Page 5 of Jasper

“I’m serious.”

“Good. You seem like someone who doesn’t need to inflate their ego any more than it already is.”

He put a hand to his chest. “You wound me. I could be the humblest man on Earth.”

“Are you?”

“Well, no.”

“There you go. Now, do you mind shutting up? I am not in the mood for idle chit chat.”

Well.

“Fine, Ms. Grinch. I’m just going to sit here all by my lonesome and pretend you’re not sitting right there looking hot as hell in my shirt.”

Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink, but instead of saying anything, she pulled out a pair of earbuds and jammed them in, effectively blocking him out.

Bruised ego aside, it was for the best. He was going to North Dakota to get lost and figure out why his instincts had gone south. Not to get involved with a woman he’d labeled trouble.

Or so he told himself as he pulled out his book and waited for his flight to be called.

Sloane trudged her way through the airport and debated renting a car, but in the end decided not to. Jarrod warned her not to use anything that could be traced back to her. The whole point was to stay here until all the trouble blew over. It was just her luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time all because she got lost. Having no sense of direction never really bothered her before. GPS was a wonderful thing.

But getting lost on foot at a wedding? Now, that took the cake, as her mama used to say. Not only that, but she took pictures, and they caught her. She was damn lucky to have escaped. They knew what she looked like, though, and staying in Florida wasn’t an option. At least not right now. Watching people dispose of a dead body sort of limited her options when it came to surviving.

Jarrod told her to go to the police, but unfortunately, she’d been watching the news when talking to him last night. The body dumped was the prosecution’s main witness in a homicide trial. If the people responsible for said homicide went to all the trouble of getting rid of the only witness to whatever murder had been committed, well, her odds weren’t good, and she got the hell out of Dodge. She valued her life too much.

So, her cousin, being the best faux big brother ever, offered her the comfort of his farmhouse while he was deployed. She’d emptied her bank account and fled Florida as fast her size eight feet could carry her. Now, here she stood, trying to figure out how to get to Watford City without renting a car or paying an Uber a small fortune. Granted, she was okay for cash for a few months, but wasting money wouldn’t be a good idea either.

“You lost?”

She closed her eyes and sighed. Of course it would be him.

“No.”

He stopped beside her, his suitcase and backpack dropping on the tile floor. “You look like you’re lost.”

“I’m not,” she snapped. Could the guy not take a hint and leave her alone?

“I’m a Marine, ma’am. I’m duty-bound to help those who can’t help themselves.” He gave her a smile that should have had her melting into a puddle, but not today. Her nerves were too shot.

“I’m perfectly capable of helping myself, thank you very much.”

Honestly, why did all the good-looking men have to be assholes?

He’s not being an asshole, her subconscious reprimanded her.He’s trying to help you, idiot!

If she could kick the voice in her head, she’d do it gladly. She was not in the mood for this.

“Of that, I have no doubt, sweetheart.”

Sloane sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s been a rough couple of days, and all I want is to get where I’m going and relax. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”

“That’s okay. I’m here for whatever you need, even if that means some verbal gut-punching.” He winked, and her stomach did this funny little dip.Uh, no. Not going there. Not when her very life hung in the balance. She didn’t have time for her unruly hormones to rear their heads.

“There’s a car rental place right over there.” Jasper pointed to the Enterprise kiosk. “I’m sure they have plenty of cars left.”

“It’s not that. I…” How was she supposed to say she couldn’t put anything in her name right now? The people who were hacking a body into pieces might be tracing her movements. They might have figured out who she was by now, and renting a car would be like flashing a neon sign that read “I’m here and ready to be chopped into itty bitty pieces and strewn all over town.”

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