Page 4 of Stolen By the Hit Man

Chapter Four

Joaquin

Shit.

I totally forgot about the roommate situation.

The one thing I promised Nelly is that I’m supposed to warn her when I have visitors so she can vacate the premises. I already failed months ago with the Georgie encounter.

If I go back in there to try to defuse the situation, I’ll fuck it up worse. I decide that the best thing I can do is let Nelly handle it. She’s a professional. A professional what, I have no idea.

I also eavesdrop shamelessly as I dry off from my shower.

“So. You're a sister? A cousin in from out of town?” Nelly asks.

“I’m Jasmyn. I’m a friend, I guess.”

Nelly scoffs. “You guess?”

“Well, we just met, and I’m helping him with the cats,” Jasmyn replies hurriedly.

“Cats, huh? He does like his strays, apparently.”

I’m not cool with Nelly comparing Jasmyn to a stray animal that I’ve picked up off the street.

Jasmyn takes it in stride, chuckling, “Yeah, I guess I’m kind of a mess. I was working in the barn all morning before, um…”

A silence follows Jasmyn after she trails off.

“Oh, that must be why I smell manure.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, honey, I didn’t think you were here to interview for a position as his new administrative assistant.”

Did I say I wasn’t going to butt in? I’m so pissed at Nelly right now, I’m ready to take her down a few pegs.

I’m about to march in there and tell her to apologize, but I’m still wrapped in nothing but a towel.

Not that I would mind if Jasmyn sees me, but under no circumstances would I look like this in front of Nelly.

To her credit, Jasmyn bites back.

“You can put your claws away now. I’m not interested in your boyfriend. I’m just here because he said he needed help."

I stealthily step closer, listening through the door. The thought that Jasmyn thinks Nelly and I are together is truly laughable.

“Ma’am, you are mistaken.”

Still, the cackle that follows this kind of hurts my feelings, not going to lie.

“I am?”

“Me and Joaquin! Are you fucking nuts?”

Jasmyn replies. “I just met both of you. You walk in here looking like that, acting like you own the place. It’s not nuts to jump to that conclusion.”

She has a point, and yet, I hate it.

“Looking like what?” Nelly snarks. “Slut shaming, are we?”

“No! You look like you’re about to go on a date or something. And you look like…his type.”

“The man doesn’t have a type. Not that I’ve seen. In fact, I was starting to think he might be a eunuch.”

Damn, Nelly.

I get dressed quickly, but not quickly enough to step in and break up this back-and-forth. “Be serious. Look at you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment because, as a matter of fact, I do have a date. But not with Joaquin.”

“Oh.”

There’s a pause, and then Nelly gets a suspicious tone in her voice. “Why are you so concerned about me having a thing for Joaquin, anyway?”

“No reason.”

“Uh-huh.”’

“We just met an hour ago.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

“I’m here to help him with the cats,” Jasmyn says. “If they ever show up.”

“I’ll just bet you are.”

I’m dressed and in the hallway now, still listening. Jasmyn is holding her own.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If you don’t know, then you are definitely not ready to take on that man.”

“Apparently, there are whole worlds I don’t know about.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 28. I think."

“You think?”

“It’s a long story.”

Nelly sighs. “I see you’ve got a ring on your finger. And how old is your husband?”

Meekly, Jasmyn replies, “Fifty-five.”

“Well, shit. Let me guess. You’re the number five sister-wife.”

“How did you know that?”

“Wild guess.”

After a pause, Jasmyn asks, “You’re not going to tell them you saw me, are you?”

I can almost hear Nelly shaking her head. “If you’re here to escape, you picked the wrong safe house. God, what is with these guys and the damsels in distress?”

“I’m not a damsel in distress!”

“Okay, okay. Calm down.”

“Just please pretend you never saw me,” Jasmyn pleads.

“Trust me. If I know anything about those kooks, that guy is so busy feeding 47 kids that he’s not even going to notice you’re gone.”

Considering she walked away from him in broad daylight, I think he noticed.

“Just promise me.”

“I pinky promise. Are we done here? I have to go be with sane people.”

“Gladly.”

I hear the sound of a clip getting loaded into Nelly’s pistol.

“What are you doing with that?” Jasmyn asks.

“What? You never went on a date to the gun range?”

“I…”

A moment later, my tenant breezes through the hallway, tucking her gun into the holster under her blazer as she goes.

I nod when she passes by me without even making eye contact, then follow her into the kitchen. “Eunuch? Really?”

She smirks and keeps on walking. “I was doing you a favor, fuck boy.”

I shake my head as she heads out the back door. The moment she hits the stairs, a black Mercedes pulls up, smooth as glass. She hops in, and then she’s gone.

And I’ve got some damage control to do.