A Forever Masterpiece (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 3) by Nikki Lynn Barrett

with a cup. Hunter couldn't help but notice how nervous he looked, and kept sending glances his way. What was up with that? He'd been that way a lot in the past few encounters they had, and when he mentioned Maryland, Jesse all of a sudden acted more odd.
    By the end of the meeting, Hunter felt better. He'd reluctantly discussed returning to flying, and gave a few details about what happened in Maryland without putting out too much information. He watched Jesse's reactions, feeling unsure all of a sudden. Hunter thought back to every time he told his story at these meetings. The guy was so secretive and he'd also been away. He wondered about him. Jesse gave no last name, but he wasn't expected to. Jesse's eyes had been on him for the duration of the meeting, especially when Hunter talked about Maryland. The concern forming in his mind made his skin crawl. Most likely, Hunter was being overly cautious, but something about Jesse's reactions today really had him bothered.
    As he usually did, Hunter offered Jesse a ride home. No surprise, Jesse declined. This time, Hunter wrote his number on a piece of paper and handed it to Jesse. "Hey, if you ever need to talk, you can reach me here. I hope your mom continues to progress for the better. Seems we both have a lot going on and our meeting attendance is hit and miss. Take it easy, okay?"
    Jesse took the paper from Hunter hesitantly, as if he thought something was wrong with it. "Yeah. Cool. Thanks man." He stumbled and darted away.
    Hunter hurried to his car and drove off, but not in the direction of home. Instead, he trailed behind Jesse as the man climbed on a bike, unlocked it from the bike rack and headed west. He couldn't believe he was really doing this, but when it came to Jesse's reaction when Hunter mentioned Maryland, he wasn't taking chances. He sure as hell hoped this guy wasn't linked to the incident, but why else did he get so rattled after the conversation?
    Jesse could have easily turned around at any point to notice Hunter, but he didn't. About a mile and a half of twists and turns, Jesse finally stopped and climbed off his bike. Normal, right?
    What wasn't normal, or at least it struck Hunter as odd, was Jesse putting the bike in the back of an old, beat up truck, then driving off.
    Hunter grabbed his phone and aimed it at the truck before Jesse drove further away and snapped a picture, then had to brake hard for a red light. Damn it! He slammed his fist on the steering wheel. Why the hell would Jesse ride his bike for a mile and a half, then drive off in a truck? While he waited for the light to turn green, he checked his picture. Blurry as hell, but he could get a little bit of the license plate. This was going to Jed.
    Hunter took a second look and froze.
    Jesse drove a vehicle with Maryland plates.

Chapter Eight
    Becca fought hard with her nerves and lost most of Friday. After work, she'd go home and get ready to meet Brock tonight, and then take a tour of his gallery. The first real good snow of the season was also predicted to hit, and there had already been flurries falling off and on all day.
    Liane stopped her on the way out at the end of the day. "Good luck tonight! Brock seems like a nice guy, and he's been talking nonstop about your art while he waits for results on his daughter."
    "I'm so nervous," Becca admitted. Liane followed her to the office as she clocked out. Part of the nerves was meeting with someone so interested in her work, the other had to do with her admission to Hunter about what happened all those years ago. This time, she had people to back her up. Really, she shouldn't worry so much. One bad event shouldn't have kept her from giving this a shot, and with Hunter's gentle prodding, she finally had the courage to do this.
    "You'll be great. Drive safe. The snow is starting to stick." Liane smiled, then it faded. "Oh, and I'm sorry you had to run into Vince. I know you guys have some history."
    Who told her that? Becca masked her