Page 20 of Frankie (Big Northwest #5)

CHAPTER TWENTY

JD

H e couldn’t decide if he was happy to see Foster or wanted to put a fist through the guy’s face. If Frankie had been pleasant to Phillip, he might have given the PI a pass. Forgotten the way they met and moved on.

But she gave the prick shit. Snarled and snapped at him. And the asshole fucking smiled. Looked pleased as punch to be on the receiving end of her wrath, and that might be what sealed his fate.

Because no one got to enjoy pissing her off but him.

JD stalked up to where Foster stood with Craig, glaring at Phillip’s clean-shaven face as he stopped right in front of him. “Don’t make me kick your ass.”

Craig’s brows lifted, but Foster held up one hand before his friend could start asking questions. He gave JD the same, shit-eating grin he’d offered Frankie. “I’m not interested in her, so you can calm down.” His eyes drifted to where Frankie sat on the couch with her sisters. “Vicious isn’t really my type.”

While JD fought the urge to gouge Foster’s eyes out for looking at her, Craig started to laugh.

“You think that, but it kinda grows on you.” His own gaze settled on where his wife sat. “Plus, there’s scary vicious, and then there’s hot vicious, and I can tell you from experience, hot vicious will ruin your life in the best way possible.”

JD opened his mouth to defend Frankie, but ended up shaking his head. “I can’t really argue with that.”

Foster downed the last of whatever the fuck nasty shit he was drinking for breakfast. “I’ll have to take your word for it, boys.” He swiped one hand across his mouth. “Because I can guarantee you I won’t be finding my way into any vicious beds.”

Craig shrugged. “Your loss.”

JD rocked his head from side to side, irritated by the conversation, but more irritated by the one he was about to initiate. “I need to talk to you about something.” He gave Craig a once over, hesitating only a second before deciding to let him stick around. After this morning’s fire, Frankie’s sisters would be up her ass regardless, and if there really was something going on, he didn’t want to be the only one who knew it.

If Foster was surprised, he didn’t show it. Just waited silently for JD to offer up information he wished didn’t exist.

“There’s a reason Frankie was at my house last night.” He scrubbed one hand down his face, kicking himself for not coming to Foster earlier. “Yesterday, she wanted to check up on her job sites, so I took her out. At the last one, a tree nearly came down on top of us.”

One of Foster’s brows angled, but that was his only outward reaction. “And you think that wasn’t an accident.”

JD glanced back at where Frankie was now completely surrounded by her sisters, the four of them up her ass in a way she likely hated. He turned back to the private investigator. “Frankie said sometimes that can happen at a site, but no. I don’t think it was an accident.”

Foster’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

JD took a deep breath before adding on the most problematic part of the story. “Because after the tree came down, Frankie said she heard someone. Seemed convinced it was a person, not an animal.” He refocused on Craig, knowing Frankie’s brother-in-law would be more likely to understand what he was getting at. “She started to chase them down, but—” he stopped short of accidentally offering up the other secret she was keeping. “But I was able to stop her.”

Both men were quiet for a minute. Foster was the first one to speak. “You said sometimes that can happen at a site. What makes it happen?”

Foster was asking the right questions, so a little of his unhappiness at having to bring him in dissipated. JD explained what Frankie had told him about the ways a tree could come down without being part of the job.

“We have to go out there. See where it fell from and figure out if it was an accident or if someone helped things along.” Craig glanced to where the sisters sat before meeting JD’s eyes. “Frankie know you’re looking into this?”

JD nodded. “I’m done keeping secrets from her.” He would keep secrets for her—unless they put her in danger—but she would always know before he spilled them.

“Maybe she should come with us.” Foster had one hand braced against his chin as he considered. “I think it would be easy to tell if someone took a tree down versus it falling on its own, but she knows way more of what to look for if it’s not as clear cut as we're expecting.”

JD shifted on his feet, uncomfortable with the thought. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Sometimes the sisters can be...” He tried to think of a word that wouldn’t give too much away. “Reactive. And I don’t want to risk her getting worked up. Especially out there.”

He’d seen what Frankie was capable of when she was completely healthy. Right now she wasn’t, but that might not stop her from trying to do what she normally could, and he wouldn’t risk her hurting herself.

Again.

“Maybe we can take someone who works for her.” Craig tipped his head. “You know any of the foremen?”

JD clicked his tongue. “That’s probably another thing we should consider. One of her foremen has been a little dicey lately. Overstepping his position and taking certain… liberties.”

It took a hell of a lot of work to keep his tone neutral. To keep from putting his own opinions onto the other men. He wanted them to come to their own, separate conclusions. They held much less bias—especially Foster—and would tell him if he was overreacting.

“Let’s go out to that jobsite. See what we’re dealing with there first.” Foster’s attitude was all business. “Hopefully by the time we’re done, the fire marshal will have an idea of what happened at her house. Then we can start making some decisions and figuring out where to go from there.”

Craig nodded. “Agreed.” He straightened away from the counter he’d been leaning against. “No reason to get upset until we know it’s warranted.”

“That’s easier said than done. Especially with these girls.” Their need to protect each other was tantamount. It was literally in their DNA. When they thought one of them was in danger, shit got real out of control, real fast. “Speaking of the sisters.” JD stepped closer to Phillip. “Any ideas on where James might be?”

“A few.” Foster tucked one hand into the pocket of his pants to pull out his cell phone. “I know where she’s been but haven’t found where she’s going yet.”

JD was ready to ask why the fuck that should matter—he wasn’t supposed to find where she was going, just where she actually was—but Foster turned away, going straight to the front of the house.

He paused, turning back toward them. “Are we going?”

He had some thoughts about Phillip Foster—not all of them good—but the guy sure as hell didn’t waste time. And all things considered, he appreciated the fuck out of it.

“Give me a sec.” JD went to where Frankie sat on the sofa, looking thoroughly displeased with the amount of empathetic attention being slung her way. A slight frown tipped her lips as she leaned into the cushions, like she was trying to put as much space between her and her sisters as possible. One of the throw pillows from the couch was clutched to her chest, adding another layer of protection from their aggressive concern.

When she saw him, her eyes brightened, and she moved to get up. “Are we going?”

She was gonna fucking kill him if he left her here.

He wasn’t willing to take her back to the jobsite, but he could sure as hell save her before he went. “We should go check on the girls, don’t you think?”

Frankie all but beamed up at him, like he was her knight in shining armor. “Yup. We should. I bet they’re pissing and shitting all over your house right now.”

Reaching one hand out to her, he hefted her up from the sofa, hoping her worries about the girls were just for affect and not a genuine concern. Once she was upright and seemed steady on her feet, he turned to her sisters. “We’ll be back later on.”

“Speak for yourself,” Frankie mumbled as she all but ran for the door.

Craig and Phillip were there waiting, both looking a little surprised when they saw Frankie coming at them.

“I thought you said you didn’t want her out there with us?” Phillip brows pinched together as he turned to Frankie. “And don’t you want to stay here with your sisters?”

Frankie blanched. “Not when they’re like this. They’ll fucking smother me to death.” She flung open the door and hurried out, making it a few steps before spinning back around. “What the fuck do you mean, with us ?”

JD hooked one arm around her waist, turning her forward and helping her down the steps. “Foster and Craig are going to come out to the jobsite with me. See what we can find.”

Frankie scoffed. “I should go with you. I know way more about what to look for than any of you three dumbasses.”

“I’m pretty sure we can narrow it down, and if we have any questions I’ll FaceTime you.” JD led Frankie to his truck. He loaded her into the passenger side before turning to the two men. “We’ll drop her off first, and then we’ll head over.”

“Fine with me.” Foster got into the back seat, taking his place behind Frankie. “The sooner we figure this out, the sooner I can find James and get the fuck out of your hair.”

“Can’t wait.” JD took his spot behind the wheel.

The drive to his house was anything but quiet, with Craig and Phillip both peppering Frankie with questions about her business and her house and Carl and anyone else they should be suspicious of. All the information she offered was known to him, so he racked his brain for what they might be missing.

Hopefully there was nothing.

Hopefully this was all a weird series of coincidences and accidents, and then he could finally move forward in his life and stop being stalled out under the weight of a promise he should’ve known he wouldn’t be able to keep.

Which brought up another issue.

He was going to have to admit to his father what he’d done. Was doing. Planned to do.

And there was no telling how that would go over.

He dropped Frankie off, going inside with her to make sure she was bullshitting about her dogs' inside bathroom habits, before rejoining Craig and Foster in his truck. Craig had taken over Frankie’s spot, leaving JD in the hot seat, primed to answer questions from the former private investigator.

“What’s going on with you and Frankie?” Craig didn’t mince words and he didn’t hold back. He went straight for the kill.

If he was expecting JD to hedge, he was about to be real fucking surprised. “Same thing that went on between you and Danny.” He glanced Craig’s way. “You’re welcome for setting that up, by the way. ”

The girls had wanted to run Craig right the fuck out of town, but he’d offered the man a little insider information, hoping it would encourage the private investigator to stick around. Once it was clear there was something brewing between him and Danny, JD did everything in his power to help the stars align. Looking back, it was the beginning of the excuse he’d been searching for. The justification to allow him what he’d always wanted. He wasn’t necessarily expecting it to happen four times over, and he didn’t anticipate Frankie being as pissed at him as she was, but it seemed like it was all finally working out.

Would his dad see it the same way?

Maybe not. But for the first time in his life, he didn’t necessarily care what his dad thought.

There wasn’t an ounce of surprise on Craig’s face at JD’s answer. “You’re not worried she’s going to try to kill you in your sleep?”

JD shrugged. “Worried? Not really.” A slow smile spread across his face. “Kinda makes me hard, though.”

Foster scoffed in the backseat, shaking his head. “There is something seriously wrong with you guys.”

JD met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “Are you seriously telling me if Frankie had offered to take you home that first night, you wouldn’t have gone?”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I would have taken a hard pass on that.” Foster seemed to be telling the truth. “Plus, I don’t mix business and pleasure. ”

Craig turned in his seat, angling a brow as he asked, “Are you trying to say something?”

Foster grinned. “I’m saying I would have questioned your professionalism if you hadn’t quit your whole fucking job after going to Shadow Pine.” Foster shook his head, seemingly disappointed. “You walked away from one hell of a lucrative business. Sometimes I still can’t believe it.”

“A lucrative business I passed off to you.” Craig shrugged. “And I found what I was looking for. Seemed pointless to keep hunting.”

Foster turned his attention to the window. “There’s always something new to hunt for.”

As a hunter, JD could agree with him. But as a man?

Foster couldn’t be more fucking wrong. He found what he was looking for right out of the gate, but circumstance forced him to let it go. To go after something new. Something else. And all he did was keep circling back to the only thing that mattered.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Right up until they pulled into the gravel lane leading back to the jobsite.

“Well this is real fucking interesting.” Foster leaned between the seats, taking in the site in front of them.

“Interesting isn’t the word I’d use.” He couldn’t hide his anger. “I knew I should’ve come back here yesterday.”

Instead, he’d let himself get distracted. Caught up in a moment he couldn’t regret but might’ve placed Frankie’s safety in limbo .

“I thought you said no one was working at the site?” Craig shifted in his seat so he could lean forward toward the windshield. “Is this how it looked yesterday when you were here?”

JD shook his head. “No. They’ve taken down a lot more trees.” There was now an entire crew working across the area. The damaged truck was still there, but the tree that had fallen on it was gone, along with dozens of others.

“Frankie’s going to shit her pants.” He raked one hand through his hair, dreading what he was going to have to tell her.

“You know this guy who’s a problem?” Foster squinted at the men moving around. “Because I bet I can point him out right now.”

Carl stood at the center of everything, glaring their way, looking way less pleasant than he had when JD met him a few days ago.

“Think we should talk to him?” JD wanted to do way more than talk to the prick, but hopefully Foster and Craig would help him keep a level head.

Or at least bail him out if he needed it.

“Yeah.” Craig already had his hand on the door. “Sometimes it helps when these assholes find out the girls have men backing them up.” He had the door open and one foot out when he turned back to JD with a smirk. “Dumbasses don’t realize we’re not the ones they should be worried about.”