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“I guess it’s not normal for twenty-six-year-old women to live in retirement communities.”
“Nope.” I smiled wide.
She leaned her head against the window and stared at me. “Why does a Navy Commander live in a retirement community?”
Her eyebrows wrinkled. “And how does someone so young become a Commander? How old are you?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her so many questions. “I am twenty-eight.”
Silence.
“That’s it? Oh, no you don’t. A young Navy commander lives in a retirement community. You killed one man and injured the other.” She raised her finger in the air.
“Oh, and last but not least, that armory you have hidden in the back of your closet, I’d say you are someone very dangerous.”
I stared at the two-lane highway.
“You’ve been grouchy as shit. Every time you and I have a conversation, you grunt and stalk off. Like I am a bother.”
That time I reached my hand across the seat and lowered it over hers. “I apologize. The goal was to keep to myself and focus on my business. Not watch you come and go all the time. It didn’t help you were afraid to allow me in your house to install the timer.”
I retracted my hand.
She ran her fingers through her dark hair, gazing out of the window.
I sighed. “I am a Navy SEALs Special Operative.”
Her head darted back and her mouth dropped open. “How can that be? All you do is sit in your backyard alone drinking beer and cooking steaks. Good steaks too. Or at least they smell damn good. You’ve never invited me over once.” Her arms crossed her chest, and she grimaced.
I laughed. “Again, I am alone for a reason. I prefer to stay that way.”
She sucked her teeth. “I wasn’t coming on to you.”
I threw my hand in the air between us like I was pumping the breaks.
“I understand. It’s nothing personal. I was on active duty for seven years in other countries. I saw and smelled the stench of death every day. Not to mention I’ve buried too many of my friends.”
Her eyes softened and she placed her hand over mine. “Thank you for your service, Aiden. And I am so sorry you, loss so many friends.”
She withdrew her hand.
“Thank you.” I raised my dark brow. “You know I didn’t expect to run to my neighbors defense and kill a man.”
She ran her hands over her face. “Ugh! Why is this happening to me?”
“Tell me what happened, Nadia.”
“I was assigned to work on a coworkers files while she was out sick. I am an accountant. Long story short someone is laundering money through the company I work for. Several businesses on file show they have tenants but they don’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Well one of the businesses I run past every Saturday morning. It’s vacant. And the other businesses…I may have drove over and checked to see if there were tenants.”
My eyes widened. “You should have never done that. Nadia.”
“Well, Aiden, what was I supposed to do?”
“Inform your boss.”
