style="font-size:15px;"> As the two of them sat there in silence, staring out at the blue Pacific, Danny felt the call of the waves one more time. He grinned and shook his head as the realization crested: No matter how much time he spent out there, it never seemed quite enough.
“Hey, you wanna hit it again before I bounce?” Riggs asked as if Danny had spoken the thought out loud.
“Can’t. I caught a new case, and I need to spend some time in front of the computer.”
“Sounds gruesome.”
“Yeah.”
A few beats later, Riggs jumped to his feet and grabbed his board. “Well, I’m not letting these last swells go to waste.”
Danny watched his friend stalk across the sand, the ankle leash attached to the surfboard bobbing along like an awkward tail. Frank took off after him at a full run, pacing along the surf and barking as Riggs pushed his board out into the water.
Danny picked up his coffee cup. He downed the contents on his way back to the house. He made quick work of a hot shower and threw on black sweats and a gray t-shirt before replenishing his coffee and making his way to the office to get something accomplished. A quick check of his inbox, however, waylaid those plans.
Flight confirmation, LAX to New Orleans.
An e-mail from Steph to comment on Stanton’s ankle monitor report, which evidently included several visits to Pinafore Street as well as Jessie’s store. When was that guy going to learn?
Clearance sale at his favorite spy gear shop in Hollywood—hidden safes in the guise of sugar dispensers, mayonnaise jars, wall outlets. New inventory—a night vision video camera, a new model GPS tracker, a peephole door camera.
He clicked on the link and read more. Installs to a standard peephole cutout . . . 170-degree viewing angle with special fish-eye lens. If he installed it in Jessie’s apartment door before he left for Slidell, he could—
Danny groaned and leaned back in the desk chair until it creaked. Running both hands through his hair, he closed his eyes and questioned what this line of work had done to his thinking. Stanton had an ankle monitor on, for crying out loud. Between Steph and Rafe, he had feds and cops aware of his every move, not to mention the additional feds he’d looped into the act because of his financial crimes. Jessie would be fine while he went down to Louisiana. Still. He wished she was going with him.
Browsing the last page of clearance items, his hand froze and hovered over the keyboard when he reached the Personal Safety section. A product called Sting Bling caught his attention. A small 0.5-ounce rhinestone-studded container of pepper spray dangled from a keychain. A quick flash of Jessie accidentally dousing herself with pepper spray nearly deterred him, but his concern about her safety during his absence broke through and he moved on to safer gadgets. Perhaps the Screecher, a personal alarm siren—also attached to a keychain—that might provide just enough added protection to give her time to get away from Stanton if she needed to. But not enough protection that he could turn the tables and use it against her.
He paused over the mantle clock with a compartment for concealing a small handgun before laughing right out loud at the idea of putting a firearm into Jessie’s hands.
If only she’d agree to stay over at Piper’s while he made the trip. Or better yet, Amber’s. Stanton wouldn’t even know where to look for her there.
Danny interrupted his own rambling thoughts and picked up his phone. After finding the number and pressing it into the keypad, he opened the desk drawer and ran his finger over the unopened ring box he’d stashed inside it.
“Danny?” Piper answered on the first ring.
“Hi, Piper. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“I do. I just finished making arrangements for you all to get the table by the fireplace that Jessie likes. Tomorrow night at 7:30, reservation for four in your name.”
“Thanks.”
“So what’s up?”
“Did Jessie mention I’m headed down to Slidell to see her grandfather?”
“She did. And I think it’s just about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. But with Jack wandering around free the way he is, I sure wish she was going with you.”
“You are a girl after my own heart, Mrs. Brunetti. That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. How safe do you think Jessie would be with pepper spray at her disposal?”
Following just one beat of silence, a rolling and unabashed laugh emerged, so contagious Danny couldn’t help himself from joining in.
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