Page 71 of The Desperate Warrior

Mom nodded in understanding, concern tightening her features. “I hope they catch that madman soon.”

“Me too,” Jules agreed. “Maybe tonight we’ll get some useful information from my coworkers.”

The doorbell rang again as more guests began to trickle in. Dean showed up with a ginormous bouquet of red roses.

Jules politely accepted the bouquet, thinking about the report they’d received about Dean stalking his former client. Maybe Mom should’ve hired a PI to check him out before she set Jules up with him. Brock was still talking to Dad, but he cast Dean a withering glare. She could tell from Brock’s body language exactly what was going through his mind. One wrong move on Dean’s part, and he was likely to get decked.

A short while later, Asher arrived, looking polished in a crisp white shirt and khaki slacks. With his tousled hair and even features, he was effortlessly handsome. When Asher spotted her, he flashed a disarming smile and went to her side. “Hey, beautiful.” He leaned in and brushed his lips across her cheek.

“Hello,” Jules said, a little thrown.

For the past few days, Asher had started seeking her out—lingering nearby during breaks and joining her at lunch. It was official. She was definitely on his radar.

He glanced around, taking in the surroundings. “This is nice. You sure know how to throw a party.”

She laughed. “I can’t take any credit. It was all my cousin Nikki.” She motioned towards the food table pushed against one wall. “You should get something to eat.”

“Care to join me?”

She glanced over at Brock, who was talking to Luke. “Sure.”

When she and Asher got over to the table, she looked across the room at Brock, surprised he was letting her talk to Asher this long without inserting himself into the conversation. He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced down at the screen. His brows furrowed. Saying something to Luke, he turned and strode out the front door.

Curiosity sparked in her chest. It had to be an important call for him to leave the party and go outside.

“Is everything okay?” Asher asked.

She flashed an automatic smile. “Yeah.”

The two of them began putting appetizers onto their plates and then moved off to the side. Bree and LouAnna soon joined them.

After some chitchat, Jules lowered her voice. “LouAnna, I heard about your tires. I’m so sorry.”

LouAnna’s expression darkened. “Yeah. I came out from work and found them slashed.”

“Do you think it was Steve Randall?”

“Pretty sure it was,” LouAnna said soberly and then turned to Bree. “We should probably act on what we talked about and get some additional security cameras installed that will cover the parking lot.”

Bree nodded. “I’ll tackle that on Monday.”

Jules continued, “Mindy told me about her dog and the note. That’s scary.”

LouAnna’s face paled. “It is.”

Jules took a deep breath and wondered if she should divulge what had happened to her. She felt like it was the right time. Hopefully, Brock would agree. “I got a photo in the mail the other day.”

All eyes turned toward her.

“What kind of photo?” Asher’s voice was tinged with concern.

“It was a picture of Lisa Randall and me taken right before her surgery. Lisa asked me to pose with her for her scrapbook. Steve took it.” Seeing the horrified expressions on the faces around her tightened her gut. “Lisa’s face was X’ed out in red ink. The words,You’re nextwere scrawled across the top.”

Silence fell heavy like a slab of cement.

“Why are you just now telling us this?” LouAnna demanded.

Jules gripped her plate. “I dunno. I guess … saying it out loud made it feel all too real.” She offered a tight smile. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything. It’s just been a lot. The accident … going back to work … it’s been overwhelming.”

---