Page 24 of The Prey (The Hillers of Barratt County #6)

Sweat was already soaking the collar of his shirt, and not just because the heat in his damned apartment was jacked up and he couldn’t get the damned thermostat to work at all.

Jason was beyond pissed. He hadn’t been able to get a damned thing accomplished tonight.

Here it was, a damned Friday night, and he was sitting at home, fucking alone.

Because those assholes in Wichita Falls had it out for him.

He’d canceled his plans with the only decently hot woman in Value, so he could sit at home and think. Figure out what he wanted to do next.

Everyone in the fucking world had it out for him now, apparently. Even the people he’d once thought were his friends. Some friends they were. Assholes.

A guy from Wichita Falls had emailed wanting to know what kind of shit he’d gotten messed up in to get him sent back to Barratt County. Asked if he knew someone was digging into his previous cases now for some reason.

Someone with pull, with connections.

Jason hadn’t been sent back . He was back in Barratt County to regroup.

To figure out another plan.

Because of Hudson fucking Hanan. Jason just knew… it was Hanan fucking around, looking through Jason’s previous cases. Probably calling on his Barratt buddy to pull some fucking strings. Mac Barratt was pals with the governor, even.

Hanan was one of the only few men in Value who would have connections.

Trying to bring Jason down again.

Probably because of her. That bitch. She’d been waiting all this time, just to get even with him.

He’d seen the way Giavonna had been eyeing him in court.

He so wanted to put that bitch in her place.

Giavonna had smiled at Hanan. Not that polite, businesslike smile she used to give everyone else. They had to be screwing around with each other. It made sense. And why wouldn’t they be?

She was right in front of Hanan every single day.

And was the hottest woman in the entire damned town.

Of course Hanan had fucked her by now. The guy could only hold out so long.

Jason knew that for a fact. Hanan was screwing her—he had to be.

He’d even pulled her real close when they’d been walking out.

She hadn’t pulled away from Hanan.

They’d probably been fucking since the day after Jason had left this hellhole behind.

He’d gotten out of town after the charges had been dropped that night. It had cost him most of his damned savings, but he’d made it happen. He wasn’t going to go to prison because of that bitch. Then, or now.

The statute of limitations on simple assault in Texas—he’d need to look that up again. He couldn’t quite remember. It might have been too long now for her to come after him. Two years. It had been two years and four months.

But the bitch had lost consciousness beneath his hands. He’d never forgotten how she’d looked when he’d been choking her for telling him no.

She’d gone limp. Her eyes had rolled back.

He hadn’t forgotten how good it had felt.

But he could have killed her, even if that hadn’t been his real intention then.

That complicated things. Moved it from simple assault to attempted murder. And attempted murder never expired.

Jason could be seriously fucked.

He needed to think of something, and fast. Something that would make Hanan stay out of his fucking business forever.