Rusty’s stomach lurched. “What do you mean, house?”
“That LaCroix. You were at his house last night, but you didn’t stay. Did you remember you belong to me? That’s a good boy.” Tyler smiled, showing teeth less pearly white than usual.
“How the hell do you know where I was? Are you tracking me?” Rusty lunged toward Tyler, forgetting his resolution, but Tyler danced back out of reach.
“Ah-ah, no hands when you’re glaring like that. Of course I always know where you are. We’re soulmates.” Tyler’s tone and wry expression showed he didn’t really mean the word.
A chatter of young voices, two small girls and their adult approaching, kept Rusty from chasing Tyler farther. Violence would not make a good impression from a brand-new counselor. “There’s laws against stalking and bugging and following shit. I will totally call the cops on you. Don’t think I won’t.”
Tyler cocked his head. “You know, you could pay me to go away.”
Rusty snorted. “So now our soulmatery is for sale?”
“Baby, it’s a cold hard world. Everything’s for sale. Although you know what would be cool?” Tyler grinned, shifting his weight foot to foot. “If you and me could get our hands on some of LaCroix’s money, and then run away together. That dude has millions, hundreds of millions, he wouldn’t miss a few. We couldbuy a yacht and cruise the ocean, no troubles, no rent, no cops. Just you and me and some topflight booze. What do you say?”
“You’re crazy.” Rusty stared at him. “Or high or something. No, I am not helping you steal Cross’s money to buy a yacht. And so help me, if you go near him, I’ll forget about the law and smear you to a bloody paste across the pavement. Are we clear?”
Tyler jumped back a couple more feet. “Who said steal? We ask him. Like, how much would he pay not to be outed in the tabloids?” His expression went crafty. “I wonder how muchtheywould pay for an exposé. Easier money, no risks.”
“Stay away from me. Stay away from Cross. Stay away from the papers.” Rusty was going to add threats, but another clump of kids and adults arrived at the minivan parked next to him.
Tyler glanced at them, then wiggled his fingers at Rusty. “And you used to be such an obedient boy.” He turned and jogged off across the parking lot.
“Fuck!”
A mom next to Rusty glanced down at her preschooler, then gave Rusty a sharp glare.
“Sorry.” He leaned an arm against his truck and pressed his forehead to his elbow.Fuck.So much for going home to a nice evening of dating and seduction.
He opened the door, climbed into the seat, and called Cross. “Hey, there.”
“Hi, good to hear from you. Are you done at work?”
“Uh.”
“Is something wrong?”
Rusty didn’t want to admit it, but Cross was entitled to hear the new threats. “I ran into Tyler here.”
“I hope you mean that literally.”
“Hah. I wish.” But the smile was welcome. “No, he was waiting for me.”
“How did he know where you were? It’s your first day.”
“Yeah. That. And he knew I’d been in Kansas. And at your house. I think he’s tracking my phone or something.” He hadn’t worried about leaving his phone at the bedside when he showered at Tyler’s until he’d caught him scrolling. Maybe he’d done worse. One more thing to add to his life-lessons-from-dating-a-douchebag list.
“Come on home,” Cross said. “I’ll get Amy to send someone over to check for trackers and bugs.”
Home.That sounded good. Too good. Rusty couldn’t afford to relax into that yet. Plus… “Maybe they should meet me here, so I don’t lead Tyler to you.”
“You said he already knew.”
“Oh, yeah. Fu-udge.” He giggled, a little punchy, because of course no toddler was going to overhear him inside his truck. “Fuck.”
“Come back here. Let me feed you some dinner and give the pros a chance to take Tyler down. Logical, right?”
“I guess I can’t argue with logic.” Especially when he didn’t want to.
