The Payback (Team Zulu 2)

5

Brandon

Onmywaytoget more boxes, I ran into the petite goth who lived across the hall with Sage. With her back to me, she loitered at their door. Was she…polishing the handle?

“Hi,” I said while trying to suppress a smile.

She spun, doing nothing to disguise her slow appraisal as her eyes traveled from my hiking boots to my jeans and black T-shirt, then landed on my face. “Well, hel-lo new neighbor. Sage didn’t describe how deliciously tall you are. What are you? Six-three?”

“Six-four.” I folded my arms. “And whatdidshe say about me?”

“That you had quite an introduction downstairs.”

Indeed. From the moment I’d spotted Sage on the sidewalk, I hadn’t been able to get the stunning brunette out of my head. This was unlike me. I didn’t do crushes, at least, not since high school. I’d been in the military after, deployed more often than not. And since Janie had disappeared, I’d been focused on finding her.

Yet there was something about Sage that pulled me in beyond my attraction to her. Pretty sure she’d felt it, too, except it was as if that spark between us had spooked her. Was it foolish of me to want to change that? Absolutely. I needed to remain focused on finding Janie’s abductors. Going undercover with the Mob would require long hours and put me in a dangerous position. I didn’t need a deliciously curvy brown-eyed beauty distracting me from my task.

I leaned my back against the door. “We did. She seemed a little shaken. Is she okay?”

“She will be.” The mischievous glint in her eyes transformed into a look of concern. “She’s tough. In some ways, she’s the strongest person I know. Listen, Sage can be standoffish when it comes to men. Don’t let that dissuade you, but don’t scare her off, either, all right?”

“Scare her off?”

She huffed as if I were a dumbass for needing clarification. “Do you like her?”

“Yeah. She’s—”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“I see no ring on your finger, but are you married?”

“Seriously?” I chuckled, but her deadpan expression held no hint of humor.

“Answer the question.”

I gave a sharp shake of my head. “Not married.” This bird was kind of scary.

“Do drugs?”

“No.”

“Been in jail?”

“No.” Probably best not to mention my stint in juvie.

“How many dating apps are you on?”

What?“I’m not on any.”

She took a slow step forward and pinned me with a hard stare. “Why not?”

I’d been trained to handle interrogation, but this one was a little unnerving. I dragged a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. I guess I just prefer the old-fashioned way.”

I should put a stop to this and tell her these questions were irrelevant. The truth would suffice. I wasn’t in a position to start a relationship. She didn’t need to know the specifics.

So why hadn’t I shut her down? The answer surprised me. Despite knowing that getting involved with Sage was a terrible idea, part of me—clearly the asshole part—was unwilling to let it go. Not that it mattered. Sage’s initial body language had suggested she was interested, but when she’d found out I was her new neighbor, she’d been about as pleased as if a brothel were moving in across the hall.

“Hmm.” The little goth came closer still. “Look, Muscles, you seem nice, and you definitely score points for rescuing Sage earlier. But in my experience, most guys are clueless dicks when it comes to women.” She poked me in the chest with her index finger. “Don’t be one of them.”

I rubbed the spot where her long nail scored my skin.

“If you can manage that and she lets you in, you won’t regret it. But if you hurt her…” Her fierce gaze held mine. “I’ll feed your balls to the sewer rats…while they’re still attached.” In a flash, her glare flipped to a pleasant smile. She held out her palm. “I’m Lettie. Welcome to the building.”

“Brandon. Nice to meet you, I think.” I shook her hand. She had a hell of a grip. “Thanks for the advice. And the vivid nightmare fuel.” I really hated rats.

Lettie winked. “Anytime.”