Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans
Page 29

Mason was in danger. I tried to get myself under control so I could find out more. “Honestly, there’s not a lot I can tell you about the vision. You and Jed were in your office. He said Rogers was turning, and you said he needed to be taught a lesson.”
He stroked his chin with the tip of his finger. “Rogers, huh? That’s not a huge surprise. I knew he was on the fence.”
“What’s that mean, anyway?”
“He’s decided to side with someone else instead of giving his allegiance to me. The question is to who?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. It wasn’t in the vision.”
“Then force one of me now. Focus on what you saw, and maybe you can find out more.”
Groaning, I grabbed his hand and squeezed, focusing on my memory of the vision. The same images repeated themselves, and it ended exactly where it had ended before.
“That’s it?” Skeeter asked, getting angry.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, Skeeter,” I said, irritated.
“Try something else.”
Instead of focusing on the previous vision, I concentrated on Rogers and who he was siding with . . . and got the same exact vision I’d experienced the first two times.
“Try it again,” he huffed out.
“I’m not a Magic Eight-Ball. You can’t keep making me have visions until you get something you like.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Hey, here’s an idea: Find out from Rogers himself.”
He considered this for a moment. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Now who’s threatening Mason?”
“I told you I don’t know. But as soon as I find out, I’ll let you know.”
“You mean like how you hustled to get my money back after I gave you information about the bank robbers?”
“The deal was that I got your money back. I lived up to my end.”
Maybe so, but he hadn’t exactly been in a hurry. I needed more reassurance than his vague response. What proof had he offered me that some unknown force was out to get Mason? How did I know I wasn’t being duped? “I want you to promise to leave Mason alone too.”
“What?”
“Stop messin’ with him.”
He laughed. “That’s it?”
“No, it’s just a start. You have to promise me you won’t hurt him.” Then I added while ticking off my demands with my fingers, “And you can’t get anyone else to do it either. And you have to look into who might be after Mason and take care of it.”
“You’re serious.”
I gave him a grim smile. “As a heart attack.”
“That’s all you want?” he asked, shaking his head. “Don’t you want money?”
“Mason is worth all the money in the world to me and more. I don’t want a dime. Only his guaranteed safety. You have to tell me the minute you know something about who’s after him.”
“Hell, I already told you I would.” He waved his hand as though I’d asked him to do the simplest task. “Why are we going over this again?”
“You have to promise.”
His amusement fell away. “You know I’m not a man of my word, Lady.”
My eyes bore into his. “But you are, Skeeter. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”
Uncertainty flickered in his eyes. “I won’t touch a hair on his head.” When I started to protest, he added, sounding angry, “And I won’t let anyone else do it, including whoever is out to get him, too. You’re right. I’d rather this arrangement be based on mutual need. That way you’ll be more inclined to help and not withhold information from me.”
“Fine.”
I’d just made yet another deal with the devil.
I reached for the door handle again. “I’ve gotta go.”
He flicked his hand, still brooding. “Go.”
When I climbed out, Jed was leaning against the hood of the car. He turned to me with raised eyebrows. “He might be a little cranky,” I volunteered.
He nodded and moved for his car door while I crossed the lot to my truck. I left first, heading for the landscaping office while pondering what I’d done. Would Skeeter renege on our deal since I hadn’t been able to give him the information he wanted? For some bizarre reason, I trusted him. It wasn’t a safe bet. At all. Yet, like him, I’d learned to go with my gut.
Bruce Wayne was bent over his computer when I walked into the office. He looked up with a grimace.
I briefly considered telling him about my meeting with Skeeter, but decided the less he knew the better. “What’s givin’ you such a long face?”
“I’ve been sitting here all morning, and I don’t think I’m smart enough to figure out this computer stuff.”
“The landscaping program or the computer itself?”
He threw up his hands. “Any of it.”
I gnawed on my lip for a moment. “I’m not sure I’m the one to teach you. I barely know how to use one myself. We need someone to teach us.”
The doorbell jingled, and Neely Kate walked in. I swung my gaze toward her, realizing she might be the answer to my prayers.
“What?” she asked when she noticed the way I was looking at her.
“Have you ever taught anyone how to use computers?” I knew she was good with them. She used them all the time to search the Internet for ideas about decorating her baby’s room and recipes . . . Maybe asking her for help wasn’t such a good idea after all.