"She didn't need to do that. For Pete's sake, she's fresh off a horrible ordeal and out of the hospital."
He shrugged. "You know Mellie. And she insists she's fine. Wouldn't let me pick her up or anything. She's tough."
She'd have to be, to have come out of the Vern thing alive. He'd been truly deranged.
"When is everybody arriving, anyway? Maybe I should get dressed." I yawned. Sundays were my one day to sleep in and relax, usually, but today was shaping up to be an exception. Evidently I had a huge breakfast party to host, and then we had to continue investigating Earl's murder.
Yay?
"And should I even ask what you're doing to my computer or am I gonna need a lot of coffee first?"
Jack, who'd wandered back to the kitchen, came back and handed me a mug.
"French Vanilla with cream and sugar, just like you like it."
I smiled at him. "You really are the perfect man."
"I know."
Dallas made a gagging noise. "First, ack. Second, do you drink any actual coffee with your cream and sugar and Frou Frou?"
"Leave me alone, tough guy. I suppose the Rangers teach you to drink coffee black."
"The Rangers teach us to make coffee from two rocks we beat together in the middle of the desert—and welikeit."
"You had it soft. During the rebellion, we didn't even have rocks. We had to brew coffee from the bones of our enemies," Jack said.
"Whenwewere done with our enemies, there weren't any bones left," Dallas said.
"Enough!" I rolled my eyes.Men. "And my laptop?"
"I'm just making a small upgrade," Dallas said, suddenly looking anywhere but at me.
Call me a suspicious person, but this made me nervous. "Define 'small upgrade' please."
"The camera feed from outside your house will automatically text itself to you, Jack, me, and Austin if there's anything suspicious."
I choked on my coffee mid-sip. "Suspicious? What does that mean?"
"Well—"
"And cameras?What cameras?"
Jack folded his arms. "Look. I'm tired of people coming and going with impunity. Leaving amputated body parts on your porch, shooting at you, all the rest of it. Dallas and I installed hidden cameras that continually sweep the outside of your house and the area all around it."
"We defined the perimeter within acceptable parameters," Dallas said, which must be Army speak for who the heck knows what.
"Okay." I shoved the mug at Jack, who took it. "Listen. This has to stop. Yes, I have to admit that cameras may be a good idea, but I am anadult. This ismy home. You do not install electronic equipment in my home or on my computer withoutasking me."
Jack started to speak and then stopped. I could almost see the realization that he'd screwed up wash over his mind in real time.
"Tess. You're right. I'm sorry."
"And for another thing… what?" I'd expected a "for your own good" kind of defense, so his apology took me off guard.
He put the mug down on a side table and stepped closer, his green gaze warm and remorseful. "I'm sorry. You're right. Will you please let us keep these cameras up for your safety? I can't lose you."
Well. When he put it like that…
