Page 19 of Justice for Aleta

She giggled just before she said, “I figured you’d say, ‘I’d be happiest if you weren’t wearing anything at all!’”

Jack couldn’t believe her. “Seriously? Wow. You’ve got a dirty mind, little girl!”

“I know, right? I can’t help myself. You’re so gorgeous and all.”

Gorgeous? “Uh, nobody’s ever called me that before.”

“Are all the women around youblind? You’re beautiful, Jack. I mean, really, look at you.”

“I do. Every morning. In the mirror,” he said, laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing.

“Thenyou’reblind! You’re amazing. Do you have a tattoo? I bet you do. All really good-looking guys have tattoos.”

He was still laughing. “I do. It’s right above my cock. It says, “Dine in or eat out?”

“Oh my goodness, Jack!” That made him laugh even harder. “I can’t believe you just said that!” He kept laughing, but she was silent until she finally said, “That’s just a joke, right?”

He was trying to stop the laughter, but it was really hard to do. “Yes, sugar. I’m just joking. I don’t have a tattoo. I’ve thought about getting one, but I didn’t know what it should be.”

“Uh-huh. Okay then. Well, anyway, I know you think I’m silly, but I just… I think about you all day. I’m not kidding. I burned my wrist today on the grill because I was thinking about you instead of what I was doing.”

“Aleta!” That wasn’t funny at all. “You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”

“Okay. I didn’t. I was joking, but?”

“Hurting yourself isnota joking matter,” Jack announced.

“Okay, okay! Gah. Get a sense of humor,” she snapped back, then giggled again. “But Iwasn’tkidding about thinking about you. And our date.”

“So where are we going?”

“Somewhere good. I keep hearing people talk about it, so it must be. Just wait. I think you’ll be pleased.”

“Aleta?”

“Yeah?”

Time for his own confession. “I think about you all day too.” He wanted to say,Because I’m wondering if a crazy man has come to kill you, but he didn’t. “I’m looking forward to Friday.”

“Me too.”

“I guess I should get off here. I’ve got a call to make. But I’ll talk to you tomorrow night, okay?”

“Yeah. Night, Jack.”

“Night, sugar.” He hit END on his phone and sat back in the sofa. There was no indication that Moss knew Aleta had seen him, but he couldn’t just assume that.

But he couldn’t think about that anymore. He had a call to make. Punching it in once again, he waited until a male voice said, “Chambers.”

“Dax, it’s Jack from Kentucky. I promised I’d let you know if I got any info.”

“Hey, Jack! Yeah, got something?”

“Something you’re not going to believe. Something I’m not happy about. I found your chemist, or at least who she is.”

Silence held for a few seconds before Dax said, “She? It’s a woman?”

“No. It’s not a woman. It’s a seventeen-year-old girl.”

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