Page 37 of No Control

But tonight is perfect to get a layout of the house.

fourteen

Lydia

I watch the blond headed, somewhat nerdy looking man loading up my bags into the back of a white Lexus SUV. “So...”

He looks up at me with a raised brow. “What?”

“Where do you want me to sit? And him, too?” I gesture down to Duke, who’s still panting from three and a half hours of trauma. He’s never been on a plane before, and he was ready to get off the moment we landed.

“Uh, the car preferably,” he says, making a face. He closes the back hatch and sighs. “Will he sit in the backseat?”

I nod as the man opens the back door. “Are you an Uber driver?” The question sounds so freaking stupid, but I feel lost. I just took a flight on a private jet, and now some guy I’ve never seen before in my life is picking me up and driving me somewhere.

I need to know if I’m covered.

“I am not an Uber driver,” the guy laughs as I load Duke into the backseat, using the clip on his harness to buckle him in. “Not a Lyft driver, either.”

“Oh,” I say blankly as I let him shut the door. I fold my arms across my chest as I back away. I mean, now that Duke is in the car, I’m going, too, but still. I feel uneasy.

“I’m Jude.” He gives me a lopsided smile, sticking out his hand.

I study his face, his hazel eyes much warmer than Henry’s icy gaze. His nose is stubby, but he’s not unattractive. I shake his hand. I’ve already gone this far, might as well accept it.

“He’s my partner,” Jude tells me as he opens the passenger door for me. “I’ll be at the house a lot.” I don’t know if he meant that as some sort of reassurance, but it works. I relax a little as he closes the door and walks around to the driver’s side. He climbs in and grabs the seatbelt.

“What do you do for work?” The question comes out awkward, but I haven’t been able to find anything on Henry Bayne when it comes to his current career—and clearly, he’s wealthy.

“Tech contractors,” Jude answers curtly, putting the car in drive. I don’t know exactly what that means, but I don’t press. There’s a lot of things I don’t know, and right now, I’m just happy to be a long freaking way from Mason.

I lean back against the seat. Despite having a nap on the flight, I still feel exhausted. I didn’t realize how unnerved I was about it all until I got far enough away to feel safe. Somewhat, anyway.

“He may or may not be there when we arrive.” Jude’s voice is flat and unemotional, but not unfriendly. “Are you hungry or anything?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m good. Thank you, though.”

He eyes me, studying my face a beat or two longer than I prefer. “So, what’s the book about?”

“Um,” I hesitate. “I don’t know yet. I wasn’t planning on taking the job. It was kind of a last-minute thing. From what I gather, he’s wanting a crime thriller mixed with some romance.”

Jude cracks a smile. “Sounds about right.”

I breathe out a sigh. “So how far is it to his house?”

“About an hour or so—maybe more,” Jude answers, not reacting to the way my eyes widen. “It’s outside of town on the coast. He likes his privacy—I think we all do.”

I nod, trying not to internally freak out. “My friend has a vacation house out here.”

“Yeah?” He turns to me. “You ever been to it?”

“No,” I answer him, gripping my bag on my lap. “I don’t get out much.”

“Well, you’ll probably like the house then,” Jude chuckles, giving me a half-hearted smile. “It’s got a great view if you like the ocean.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean.” He nods. “Well, you’ll get to shortly.”

And that’s the end of the conversation. I spend the rest of the ride in silence, staring out the window as we drive further from the city and further down the coast. The houses grow further apart, though still closer than what I’m used to.

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