Free Break Point by Danielle LaBue Page B

crossbones. The same picture he had found on the envelopes sent to Summer.
    He jumped over his chair toward the door, spilling beers and knocking elbows on his way. Summer wasn’t in sight, but he couldn’t let the guy get away.. When he got to the door, he bolted out to the lot, just in time to lose the taillights of a brown sedan over the horizon. “Hey, what the hell is going on?” Summer yelled as she jogged up behind him. “Why did you bolt out of there so quickly?”
    “The guy who has been sending you the mail with the scary pictures was here ...”
    “Excuse me, can we help you?” Jake looked up at the familiar voice.
    “Who are you?” Jake asked, playing his cover.
    “I’m Earl Diggs with the Bonita Springs PD. I overheard your discussion. I’m familiar with your case, Miss. Riley. I’m off-duty but I can call my guys.”
    “That’s okay. I got this handled.” Jake extended his hand. “Jake Harrison by the way. Good to meet you.”
    “How do you know it was the same guy?” Summer asked, pulling on Jake’s sleeve.
    “His tattoo matches. I saw it.” Jake pointed to his left arm. “I don’t know if he’s following you or what, but he’s out there.” He heard the shock in his voice. Maybe there was more to the mail than he bargained for.
    “Did anyone talk to you or approach you in there?” Diggs asked. “See any one suspicious?”
    “No, but I wasn’t really paying attention.” Her gaze turned back to Jake. “I thought I was supposed to be relaxing.” She looked down the street, then back toward the bar. “I think I’d like to go home.”
    Jake felt his heart sink when he saw fear cloud her emerald eyes. “Hey, relax. Remember you can trust me.”
    “Trust you?” She shook her head, still staring out at the empty road. “Yeah, right. I don’t even know who you are.”

 
    Chapter Six
     
    Summer closed Jake’s bedroom door behind her and slung her gigantic duffle bag on the bed. After tonight’s events at the bar, Jake insisted, for safety’s sake, she stay at his house indefinitely. She hadn’t spoken to him the whole ride here but she could tell by the way he rubbed his temples that a headache was coming on. It served him right, she figured. He deserved it for lying to her. Or at least omitting the truth. How did she know he hadn’t set her up? And if she wasn’t allowed to know his true identity, wh at else was he hiding from her?
    She pawed through the rumpled pile of clothes bulging through the bag’s open zipper. Jake told her she’d be there at least a few days, but she didn’t feel the need to unpack. That would imply she was staying, something she wasn’t sure she wanted him to assume. Finding a t-shirt in one of the drawers, she slipped it over her head. The musky scent that was signature Jake filled her nostrils. The jerk. She climbed in bed, puling the comforter over her face.
    After a moment she rolled to her side and looked out at the lonely ocean. In the moonlight she could make out the outline of Jake at the top of the stairs, the orange glow of a cigarette dangling at his side. A disgusting habit for sure, but it intrigued her that it never surfaced other than late night when he thought she was long asleep. Maybe he did respect her after all. At least enough not to do it in her presence.
    She rolled back over, her hair snagging on her earring. Carefully she removed them both and too lazy to stash them anywhere else, she opened the nightstand drawer beside her. When she looked inside there was a thick grey book that looked a lot like a photo album. Jake’s initials written in calligraphy were prominent in the middle, but faded under a thick layer of dust.
    She looked down at it a moment and then shut the drawer. Curiosity forced her to reopen it. Pulling it out, she thumbed through the pages until a picture on the inside cover caught her eye. A black and white shot of a shirtless Jake in tight jeans standing next to a race car. Under his arm he