Torn between the desire to walk right over this little man and the need not to make a damn scene, Jude gritted his teeth and took his hand.“Jerry.”
The mayor gave him a significant look.“Our new waitress has perked everyone’s curiosity.I knew you’d be in eventually.”He extracted his hand from Jude’s with a grimace, which was what made Jude realize he’d been gripping it too tightly.Jerry continued, undeterred.“So, you and the new girl, huh?One town stranger and another, traveling across untold distances to end up living right next door to each other.It sounds like something out of a novel, though not one of yours, of course.”
That was the other thing about Jerry that pissed him the fuck off—the man had more imagination than was good for him.Jude took a drink of his scalding hot coffee and strove for patience.“If you’ll excuse me…”
“Right, right.Those words won’t write themselves.”He stepped out of the way quickly, almost as if he was uncomfortable being in Jude’s shadow.“It was nice seeing you in town for a change, though.We’re a family here, for better or worse.”
Jude wasn’t staying.Even if by some freak accident he ended up stuck in this little town, he sure as fuck wasn’t interested in a family.He’d lost the only family he’d had before he knew them and he wasn’t looking for a replacement.Caring about people was like issuing handwritten invitations to his enemies telling them how best to hurt him.He couldn’t afford to miss a step because he was worried about anything other than his mission.He wouldn’t allow himself to.
But he couldn’t say any of that to Jerry.The man was already too curious by half, and while Jude wasn’t above taking out problematic individuals, he’d hate to have to kill a man becausehecouldn’t keep his shit together.
So he faked a smile.“See you around, Jerry.”Then he walked out the door and into the cool summer morning.
The interaction had served to remind him what he was here for.It wasn’t Sloan.She might be a source of information, and she might be an enjoyable distraction in the meantime, but she wasn’t his endgame.
Which meant he had no reason to play nice.
His questionable honor only went so far, after all.
Jude walked out onto the beach, putting some much-needed distance between him and the rest of the town.Only when there wasn’t a single person in sight did he pull out his phone and dial.It only rang once, just like always.
“What?”
“I need some information and I don’t have much to go on.”
Stefan snorted.“When do you ever have much to go on?It’s a good fucking thing I’m a goddamn miracle worker, isn’t it?”
It was true that no one seemed as adept as ferreting out information as the hacker.Jude had only met him in person once—and only because he refused to work with someone he hadn’t seen face-to-face—and Stefan reminded him of a mole or some other underground creature.He kept his apartment closed off from the outside, not even opening the curtains, and surrounded himself with more computer monitors than any man had a right to.From what Jude could tell, he lived on Cheetos and Mountain Dew and didn’t leave his nest, but none of those things mattered, because he was the best at what he did.
Information.
“You’re wasting my fucking time.Give me what you got and I’ll get you what you need.”
Jude glanced over his shoulder, but there was still no one in sight.Even if there had been, the sound of the tide coming in would have drowned out his low words.“A woman—dark hair, dark eyes, petite.Her name is likely Sloan, and she’s just as likely got a connection with Boston and/or the Sheridan family.”
Stefan barked out a laugh.“You really like making things interesting, don’t you?”
“I’ll pay double if you can get me the information in the next twenty-four hours.”
“Forty-eight.”
He clenched his jaw.It was never simple with Stefan.“It is of the utmost importance that I have this goddamn information as soon as humanly possible.”
“That’s fucking fine, but you’ve given me shit-all.This girl could be a cousin to a cousin of some rando who works for Sheridan.Or she could be not named Sloan at all.Or a hundred different options.I know my work, asshole.You want it that fast, you’re paying triple.”
Jude turned to stare out over the ocean.Arguing wasn’t going to accomplish a damn thing.He wanted that information, and he’d pay dearly for it.Stefan knew it and he knew it, so there was no point in negotiating.“Fine.Hurry the fuck up.”Jude hung up and headed for his house.He had several hours before Sloan would be finished with work, and he fully intended to put them to good use.
Chapter Five
Marge met Sloan as she was clocking out.The big woman looked down at her, her expression unreadable.“You weren’t a total disgrace today.”
“Thank you.”Two days of working alongside the woman, and she knew enough to recognize the gruff sentence for the praise that it was.Warmth kindled inside her, the steady satisfaction of a job well done.It didn’t matter that her feet hurt badly enough that she was fighting not to limp, or that she was sore in places she hadn’t known shecouldbe sore.
She’d done a good job.
Marge nodded like she’d said more than she had.“Take tomorrow off.”
Sloan’s gaze flew to her face.“But—”
