Page 8 of Stone
Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to his brothers asking if anyone was nearby. He didn’t expect anything dramatic to happen, but it couldn’t hurt to be prepared with backup. Two seconds later, Viper texted that he was on his way through town and three minutes away.
The knock sounded again as Stone replied, asking him to be on standby.
Juliana started to rise, but he stayed her with a hand gesture. She stared at him, then nodded again. Without giving her any warning, he rose and scooped her up. To her credit, she muffled her yelp, although she didn’t refrain from whispering in his ear. “I’m no lightweight, Simon. You’ll throw your back out carrying me around like this.”
Or something like that. He was too distracted by her breath on his skin to really take notice of her words.
He managed to bring himself to let go and set her down on the stairwell out of sight from the door. Then gesturing again for her to remain quiet, he called out, “Who is it?”
A beat passed. “Gas inspector. There’s been a report of a possible gas leak,” a man replied.
Stone looked to Juliana. She frowned and shook her head. Reaching up, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him close. “I don’t have gas in my unit.”
5
“The first two units have it, but not this one or the one next door,” she added.
Stone drew back enough to look her in the eye. Her wide and slightly wild gaze met his. He saw fear and panic there, but not surprise. He’d get to the bottom of that, but first, he needed to take care of the “gas inspector.”
“Stay,” he said again, aware that the barked order wasn’t the best version of himself. Still, her safety came first. He’d deal with the fallout later.
She hesitated. He cocked his head and gave her a hard look. A beat passed before she rolled her eyes and nodded.
He didn’t fight the tiny smile playing on his lips as he took two steps down, then turned toward the foyer. The situation wasn’t a laughing matter, but she was damn cute when annoyed.
Jotting off another text to Viper, he hit Send as he opened the door to find a nondescript man standing on the other side. Brown hair, brown eyes, white, about five foot ten. He wore black pants and a pale yellow polo shirt (no logo) and carried a clipboard.
“Yeah,” Stone said, sweeping his gaze over the “inspector” one more time and spotting the outline of an ankle holster under his left pant leg.
“I’m Kevin Lawrence with the gas company. I’d like to speak to the occupant of this unit,” he said.
“She’s unavailable. What can I do for you?”
The man—whose name definitely wasn’tKevin—narrowed his eyes. When the scrutiny didn’t have the impactKevinhoped, he tried a different tactic. “We’ve had two reports over the past two days of a possible leak and are inspecting all units. I need to check the stove and heating units. I’ll also want to check the main valve located in the garage.”
Stone cocked his head. “Doesn’t the fire department usually respond when there’s a report of a gas leak?”
Kevinsmiled. “Both reports said the smell was intermittent. The fire department asked us to come.” He started to step in, but Stone blocked his way.
“Do you have any ID?”
“I left it in my truck on the road, but I doubt the occupant”—he glanced down at his clipboard—“Ms. Juliana Morganstern, would be pleased if wedidn’tinspect her unit. Gas leaks can be fatal, as I’m sure you know.”
Stone inclined his head. “Lots of things are fatal, Kevin. This unit doesn’t have gas.” He paused, letting that information settle before continuing. “You should check your records better,” he said before stepping back and shutting the door in the man’s face.
After ensuring both the deadbolt and lock on the handle were engaged, he shot a final text to Viper as he strode back to the stairwell. Signaling for Juliana to keep quiet, he lifted her into his arms—this time without the yelp of surprise—and carried her up the stairs and into the room at the front of the house. It appeared to be a guest room, and he set her down on the cornerof a queen bed before moving to the bay window and pulling out his phone again.
Peering through a gap in the curtain, he watchedKevinwalk away, occasionally casting glances back toward Juliana’s condo.
“He’s walking out now,” he said when the call connected with Viper.
“Black pants, yellow shirt, aggro walk?” Viper asked.
“Yep, that’s the guy,” Stone confirmed.
“I got him. I’ll let you know. Keep an eye on Juls,” he said. The only other member of Falcon’s Rest who’d met Juliana was Mantis, but Stone’s interest in her wasn’t a secret. Somewhere in the past few months, they’d all taken to calling her Juls, as if she were a longtime friend. He didn’t mind.
“Plan on it,” he said before hanging up.
