the whole situation downright frightening. “You’re that sure it’s not Kelly?”

His hands flexed again. “I’m that sure.”

He wasn’t mad, she realized, he was worried. That didn’t help her nerves one bit, yet her heart warmed as she drew in a shaky breath. His concern strengthened her decision yesterday to give the connection between them a chance to flourish. And if her heart had any say, they might be able to make it last beyond the summer.

At the apartment building, he pulled his gun and a shoulder holster from beneath his seat. Yet another reality check. After strapping the weapon on, he led her up the stairs and took the keys from her hand. He tried the handle before unlocking the door. “Wait here.”

While he went in first, she pulled Gina’s mail from the container hanging on the outside wall. Then she stood just inside the apartment until Joel returned from the bedrooms.

“All clear. Pack enough for a couple days. After we leave, let Gina know to stay where she’s at.”