Page 12 of Glamour and Grit

“Do you really think you’ll need that?” I whisper.

“Maybe, maybe not. And don’t bother whispering. It carries further than speaking in a low voice.”

“Really?”

He doesn’t answer, going up to my front door instead. Dane peers through the living room window, then motions me over.

“Open the lock, and then wait for me out here until I give you the all clear.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

He disappears inside. Tense moments pass as I try to keep my breathing even. I’d like to sit out here and sip a hard seltzer, not cower while my military trained bodyguard checks to see if the mob has left an assassin behind.

“Selene.”

I nearly jump out of my skin. Dane stands halfway on the porch, his hand on the doorframe. How does someone that big move so quietly?

“It’s safe. You can come inside.”

I enter as he flips on the lights. All of the lights, every single one. Dane seems to know what he’s doing. He moves around my place, his eyes constantly moving until they find something of interest. Then he stares with great intensity before moving on.

“You said you heard a gunshot?”

“Yeah, that’s what it sounded like. The police guy Jax’s friend sent over didn’t find any evidence, though.”

Dane pokes his finger into my wall and pulls it away, showing a white, crumbling substance.

“You mean, like this?”

“What is that?’

“It’s spackle. Somebody used it to plug a bullet hole. Probably didn’t even bother to dig out the bullet first.”

He whips out a switchblade smooth as butter. I don’t have time to protest before he starts tearing up my wall. In a moment he’s got a small metal casing in his hand.

“So I did hear a gunshot.”

“There are other signs. What do you smell?”

I take a whiff.

“Um, sort of like pine sol.”

“Right, but you have Mr. Clean under your sink. Somebody cleaned your kitchen with a different brand than you use.”

My heart stops dead.

“Why would they have to clean? Unless it was…”

I can’t bring myself to say the word blood. Someone got shot in my house and then someone else tried to hide the fact.

“Look, we don’t even know if someone actually got shot or not. And even if they did, it might not have been your brother who got hurt.”

He puts his big hand on my shoulder, his hard edges softening.

“It’s going to be alright, Selene. We’ll find Justin.”

There’s something in his voice I can’t identify. He really wants to save Justin, and not just for me. It’s important to Dane for personal reasons. After he clammed up on the ride over, though, I’m afraid to pry.

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