Page 44 of Talon

“True.”

“Check out this other thing I found. At his previous job, one of the men in his department filed a sexual harassment complaint.”

“Wait. A man?”

“Yeah, maybe he’s an equal opportunity perv.”

“I don’t know. Feels off.”

“There’s more. Apparently, he has an old Peeping Tom charge on his record. He was eighteen and the girl was sixteen. They went to the same high school. The girl didn’t want to press charges, but her dad insisted.”

“What happened with the case?” I ask.

“Hank got probation for two years.”

“Did he try to contact the girl after his time was up?”

“Don’t know, but she’s happily married and living in New Hampshire now.”

“Huh. So, one guy and one girl. Anything else?”

“Nothing yet, but I’m still digging.”

“I don’t like it.” My gut clenches at the thought of someone like that being close to Jessica.

“Me, either.”

“I want surveillance on Hank’s house,” I say firmly.

Matrix grins and holds up a remote.“Already one step ahead of you, brother. I went to Hank’s neighbor’s house earlier, posing as a utility worker. After I gained access to their back yard, with their permission, I set up cameras on the utility poles.”

“Nice.”

He clicks a button, and a live video feed of Hank’s house appears on the screen.“I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t leave the house tonight. If he does, I’ll text you right away.”

“Good. What about background checks on Jessica’s other coworkers?”

“Still working on it,” Matrix replies, his eyes never leaving the screen.

“Work faster,” I snap, surprising myself with my outburst.

“Someone’s panties are in a bunch because of a certain blonde bombshell.” He chuckles.

“Shut up,” I mutter, heat rising to my cheeks.

“How are things going with Jessica, you know, romantically speaking?” he presses, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

“She’s hot, but she’s way out of my league.” I rub the back of my neck. The truth stings more than I care to admit.“I could never end up marrying a woman like her. She’s a princess, and I’m just … a swamp rat.”

“Hey,” Matrix says, his expression softening.“You never know what life has in store for you. Don’t sell yourself short.”

I shake my head, unwilling to entertain the idea of a future with Jessica. Right now, my priority is keeping her safe, and that’s all that matters.

“Y’know,” Matrix says, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands behind his head.“I never thought I’d end up with an ex-FBI agent, but look at me now.”

“Are things still going well with Daisy?” I ask, trying to shift the focus away from my own love life or, rather, lack thereof.

“Man, you wouldn’t believe the stuff she does. Just the other day, she accidentally triggered the house alarm while practicing her kickboxing moves. She lost her balance, fell over, and accidentally hit the panic button.”