Free The Phoenix by Rhonda Nelson

instance, it only makes sense.”
    That logic, she knew, didn’t hold water. If it held true here, then it was going to have to hold true at other times.
    But she had something else in mind, so ultimately it didn’t matter.
    With a quick jump against his hand, she popped up onto the wall.
    “Hey! What are you doing? Get down from there!”
    Charlie held on tightly, then swung her legs over to the other side. “Okay,” she said, shooting him a triumphant smile before dropping down to the ground.
    “What the fu— Charlie!”
    “Thanks, Jay,” she called. “You saved me a long walk.”
    A fuming pause, then, “Well, what do you see?”
    “Grass, mostly,” she said, walking carefully along the fence line. She glanced from where she stood to the front of the property. There was no fence along the front lawn, so anybody wanting to grab the dog out here would have easy access. Along the sides, there was lots of tree and shrub cover, but there was nothing close enough for anyone to use to easily scale the wall. If someone had baited Truffles with the peanut butter—and she fully believed they had—then how the hell had they gotten her over the wall?
    Curious as to what was behind the back fence as well, Charlie decided to head that way first. Strictly speaking, she was trespassing, but under the circumstances she imagined she could talk her way out of it in the event anyone approached her. She slipped behind various bushes and tree limbs, careful to look for disturbed ground or a missed clue. Other than a few scraps of trash she was certain had been neglected by the grounds crew, she came up empty-handed.
    Damn.
    “That was sneaky,” Jay drawled as he rounded the corner, an impressed smirk tilting his lips. It was insane the things that little grin did to her insides.
    “I like efficient better,” she said, trying to suppress a smile.
    He snorted. “You would.” His thorough gaze slid from one end of her to the other, lingering along the curve of her hip and the swell of her breasts. “Not injured, I presume?”
    Whoa. “From that little jump?” she scoffed. “Hardly.”
    “It’s an eight-foot fence.”
    “And I’m five feet tall. Do the math, Ranger Boy.”
    A single brow lifted. “Ranger Boy?”
    “You’re a former Ranger, right?”
    “That doesn’t sound like a guess,” he said, studying her more intently. Those keen eyes were capable of being much more direct than she would have liked and, for the first time since she’d met him, she saw evidence of a genuine opponent. He was affable, certainly, and charming, if she were honest…but he was a modern-day warrior, as well.
    She’d do well to remember that.
    “You work for Ranger Security,” she said, moving around him once more. She wanted to check out the property on the other side of the Betterworth estate as well, just to make sure that she wasn’t missing anything. “It only stands to reason.”
    Predictably, he fell into step behind her. “Maybe so, but my bullshit radar tells me that’s not how you knew.”
    Perceptive. More so than she’d imagined. Another error in judgment she couldn’t afford. “What does it matter how I knew?”
    His voice developed a distinct edge. “Something tells me that’s a key piece of information I need to have.”
    She pushed aside a branch and ducked behind another shrub, ignoring the strong impulse to flee. She’d be damned before she’d run from him. “You hear voices?” She tsked under her breath. “That’s a bad sign. Perhaps you should talk to someone about it.”
    “You’ve proven that you’re a smart ass,” he said, clearly exasperated. “Now answer the question.”
    She picked up her pace, but his longer legs easily made up the distance. “You didn’t ask a question. You stated your suspicions. Technically, I don’t owe you an answer.”
    He laughed darkly. “Another purposely evasive answer, which means I’m right, otherwise you wouldn’t be making the effort.”
    “Or I