Fatal Burn (West Coast 2)

“You’re lovin’ this aren’t you?” she asked, sending him a mock-scathing look as she poured the coffee and handed him a cup.

“I told you I don’t trust Demitri.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Sighing, she sipped a little coffee and shook her head. “How about Bonzi?”

“Geez, that’s just about as bad. What does that mean?”

“Don’t know. I just like the sound of it.”

“Give the dog a break. Name her something…real.”

“Like Fido or Rover or Goldie Locks?”

“Goldie Locks isn’t bad.”

“It sucks, Nate,” she said, taking a long swallow of coffee before kneeling at the pup’s cage and looking into her brown eyes. “How about Marilyn?”

“What?”

“She’s blonde and beautiful and Marilyn Monroe is an icon…That’s it.”

“Monroe would be better.”

“Nah. Too male.”

“Like Bonzi.”

She ignored the jab. “I like it!”

“Marilyn?” he tested the name and raised a dubious eyebrow. “I guess it beats the hell out of Skatooli.”

She laughed and they discussed what they planned to do with the horses and dogs for the rest of the week. She didn’t say too much about her new place as she knew he disapproved. Fifteen minutes later he set down his cup and went back to work.

“Keep the doors locked, even during the day,” Nate suggested from the porch as he pulled on his boots. “I just don’t like what’s going on around here.”

“Neither do I, but I think the house is safe during daylight.”

He shook his head. “Too much weird stuff going on.” He straightened. “Let’s just err on the side of caution, okay?”

“Okay. But if I lock myself out, you’d better have a key handy.”

“Just hide one in the garage, on the wall behind the extension ladder. There’s a nail there and no one will ever know the spare key is there.”

“Good idea.”

“And you’ll call someone about a security firm, preferably not Demitri?”

“ASAP,” she promised.

He gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her as he walked across the parking lot and up the exterior steps to his apartment. At the top of the stairs he paused. “I mean it, Shannon, I’ve got to be gone a lot in the next week or so…Find someone.”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” They stared at each other across the gravel lot.

As he turned to the door of his apartment, Shannon called suddenly, “Nate?” He stopped, gazed back at her. “Why aren’t you going to be around? Can you tell me?”

Shannon’s pulse beat strong and fast. Please tell me what you’ve been doing. For a moment she thought he might actually answer her.

His lips tightened. He seemed to consider her question hard. But all he said was, “Things aren’