“That’s the idea. I’ll be in the unit next door but under the same roof. I have a deluxe security system. And an alarm.”
Kaylin stared.
“That’s a joke,” he said. “I’m the deluxe.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “I didn’t think you made jokes.”
“I make plenty of jokes.”
“If you say so.”
He cocked his head, trying to figure this girl out. He wanted to pull her across the table and show her he wasn’t always all business.
“Pack your things,” he finally said.
“Now?”
Rusty checked his watch. “I like to be in bed before ten. We should get moving.”
“Do you have Wi-Fi?”
“Of course,” he replied. “If you need it for work…”
“TV shows. I fall asleep watching TV shows. I have a laptop for streaming.”
“Whatever you need,” he said standing up. “I’ll wait in the foyer.”
“What about Codex?”
Rusty bent over Kaylin, wishing he could sink his nose into the hair piled on top of her head. He picked up the cat and stroked its chin. “He can come.” Codex nuzzled his nose. “He could stay in my room.”
“Is this all a ruse to steal my cat?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Kaylin glared at him.
“I joke,” he said. “Go pack.”
Rusty smiled as he watched her walk away; he liked telling her what to do. As he waited, he imagined what else he would enjoy telling her to do.
6
Sleepless Night
“I guess you’re moving in,”Rusty said, surveying the possessions Kaylin had packed for his house. He set down the last bag next to the cat carrier as Kaylin opened the latch to let Codex out.
“I needed cat food, cat litter, cat toys, work clothes, weekend clothes—I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here—snacks, some of my sewing stuff, my computer…”
“Hopefully, it won’t be that long,” Rusty said, immediately regretting it. While he wanted to catch the perpetrator who was bothering her, he wouldn’t mind keeping her close for as long as he could. “You’ll be safe tonight,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ll work out the details. Security action plan, figuring out who’s behind the notes, tracking him down.”
“Price?” Kaylin added.
“Maybe I’ll just keep the cat,” Rusty said, scratching Codex’s ear.
Kaylin narrowed her eyes. “I’m keeping an eye on you.”
I’ll keep more than an eye on you, Rusty thought. “I’ll be next door. Sorry the place is still a mess, but you should have everything you need. Goodnight.” He closed the door behind him.
