Page 63 of The Hitman and the Psychic

“I’ve got a great security system at my house. We can stay there.”

Vanetti shook his head. “I don’t like it. Besides, you don’t want your place to get blown up, right?”

“You have a point. So what did you have in mind?”

“I could put you up in a hotel for tonight, then you could go to a different one the next night, and so on, until we flush the guy out.”

“I have a better idea,” Serenity said. “Why don’t we just stay at my place? Stone’s enemy doesn’t know anythingabout me. We should be fine there while we figure out our next move.”

Vanetti nodded. “I like it. What about you, Stone? Think it will work?”

“Yeah. It’s a good idea, as long as no one knows.”

“Then it’s settled.” Vanetti stood. “Leave your bike and car here, and go home with her. That should throw him off your trail for now. In the meantime, I’ll look into those ideas we discussed. We’ll talk some more tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

As Vanetti walked out, Serenity’s brows drew together. “How long was I out?”

“It’s after five, so almost two hours. Let’s grab our things and we’ll head out.”

“Okay.”

It didn’t take long before Serenity was leading me to her car in the parking garage. She stopped in front of a gray Corolla and popped the trunk. “I know this isn’t what you’re used to,” she began. “But it’s all I’ve got.”

Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment and she shook her head. “I had to sell my Tesla to help pay my lawyer’s fees. I loved that car. Luckily, my dad kept this from my college days and let me take it.”

“It’s fine. Do you need me to drive? I can if you’re not feeling up to it.”

“No. I’m feeling a lot better after that nap.” She unlocked the car, and I opened the passenger door. I had to push the seat all the way back in order to fit inside. There were signs of wear and tear, but it was in pretty good shape considering how old it was.

She pulled out of the garage, and I slipped my ball-cap down over my head in case my stalker was watching. Twenty minutes later, we turned into her driveway. She pulled the car into the garage, shutting the door behind us.

“I have a guest bedroom for you.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tease her about sharing her bedroom, but I held back. Now wasn’t a good time for that. I followed her inside the house and down the hall to a small room with a double-bed, noticing that it was directly across from the master bedroom.

“The bathroom is right there.” She pointed to a small bathroom with a tub and shower combo.

“Got it.” I took my bag into the bedroom and left it on the bed. It seemed like hours since we’d eaten our sandwiches, and I was starving. I stepped to her bedroom door and leaned against the frame as she put her things away. “Any chance we can get some dinner? I could take your car and pick up something if you want to stay here.”

“That would work, but I could probably whip up something faster if you don’t mind an omelet.”

I shrugged. “Sounds good to me, but you should let me help.”

Her eyes widened. “Okay. I won’t say no to that.”

I followed her into the kitchen, and she put me to work slicing up an onion and some peppers while she cooked up some bacon and potatoes. It surprised me how well we worked together, but then, she was easy to be around.

“How’s your head feeling?”

She smiled at me. “Not too bad, but I’m afraid the numbness is wearing off. Want to see the stitches?”

“Sure.”

She stepped close and turned her head, lifting her hair from the area. I helped move her hair away, enjoying the feel of her soft tresses between my fingers. I examined the neat, even stitches, grateful the wound was smaller than I thought. “Wow. He did a great job. No one would believe you gotgrazed in the head.”

She huffed. “I know, right? I have a hard time believing it myself. I thought for sure it was from the glass.”

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