Chapter Twenty-Seven

As Billy pulled the car into the upper-class, typical suburban neighbourhood, I had to fight to hide my surprise. The tense exchange between him and John hadn’t had me thinking of ultra-cliché white picket fences and large, cookie-cutter homes. Billy had a deep frown etched into his forehead, but he was still driving through the neighbourhood with easy familiarity. I couldn’t help but wonder how much time a man like him could possibly spend in an area like this one. I opened my mouth to ask him.

“You don’t like me,” I stated instead.

I hadn’t meant to say those words, but as soon as I had, I realized it was probably true. I’d spent the last few days thinking it was the other way around—that I didn’t care for the gruff-voiced man, that there was just something about him that bothered me.

“Why?” I asked.

Billy sighed. “I’d like to say it’s not you personally, but that’d be a lie.”

My heart sagged. I guess I half-hoped he’d deny it.

“Why?” I asked again.

“You know that big red rock on your finger?”

He nodded toward my hand and I blushed. I supposed I could have taken it off when we weren’t in public, but there was something comforting about wearing it.

“It was John’s grandmother’s ring. He’s been holding onto it since he was twelve years old, waiting for the right girl,” Billy told me.

I waited for more, but he just slowed down the car as we pulled into a large cul-de-sac and eased it into one of the long driveways at the end.

“Wait here,” he said in his usual gruff voice.

As I watched him get out and key in the code for the garage, I twirled the ring on my finger self-consciously. If what Billy had said was true, why would John share that kind of information with him? After all, he hadn’t told me the ruby was a family heirloom. Irrational jealousy clouded my brain for a second, and try as I might, I couldn’t push it aside.

Billy hopped back into the car and guided it into the garage. When he turned off the ignition, he put his hand on the back of my seat and turned to face me. His gaze was serious.

“John and I were associates before he ever came to work in this part of the business. We’ve been working together for a long time. I might even say if we were different men, we’d be friends. And I have never seen him lose his focus. Not once. But all of sudden he’s forgetting meetings. He’s hiding out. In fact, I’d say he’s not really conducting business at all,” Billy told me.

“And you think it’s because of me?”

“I know it is,” Billy corrected. “And I’m worried about him. I should be out there with him, right now. Not here babysitting you. When this deal with you is done…”

As he trailed off, I wanted to point out to him that I’d been thrust into John’s world against my will, and to list off all the things I’d been planning on doing with my week-long vacation. I couldn’t, and I could see from the look on Billy’s face that he was genuinely concerned about John. I couldn’t fault him for that. I looked down at my lap guiltily.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Are you doing it on purpose?” he replied.

“No.”

The older man laughed, and the wide scar on his face bent around his amused grin.

“I don’t want to dislike you,” he admitted. “And in spite of your obvious ability to distract John…For whatever reason you seem to put him in a good mood.”

“This has been him in a good mood?” I asked.

Billy laughed again, before his face went serious. “I don’t think I’ve seen him smile so much since Colin died.”

“Thanks,” I said gratefully.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Billy suggested. “I’m about to give you a reason to hate me back.”

I smiled a little before I realized he wasn’t kidding.

“What now?” I wanted to know.

“I’m going to feed you, and I’m going to lock you in John’s bedroom,” he told me.

“Why? Where are you going?”

“To help John.”

I sighed again, and resigned myself to being held captive once more.