Three Simple Words - A Finding Sam Novella

Chapter 12

Olivia knew her guns. Even better, she knew how to shoot them, dismantle, clean, and put them back together. It was one thing Sebastian taught her during her years living in Italy for he had inherited his uncle's gun collection and so he ended up teaching Olivia how to use them.

Her familiarity with modern guns, like the one she used to seduce Josh hours earlier, was from time spent at the range after his shooting. It was her way of working on her emotions, she said, after she thought she'd lost him when she learned he coded on the table (but survived) only to lose him again when he turned his back on her. At least, there was no shortage of men willing to show her a thing or two, a fact that had Josh rolling his eyes and vowing never to let her go to the range alone. Or turn his back away from her, for that matter.

They were home now, the gun cleaned and put away, and Josh decided that it was time to come clean himself. If Olivia had been honest to him about guns, he at least owed her the truth... or part of the truth, especially since his phone hadn't quit notifying him of messages, his lieutenant demanding an answer.

"Can I talk to you about something? I need to come clean, Livvy."

"About what?" Olivia frowned. "Are you married?"

"No," Josh replied. Damn, he hadn't expected that.

"Do you have a kid somewhere I don't know about?"

He shook his head. "No."

Olivia was watching him with narrowed eyes, the way she used to do when they were younger. It was the way she looked at him when she knew something was up with him, and she wasn't pleased about it.

"I have–"

"You haven't used your cane since you got here," she interrupted him, her face growing hard. "Yes, I've noticed. Why is that?"

He shrugged. "Because while it hurts, it doesn't hurt that much. At least, not anymore."

"That was quick."

"Negative ions?"

This time, Olivia rolled her eyes. "Is that all you need to come clean with? That you were faking everything?"

"I wasn't faking anything," Josh said, gritting his teeth. Maybe it was because he was in front of a woman–one he would give his life for–that made him suck it up, as the guys would say. Suddenly the pain didn't seem to be the only thing in his life. He had other things to occupy him, like sex and a gun-toting redhead he now realized he had to keep an eye on and not get pissed off. "Anyway, I can't help but think I'm putting you and Bella in danger."

"By what? Living your life?"

"Whoever's out there is after something, Livvy, and they've already broken into my casita looking for it. And just now–"

"What do you mean, just now?" Olivia stared at him. "Did something happen?"

Josh pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages. "My tenants texted me that someone attempted to break into their house about an hour ago. They have two dogs and so the man wasn't able to go far. I need to go to the station and review the video feed from the family's security camera. Maybe it caught something."

"Oh, my God! Was anyone home?"

"No, the parents were at work and the kids were at school, but they're spooked."

Olivia frowned. "And you think it's connected?"

"First my casita, then my old house. That's no coincidence, which means that their next stop could be here."

"What are they looking for?"

Josh shrugged. "Talk on the street is that Ray may have stiffed someone their share of the drugs... or the drug money. Maybe after all this time, they figured I must have it."

"But why you? He tried to kill you." Her frown grew deeper. "Unless he set you up."

Josh spread his arms out. He shouldn't have mentioned his theory. "Don't look at me, Liv. As far as everyone's concerned, I'm innocent and you know I am. That's the only thing that matters." He sighed. "Look, I need to make sure my tenants are okay. For all we know, it could be nothing related to Ray."

She bit her lower lip. "You wish."

"For my tenants' sake, I do." He kissed her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll head to the station and then my old house and come right back here. How does that sound?"

Olivia crossed her arms in front of her. "If you're right that they could come here next, then I can have Bella stay next door for a few days and make sure the dogs are with me. But that doesn't change the fact that we're staying together."

"Livvy..."

"For one thing, I'm not letting some goon chase me out of my own home, Josh," she whispered as he took her in his arms. "I don't ever want to lose you again. You're my partner now and partners cover each other, right?"

He grinned. "This kind of partnership? Most definitely."