Page 120 of Tenderfoot

Jayden brought my attention back to him by demanding of Shanti, “And you didn’t tell me?”

“We were in the midst of catching him in the act when Trev showed,” Shanti explained.

Jayden stared at Shanti.

Shanti stared at Jayden.

They kept doing this.

We all waited.

Finally, Jayden said, “I’m not your guy. I do not like you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing. I want that on the record.” His gaze went through all of us. “And in case you don’t get this, you try to bring another officer into your fold as your man on the inside, let me save you the trouble. No one is gonna help you because we all think you’re lunatics.”

“Well, that isn’t very nice,” Luna mumbled.

Jayden raised a single brow Luna’s way.

After I got over thinking that was ridiculously hot, I had to admit maybe we were a little crazy.

But we weren’t lunatics.

I mean, now that Javi was in my life, and his mom had mental health issues, was it even okay to call anyone a lunatic anymore?

I’d have to ask.

Luna’s parents dealt with a lot of disenfranchised people in their work with the homeless, not to mention, they were proud progressive liberals. They’d know all about what was politically correct.

I’d ask them.

“And I’m telling Aunt Tandi you’re into this shit,” Jayden threated.

“Go ahead,” Shanti said breezily. “Mom already knows.”

Jayden scowled at her.

“Thanks for being such a great help with us solving a murder or something,” Shanti said as she turned and hustled us toward the door.

Cap and Gabe fell in behind us.

Willow asked Shanti under her breath (but she still did it incredulously), “Does Miss Tandi know you’re an Angel?”

“Hell no. Mom would lose her ever-lovin’ mind,” Shanti replied. “But maybe Jayden won’t say anything if he thinks she already knows.”

“Yikes,” Willow said.

“Uh, yeah,” Shanti agreed.

This made me want to meet, at the same time afraid to meet, Shanti’s mom.

We all piled into our cars with Raye saying, “I texted Jinx. She’s meeting us at Titus’s.”

I hoped we were going to get an update about her accountant.

Cap and Gabe got into the Jeep, and we all rolled out.

We were well under way when it happened.

“What the…” Raye, who was driving the Sportage, started, her eyes to the rearview mirror, then she finished, “Hell!”

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