Chapter 51

 

Jayce

 

 

I WAS SO pissed off at Ava that I could barely see straight. I went back to the rental car and got in. As I started the engine, I watched as Ava tore out of the parking lot with attitude. Admittedly, it was a little amusing seeing a chick burn rubber like that.

I shifted the car into drive, turned on some music, and soon caught up to her. I half expected her to try losing me, but she didn’t.

The ride to Tampa took just over two hours. Eventually, my temper cooled so by the time we faced each other again, both of us were calmer.

“So, that must be it,” I said after we parked our vehicles across the street from the townhouse and I stood outside of her window again.

“Yeah. I wonder if anyone is staying there?”

Although the place was dark, the yard looked like it had been kept up.

“Someone’s obviously been cutting the grass,” I noted.

“Yeah.”

I rubbed my eye wearily. After driving for the last two hours, and flying earlier, I was beat. “Obviously, it’s too late to go knocking on the front door.”

It was just after midnight. If someone was living there, we’d scare the hell out of them.

“Right.”

I scanned the area. There were several townhomes on the street, and at the moment, they all appeared to be quiet. “I’m going to sneak into the backyard and see if I can look into any windows,” I replied, already plotting my course.

“Didn’t you get hurt the last time you tried something that?” she whispered. “Tarot told me about your meeting with Blade and how you got hurt.”

“That was different. He caught me by surprise.”

“Someone else might catch you by surprise.” She unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’m coming with you.”

“No.”

“I brought my gun,” she said, ignoring me. “Did you bring anything?”

“My fists.”

She snorted.

“Never underestimate the power of a hard right hook,” I added.

“You’re bringing fists to a potential gun fight.”

I sighed. “Let me have yours. I’ll go and check things out myself.”

“You sure love to give orders, don’t you?” she said dryly.

“One of us has to stay here and be the lookout.” I held up my hand. “Give me the gun. Please.”

Ava frowned and then reached into her purse. She pulled out a pistol and quickly handed it to me.

“It’s loaded?” I asked, glancing around as I shoved it inside of my jacket pocket.

“Yes, and the safety is on.”

“Okay.”

 “Text me if you see something unusual. I’m going to go around the block and come up through the alley.”

“Good idea.”

I sprinted down the street and around the block, eventually entering the backyard from the alley. There was a small metal fence. I hopped it and crept up to the patio door, which was covered in blinds. Unable to see anything below, I looked up at the deck and made a decision to climb it. It was a pain in the ass, but once I made it up there, I was awarded with a clear view inside the kitchen from the sliding glass door. Inside was a distressed ebony dining table with matching buffet on the wall behind it.

I was about to try the slider door when a large, orange cat leaped onto the dining table, startling the hell out of me. We stared at each other for a few seconds and then it hissed at me. 

Fuck.

From the looks of the cat, it wasn’t missing any meals. Someone was definitely living there.

A light went on in one of the bedrooms above us. Not wanting to risk an arrest, I quickly climbed down and made my way back to the vehicles.

“What did you find?” Ava asked.

I told her.

“At least it wasn’t a dog you saw. It would have barked and woke up everyone in the house.”

“Yeah, well someone did get up, though. I saw a light turn on inside,” I said, glancing back at the house. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be looking out of the windows or turning on any front porch lights.

“We’d better get out of here before someone notices us and calls the police,” she replied.

“I agree. Let’s meet at the gas station up the road. From there, we can decide what to do tonight.”

She held out her hand. “My gun?”

“I’ll give it back to you later. Let’s worry about getting out of here quietly, first,” I replied.

“Okay.”