Page 53 of One Last Chance

“I bet. What’s his name?”

“Can’t, can’t tell you—”

I punched the wall beside his head. “Damn it, Leroy! This is my life on the goddamn line! You said so yourself.”

“B-b-but,” Leroy stuttered.

“No goddamn buts,” I bellowed. “Who the fuck is he?” This time, my fists found the spot on the other side of the wall and I didn’t hesitate to put two holes in it.

Leroy was shaking like a leaf now, his eyes wide open and the teeth left in his head chattering like they’d gotten a lick of frostbite.

“Jenkins!” Leroy squealed. “Dayle Jenkins! He’s got the big game in this town now. Don’t cross him, Kash, just do what he says. He’s scary man. He…he’s ruthless, man. He’ll set the dogs on you!” Leroy cradled his damaged arm against his chest, rubbing it as though he could still feel the teeth in his flesh.

I backed off. Of course it was Dayle. That ass had been trying to move in on mine and Hunter’s territory from the very beginning.

“Where’s he living now?” I asked.

Leroy shook his head. “Nope.”

“Leroy—”

“Don’t hit me! I’m gonna die for what I already told you, Kash, don’t make it worse! Figure it out your damn self. I’m done.”

Leroy’s chest shuddered and his Adam’s apple bobbed. If he’d had any liquid left in his body, he would have been crying, but he’d burned it all off.

I gripped a bottle of water that was sitting on the table and tossed the water at him as I walked away. “Drink up and get the fuck to sleep, Leroy. You’re gonna give yourself a goddamn heart attack.”

Dayle Jenkins.

That son of a bitch.

Everything started making sense now. That new client six years ago must have been one of Dayle’s targets—when Hunter and I got to him first, Dayle must have taken his displeasure out on Hunter’s skull. That explained why the murder weapon was in my shed—Dayle was probably trying to get rid of two birds with one stone. It worked, at least for a while. Now I was back, and he was nervous.

It all fit.

Confident that my name was days away from being cleared—and that all would be forgiven on Daisy’s end as soon as she heard—I finished my day’s work around the motel and went to her place on foot. Might as well try this whole bedroom sex thing again. That was, if she was up for it, which I honestly didn’t think would be a problem. Daisy never had stayed mad at me long.

I waited around in the woods behind her house until all the lights went off except for hers. Then I crept to her window the way I had the night before. It was open, as I expected it to be. See? She’d been waiting for me. I let out my signature whistle and grinned when I heard her get off her bed and walk toward the window. She was going to be so excited that I’d solved the mystery that she would—

Shut the window? I frowned, confused, and went up to the glass. From there, I could see her outline and then her face. I smiled and waved a little. She didn’t smile and she sure as shit didn’t wave back. Her eyes met mine and I watched as her lips dipped into a frown. Daisy glared at me like she was trying to shoot daggers from her irises and then she slid her curtains shut.

Well, then. I stood there for a few minutes, not knowing what in the fresh hell to do with myself. I wanted to talk this out before I pursued it on the off chance that I was wrong or had missed something. There was also the chance that she would know more about Good Ol’ Mr. Jenkins than I did, like where he lived or worked or spent his down time. Any info at all would be helpful, to be honest.

But she obviously wasn’t in a helpful sort of mood. I wondered briefly if she’d left the window open on purpose just to screw with me, but then I realized that it was still seventy-eight degrees outside and giving me the cold shoulder was probably making her uncomfortably warm. Mad at me as she might have wanted to remain, I blew her a kiss she couldn’t see before turning around and walking my ass back home.

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