Jump heard yelling and thought about ignoring it. He was on the second floor landing, debating which way to turn, when the woman screamed again. Instead of heading away from the noise, he turned toward it.
This apartment complex wasn’t wild and crazy, not like the last place he lived. The neighborhood felt calm. This was the type of place kids could play and not get harassed. The woman yelling was not normal.
The way she was yelling got his dander up. Whoever was in her apartment, she wanted him out, and fast.
How bad could this be? He didn’t have any weapons, not that he wanted to shoot a person in someone else’s apartment in the USA. That wouldn’t look good, no matter how it was spun. Operating in the USA wasn’t cool, and the DA would probably throw a fit.
The woman still had the door open. He hadn’t heard any gunfire, so at least no one had been shot. Unless it had happened before he arrived.
Jump slowed as he tried to determine the exact situation. The woman still stood in her doorway with her hands on her hips and he couldn’t see the man.
Had he seen this woman before today? He didn’t think so. She had a great ass, though her clothes didn’t seem to fit her age. They looked like she was wearing her grandmother’s hand-me-downs.
“I swear to God, Grayson, get the hell out of my apartment.”
“I’m not leaving until you give me what I came for.”
Jump stepped into the doorway. “I think you’re leaving now.”
“Who the fuck are you?” the guy yelled as Jump moved behind the woman.
Jump knew when to use his swagger and when to use his power. This required both. He stepped past the woman and moved into the apartment. He crossed his arms over his chest, flexing to show how large his biceps were.
The guy’s eyes went wider, but he recovered quickly. “You should leave. This is above your pay grade.”
Jump chuckled. “You don’t know what my pay grade is.”
“Yeah, well you don’t?—”
“Shut up, Grayson. Get out, now!” the woman yelled. “I’m calling the cops. I’m done with this bullshit. And don’t come back.”
Grayson snorted, then took two large steps. For a moment, Jump thought he was going to have to protect this woman from a rampaging idiot. At the last second, the guy moved so he didn’t run into her.
Grayson sneered at him, then stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Jump turned toward the woman, noticing she wore almost no makeup, not even lipstick. After a quick once over, he smiled, trying to make her feel better. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged, then shook her head. “I’ve been worse. I can’t believe he got in.”
“Did he break in?”
She shook her head. “No clue. I haven’t looked at the door. I guess he broke in or talked someone into giving him a key.”
Jump reached for the door and opened it. “It doesn’t look like it was tampered with. No scratches or marks, and the door frame hasn’t been damaged.”
“Fuck. That means he got one of the women in the office to give him a key. He’s smooth like that. The bastard could talk most people into doing anything he wanted.”
Jump shook his head. There was no way the people in the office should have given that jerk a key, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t given it to him. Jump decided right then that he would help this woman get to the bottom of this. “The apartment office is closed now. How long have you been gone?”
“A few hours.” The woman narrowed her eyes. “What’s your name?”
“My buddies call me Jump.”
“Okay, okay, that sounds interesting. So Jump, I’m Blakely. I’m fairly new here.”
He shook her hand. “Blakely, it’s nice to meet you.” He glanced out into the parking lot and then turned to her. “That guy, Grayson, what’s up with him?”
“He’s an ass who has been following me for years. He wants something I don’t have.”
