Page 131 of Back in the Saddle

Hang on a second.

He thought I wasamusing?

I glared at him.

“I’m fine, Jess,” Jeff asserted, and my attention shifted back to him. “So you don’t have to worry.”

“Well, thanks so much for sharing that info after I searched high and low for you for six months, talked to the police, badgered your friends, forged a friendship with Homer, the King of the Homeless Camp, and yeah…” I saved the best for last. “I was forced to have several conversations with Mom and Dad.”

He knew how much that sucked, but he didn’t even flinch.

He just said, “I’m not five. I can look after myself.”

Here we go.

“And you’re here because I have a few things to say to you,” Jeff went on.

“Lay it on me,” I invited, but I wasn’t done. “So you can get over it, and I can share the not-so-few things I have to say to you.”

“You have to stop with the Angels business,” he decreed.

“Oh yeah? I’ll one up you.Youhave to stop with this Shadow Soldier business,” I retorted.

Jeff shook his head. “I’ve been trained. I know what I’m doing. I have men around me who know what they’re doing. You have none of that shit,” he shot back.

“No offense,” I said to Javi, then to Jeff, “but my concern remains unassuaged that some vigilante street gang trained you in their vigilante street law missions.”

“No offense taken,” Javi murmured, still sounding amused.

I shot him another glare.

I moved it to Jeff when he started talking.

“We know what we’re doing,” Jeff retorted.

“I’ve heard. Mad respect,” I aimed that last at Javi, then I went back to Jeff. “But lest we forget, you have a certainissuethat makes this kind of shit dangerous for you. Or, more dangerous than it already just is.”

“It’s managed.”

Could a head actually explode?

“Managed?” I whispered. “Managed?” I shouted.

“Keep your voice down,” Jeff hissed.

“Fuck that, fuck this, and fuck your hood and zip ties. I mean, what the hell was that?” I demanded.

“I asked Javi to do that so you’d see how vulnerable you are.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it didn’t make me feel vulnerable. It pissed me off.”

“Only you could get pissed when someone kidnaps you from a parking lot,” Jeff muttered.

“Jeff, let’s try to focus here,” I suggested impatiently.

“I am focused, Jess. I got your message.” He put his hands out to his sides. “As you can see, I’m fine. Stop worrying. Stop trawling homeless camps in the middle of the fucking night. Stop hanging with hookers?—”

Boy, they’d been watching us, for certain.

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