Deadly Revenge (Pearl River #3)

Chapter 33

33

Max pulled into Jenna’s drive at seven thirty Wednesday morning with the scent of cinnamon and sugar teasing him. He climbed out, grabbed the white paper sack, and called her number as he walked to the porch. She answered on the second ring.

“Good morning.”

Her voice didn’t sound as though she’d been up long.

“To you too. How would you like a warm sticky bun to go with your coffee?” The buns had been Jenna’s favorite breakfast pastry when they worked robbery together.

“Mmm. Are you apologizing for something?”

“No, but I am standing at your front door with four just out of the oven.”

The door flew open. Jenna was still holding the phone in her hand. “You said the magic words!” Her eyes sparkled and her lips curled in a smile that sent his heart soaring.

“I was hoping. Do you have coffee made?”

Her smile dimmed a little. “Only one cup, but it won’t take long to make another.”

“Then you can have the buns.” He held them out.

“I trust you ... bring them on to the kitchen.” She tilted her head and studied him. “You look tired.”

“It was noisy at the hotel last night.” Max wasn’t about to tell her he’d slept in his truck just in case someone had broken in on her and decided to visit again. He followed her and noted a chair propped under the back door.

“I thought if my intruder returns, he’ll have to use the front door and maybe someone will see him.”

“Good idea.”

A few minutes later Jenna handed him a cup of steaming coffee and sat across from him, twisting the watch on her arm.

“About last night,” she said. “First, thank you for not insisting on staying. You don’t understand, but after what happened in Chattanooga, if you had stayed, it would’ve confirmed that you didn’t think I can take care of myself.”

“I was worried about you, still am.”

“Are you worried because someone broke in here or worried that I’m losing it?”

He didn’t answer right away, and her eyes narrowed. She leaned forward. “For the record, I saw a man when we pulled into the drive, and he was standing by the window. Whether you believe it or not.”

“Jenna, I know you thought you saw someone, but we didn’t find any evidence that anyone had been here.”

“Do you think I’m having PTSD again?”

It had crossed his mind. Had her mind created an image of a man in the window? He hadn’t seen it, and without a shred of evidence suggesting someone had been in the house again—

A text sounded on his phone at the same time hers dinged, and they both glanced at their screens. “Alex,” she said.

He nodded and read the text. Carter was arriving earlier than ten and the briefing had been moved up to eight o’clock.

She looked up at him. “We’ll have to hustle to make it, but we’re not done with this conversation.”

He divided the pastries with her and grabbed the cup of coffee. Once he was behind the wheel of his truck, he followed her SUV out of the drive. Could she be having PTSD from the shooting in Chattanooga? Max wasn’t certain she’d recovered mentally from that night. He was pretty sure PTSD and the attitude of her supervisor were the reasons she’d taken Alex’s offer to be a Russell County deputy and moved back home.

But what if Sebastian was in Russell County? Could Sebastian know she had PTSD? From what Max had heard, the man had a sadistic streak a mile wide. And if he was in cahoots with Phillip Ross ... Sebastian could be breaking into Jenna’s house, searching for the photos she’d taken of Phillip and Sebastian together.

One thing was for certain. They needed to know Sebastian’s whereabouts.