Page 6 of Colton On Guard
“Right,” Jeff replied. With all his attention fixed on Genna, he barely looked at Parker. “So, what do you say, Genna? Drinks tonight or tomorrow?”
Expression tight, Genna nonetheless managed a smile. “Thanks, but like I said, I’m not interested. Here at RTA, we appreciate your business. Now, if there’s not anything else, you’re all finished up and you can go.”
Jeff didn’t move. As if he thought by standing his ground, Genna would somehow change her mind.
Parker took a step forward, his hands balled into fists. “Is there something else you need?” he asked, allowing a hint of warning to enter his voice. “If not, I’ll be happy to escort you to your vehicle.”
Finally, Jeff turned his head to look at Parker. The open hostility in his ruddy face made Parker straighten. “I’d appreciate you giving us a little space,” he said. “I’m still talking to Genna.”
“No, we’re all done,” Genna countered. “As a matter of fact, I’m about to go back to my office and start getting caught up on things.”
“But you haven’t agreed to go out with me yet,” Jeff said. “I can’t leave until I know when we’re meeting.”
About to open his mouth to tell the guy off, Parker closed it when Genna shot Jeff a withering look. “First off, I’m not going out with you. Not tonight or tomorrow night. Not ever. I don’t know how to make that any clearer.”
She took a deep breath and then pointed to the exit. “Since you don’t seem to understand how to take no for an answer, let me make things clear. You need to go. You’re finished with your trip. If you want to book another, you can do that online. Have a nice day.” With that, she spun around and disappeared into the back office.
For the space of a few heartbeats, Parker thought Jeff might be foolish enough to go after her. He got ready, just in case he needed to physically stop him.
“She needs to listen to me,” Jeff muttered. “I know I can convince her.”
“No, you can’t, and no, she doesn’t.”
Jeff narrowed his gaze, focusing on Parker. “I just need five minutes.” He made a move, like he intended to slip in behind the counter and head for the back office.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Parker said. “You need to leave. Right now.”
“How about you and me settle this outside?”
“I’d be glad to.” Though Jeff wasn’t a small man, Parker had several inches and at least twenty pounds on him. Maybe a fight would be just the thing to help him get over his jumbled feelings.
Clearly, Jeff hadn’t been expecting Parker to take him up on his offer.
“Let’s go,” Parker said, moving out from behind the counter to the door and holding it open. “I’m suddenly in the mood for a fight. My only rule is no weapons—no knife or gun or anything other than fists.”
Jeff mumbled a curse and stalked past him. Parker followed him out. But instead of turning to make good on his threat, Jeff strode over to his lifted truck and left.
Since the next group wasn’t due to arrive for an hour and Spence would be taking them river rafting, Parker locked the dead bolt. When he turned around, he saw Genna had come back out front.
Remaining behind the counter, she watched at Jeff drove off in his SUV. “I don’t think he should be allowed to book again,” she said once the vehicle had gone. “If you hadn’t been here, I don’t think I would have been safe.” The slight quiver in her voice made his gut clench.
“I agree.” Dragging his hand though his hair, Parker swallowed. “I’m sorry that you had to deal with that, especially on your first day.”
Eyeing him, some of the tension left her face. “He sure was pushy,” she said. “Thanks for getting him to leave.”
Though he wondered if she had to deal with stuff like that often, he also knew it wasn’t any of his business. “After the Fiancée Killer started murdering women, Lakin had a panic button installed near the computer,” he told her. “Thankfully,guys like that are rare. But if you press that button, it sends out an alert to the police station and also to mine and Spence’s phones.”
“Good to know.” Green eyes pensive, she shrugged. “I sure as heck didn’t expect something like that to happen on my first day. And, yes, with four women dead, that serial killer has just about every single female in Shelby nervous.”
“Justifiably so. Hetty is our only female tour guide, though she’s also a pilot, and she’s nervous, too. We’ve instituted a policy where no female, whether employee or guest, is ever left alone at night on the premises.”
“Good.” She glanced around. “I’m guessing that’s not possible in the daytime.”
“We try, but mostly it’s not,” he answered. “The good thing is, since we’re super busy, there will nearly always be a guide either coming in or out, not to mention constant groups of guests.”
“Good. I confess, I wasn’t too worried until you brought up the Fiancée Killer.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. Deciding now would be as good a time as any, he swallowed. “There’s something else I need to apologize for.”