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“I don’t like the guy.”
Jana laughed, feeling a bit crazy. “Yeah, well, you’re a good judge of men.”
“I’ll get the coffees.” Thaddeus took her request then went to the counter.
Jana took a minute to settle down. Her privacy had been violated and she didn’t like it one bit. When the hot drink was placed on the table, she lifted it to smell the aroma. She had to calm down. It wouldn’t do to let Rakel get to her.
Thaddeus sat across from her, sipping black coffee. “It seems that asshole thinks that you’re expecting a windfall and he wants part of it.”
“He has a lot of gall.”
“How did he get that idea?”
Jana bit into a pastry. “I suppose he put two and two together. He doesn’t know anything for certain; he can’t. No one close to me trusts him enough to reveal what I’m working on.” She lifted her cup. “He’s guessing.”
Thaddeus seemed to think that over. “I don’t like this. The man knows too much about you. He’s been to your home, your work, and wherever else he thought you’d be hanging out.”
“He hadn’t forgotten that this is my favorite coffee place,” Jana said. “He lucked out and found me here.”
“I don’t like this at all.”
“And you think I do?”
Jana drank her cappuccino, letting the warm drink soothe her nerves. She finished her pastry then looked at Thaddeus. “Is there something you want to say?”
“Did he ever harm you?”
“That is a good question. It’s interesting, because I think he has the urge,” Jana said. “I’m not a pushover, and he must have known better. Or maybe I was just fortunate. In any case, our marriage started out fine, sort of.”
Jana smiled. “We argued, but then, I argue with everyone.” She sighed. “Anyway, we didn’t get along. It didn’t work out. That’s all.” She looked at Thaddeus. “But he didn’t lay a hand on me, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Good to know.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Thaddeus was thinking. “You consider Rakel a threat, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?”
“I’m not sure. I suppose it’s possible.” Jana huffed. “Geez, I was married to the guy. I find it difficult to believe that he’d actually want to harm me.”
“Greed makes a man do strange things.”
“But that?”
“Let me ask you this,” Thaddeus said. “And take a minute to consider it.” He hesitated. “Would Rakel hurt you? Would he threaten your life?”
Jana scooped the last of the foam out of her cup and licked it off the spoon. She tried to keep an open mind. When she looked at Thaddeus, she said, “We fought…a lot. But it was verbal, not physical.”
Some maniac was after her, threatening her, and Rakel was ticked off. “If he thinks I’m withholding money that he should get a share of?” She pondered that for a second. “Honestly…I’m not sure.”
