From this angle, there’s a professional-looking dog run-slash-kennel set up in the backyard, so they definitely aren’t pets. She’s got six precision-trained guard dogs on a shitty piece of property out in the sticks with no one around.
Curious.
When Bonnie said Joanna was rough around the edges, I anticipated someone who looked hard and prematurely aged with a collection of unfortunate flannels. When Joanna finally comes out, she looks like a soccer mom, and when she softly orders the dogs to their kennels—in German—they comply immediately, almost like they’re afraid of her. She doesn’t even close the gate to the backyard.
Beyond that, she’s weirdly tense and standoffish. I’d worry it’s my tattoos, but honestly, it’s not just her attitude that’s the problem. The longer we’re here, the more I don’t like the feel of this place.
I like it even less when she takes us over to the area where the new fence is going up. Already in the space is a prefab metal building, the type of insta-building a qualified crew can put up in a day. Nothing—not a goddamn thing—is sitting right with either Ant or me if his uncomfortable shifting is to be believed.
On top of that, the more we talk about the work we’ll be doing, the more her demeanor shifts. She’s becoming increasingly agitated with each detail we share. Angry, even.
“Well, I have errands to run. I suppose I can leave you to do this on your own. I usually don’t trust Mexicans on my property, but Bonnie seemed to trust you.”
Ant goes to say something, and I shake my head. He glares at me but shuts his mouth, his teeth clacking together.
Thing is, I recognize her move. She’s saying something inflammatory to evoke a reaction so she can overreact to the reaction. I don’t know why she’s trying to start a fight, but she very clearly is, and I don’t want any part of it.
I respond with as much charm as I can muster. “We’ll get this up real fast for you, ma’am, and then we’ll be out of your hair. First, though, I’ll need you to secure your dogs.”
“They’re secure.”
“Ma’am, my apologies, but the fence is open.”
Rolling her eyes, she stalks toward the fence and closes it with a hateful flourish before stomping over to her truck. After sending another distrustful glower in our direction, she peels out of the property onto the two-lane road.
Ant rounds up on me the second she disappears from view. “Shedoesn’t usually trust Mexicans? Why the fuck did you let her get away with that? Jason and Justin would never want to do business with someone like her.”
I hold up my hands. “She said it on purpose. She was…I don’t know. And I know this sounds weird because I definitely don’t wanna put up her fence, and I absolutely know Jason and Justin would be totally fine with us walking off the job, but…something’s telling me we need to stick around.”
“What could possibly make you want to stay?”
“I’m curious about what we’ll see,” I answer, gesturing to the odd building we’ve been tasked with fencing in. “Ant, do you know why on a property like this, someone would request this kind of privacy fencing?”
He shrugs. “Heavy machinery.”
“Where would they fit heavy machinery in with that building?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a garage.”
“Then where are the garage doors?”
We walk the circumference of the building.
“No garage doors,” I say, running my hand through my hair.
“And what’s on the windows? It’s like a blackout film. Like something to prevent the sun from getting in.”
“Or to prevent whatever’s inside from being seen by people on the outside.”
Given his history and my far-too-recent experience, I wonder if we’re not just being paranoid. But I’ve gotta check.
“Ant? When you were being passed around from place to place, were you ever kept in a place like this?”
He stops throwing the fencing supplies on the ground, looks at the building, and then up at me.
“Fuck,” he grits out, giving the place another once-over. “Yes, but I didn’t… The building looks different out in the middle of the country. But out in Baytown, we were in an industrial area, and this is exactly the kind of building they held us in. Some have loading docks, some don’t, but…fucking hell.”
I think about the mission Levy, Bram, Charlie, and Erik just went on. They had to go in at the last minute because they found out about the shipment on a big bust.
