tone.
“You heard the lady,” Jeffrey echoed as he bracketed his hands on his hips and thrust out his chin. “Shut up!”
Surprise vaulted through her. This was not the Jeffrey she knew. He looked like hell. His hair and clothes were tousled. He needed a shave. Clearly he was worried and overwrought. Had to be the pressure. Jeffrey Scott was not the demanding type and he certainly wasn’t the sort to pick a fight…or to finish one, no matter the circumstances.
“Do you really expect me to take this from this guy?” Landry asked, amusement simmering in his expression.
Bad had just gone to worse.
Before she could find her voice, Jeffrey amped up his glower at Landry. “Who do you think you are?”
Landry heaved a big breath and shoved his weapon into his waistband. “Sorry about this.”
Had Olivia not been so startled by Jeffrey’s actions, she might have seen Landry’s next move coming.
But she didn’t…not until it was too late.
Landry slugged Jeffrey.
Jeffrey crumpled like a leftover snowman in an East Coast spring thaw.
Olivia dropped to her knees next to his still body. “I swear, Landry.” She aimed a death ray at him. “If you’ve hurt him I’ll kill you.”
Dammit. She smoothed the hair off Jeffrey’s forehead. He was out cold. Fury charged through her. She muttered a few choice adjectives that described Landry perfectly, including traitor, asshole and a few others.
“He’ll live.”
Before she could argue, Landry scooped Jeffrey up and settled him into the backseat as if he weighed nothing.
“He’ll need a seat belt,” she snapped. Jeffrey never failed to wear his seat belt.
Landry looked annoyed but he did as she said. He tugged the middle safety belt around Jeffrey’s waist and buckled it behind him. It wasn’t exactly the way the design engineers intended, but it would help. It was anyone’s guess what would happen next.
When Landry shut the door, he studied her a few moments, confusion lining his brow.
“What?” She wanted so bad to slug him on Jeffrey’s behalf that it was all she could do not to act on the throbbing impulse.
“Where did you find this guy?” Landry shook his head. “He’s not exactly your type, Nessa.”
Enough. She’d had it with him. “You don’t know a damn thing about me anymore, Landry. So just back off!”
He held up both hands in surrender. “Got it. We’re wasting time here. The bottom line is your vehicle has been made. We need new wheels. Let’s go back and get my SUV and we’ll get the hell out of here. We need some distance and some time to sort this out.”
Her free hand settled on her hip while her fingers tightened around the butt of the Beretta. “I didn’t agree to give you the twenty-four hours, Landry. I’ll take you back to your vehicle and then this little reunion is over.”
Determination replaced his usually impassive expression. “You’re going to get yourself and your friend killed.”
Her gaze narrowed. How the hell could he expect her to trust him? What was he doing here? Why would he come barging back into her life?
“He’s not my friend, Landry, he’s my lover.”
He made a rude sound. “Now I’m really impressed.”
That urge to hurt him physically almost overwhelmed her a second time. “What’s the location of your vehicle?”
“You drive,” he countered. “I’ll give you the directions.”
It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d said no or argued the point further. He walked around to the other side of the Explorer and got into the front passenger seat without waiting for her agreement or caring what she thought.
She got in, plopped her Beretta onto the console, slammed the door and shoved the gearshift into Drive. They’d spent all that time on the side of the road arguing and she still didn’t know squat.
Olivia felt just as helpless as she had all those years ago when she’d fallen in love with him.
Why couldn’t she learn from her mistakes?
Landry had parked his SUV
“You heard the lady,” Jeffrey echoed as he bracketed his hands on his hips and thrust out his chin. “Shut up!”
Surprise vaulted through her. This was not the Jeffrey she knew. He looked like hell. His hair and clothes were tousled. He needed a shave. Clearly he was worried and overwrought. Had to be the pressure. Jeffrey Scott was not the demanding type and he certainly wasn’t the sort to pick a fight…or to finish one, no matter the circumstances.
“Do you really expect me to take this from this guy?” Landry asked, amusement simmering in his expression.
Bad had just gone to worse.
Before she could find her voice, Jeffrey amped up his glower at Landry. “Who do you think you are?”
Landry heaved a big breath and shoved his weapon into his waistband. “Sorry about this.”
Had Olivia not been so startled by Jeffrey’s actions, she might have seen Landry’s next move coming.
But she didn’t…not until it was too late.
Landry slugged Jeffrey.
Jeffrey crumpled like a leftover snowman in an East Coast spring thaw.
Olivia dropped to her knees next to his still body. “I swear, Landry.” She aimed a death ray at him. “If you’ve hurt him I’ll kill you.”
Dammit. She smoothed the hair off Jeffrey’s forehead. He was out cold. Fury charged through her. She muttered a few choice adjectives that described Landry perfectly, including traitor, asshole and a few others.
“He’ll live.”
Before she could argue, Landry scooped Jeffrey up and settled him into the backseat as if he weighed nothing.
“He’ll need a seat belt,” she snapped. Jeffrey never failed to wear his seat belt.
Landry looked annoyed but he did as she said. He tugged the middle safety belt around Jeffrey’s waist and buckled it behind him. It wasn’t exactly the way the design engineers intended, but it would help. It was anyone’s guess what would happen next.
When Landry shut the door, he studied her a few moments, confusion lining his brow.
“What?” She wanted so bad to slug him on Jeffrey’s behalf that it was all she could do not to act on the throbbing impulse.
“Where did you find this guy?” Landry shook his head. “He’s not exactly your type, Nessa.”
Enough. She’d had it with him. “You don’t know a damn thing about me anymore, Landry. So just back off!”
He held up both hands in surrender. “Got it. We’re wasting time here. The bottom line is your vehicle has been made. We need new wheels. Let’s go back and get my SUV and we’ll get the hell out of here. We need some distance and some time to sort this out.”
Her free hand settled on her hip while her fingers tightened around the butt of the Beretta. “I didn’t agree to give you the twenty-four hours, Landry. I’ll take you back to your vehicle and then this little reunion is over.”
Determination replaced his usually impassive expression. “You’re going to get yourself and your friend killed.”
Her gaze narrowed. How the hell could he expect her to trust him? What was he doing here? Why would he come barging back into her life?
“He’s not my friend, Landry, he’s my lover.”
He made a rude sound. “Now I’m really impressed.”
That urge to hurt him physically almost overwhelmed her a second time. “What’s the location of your vehicle?”
“You drive,” he countered. “I’ll give you the directions.”
It wouldn’t have mattered if she’d said no or argued the point further. He walked around to the other side of the Explorer and got into the front passenger seat without waiting for her agreement or caring what she thought.
She got in, plopped her Beretta onto the console, slammed the door and shoved the gearshift into Drive. They’d spent all that time on the side of the road arguing and she still didn’t know squat.
Olivia felt just as helpless as she had all those years ago when she’d fallen in love with him.
Why couldn’t she learn from her mistakes?
Landry had parked his SUV
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