Chapter 3
Joelle now understood why the skeevy pair at the bar had been talking about sabotaging Mike Carlese's truck. It was because the plotters wouldn't stand a chance if they tried to kill the man any other way; whether attempting it with a gun, a knife, or a small army. Mike was a beast when taking on trained opponents, so there was no way in hell either Melanie or Cameron—who looked like they lacked even a thimbleful of combat skills—would be able to best him face to face. But their plan was still a bit delusional. Mike, an undisputed master at close quarters confrontations, also appeared to have situational awareness down to a science.
Which means he would notice them.
Because he'd noticed her.
Yeah.Joelle hadn't missed the moment Mike's eyes had focused in on her position in the gym. Not that she was afraid of his perusal. She just didn't want to get made as anything other than a woman who admired his prowess. So she'd done the only thing she could to escape his additional scrutiny. She'd bugged out.
Her surveillance from now on was going to go from casual passerby nonchalance, to one-hundred percent covert. Which she hadn't planned when saddling herself with being Mike's protection. She'd figured to be in his periphery while he was out in public, and now that approach had been shot to Helsinki.
Nothing was ever easy, was it? Joe mentally kicked herself that things on her agenda had gotten more complicated. Shouldn't she just tail Mellie and Cameron to make this side-gig easier on herself?
Nope.Not happening.
Joe hated to admit it, but she was sticking to the course because…she liked what she saw while spying on Mike.
Hell's bells, what woman wouldn't? The man was beyond attractive, built like sin, and…she'd never been drawn to a guy with a bald pate before, but Mike was rocking the look like he'd invented it. She wondered what his smooth scalp would feel like, scraped with her nails. Would it be prickly with small hairs, or would it be soft under her sensual assault?
Gah!And there she went again.
Trying to find something that would turn her libido off, Joe focused on the man's beard. Okay. It was a little rough, like he'd forgotten to pay attention to it lately, but Joe could picture it trimmed up to a nice, two or three-inch length, a look that would be way more civilized.
Ah, dang. Who was she kidding. The wild facial hair fit Mike to a T, and she liked it.
The only thing missing that would finish off his good guy/bad guy look to perfection—if he sported any—were tattoos. But he wasn't…at least that Joe had been able to see. Maybe he had ink hidden on his body somewhere that a certain someone who took an interest might uncover if they…
Joelle sighed. She needed to stop her thoughts right the heel now. She had an agenda; a job to do for her agency which was of utmost importance, and on top of that, she'd taken on this watchdog role to keep murder from being done. That was already too much on her plate without adding a side-dish of man.
Besides, Mike, no matter how mouthwatering, might be an asp-hole like the last couple guys she'd dated. Although she could barely remember them, it had been so long ago. And now that she thought on it, had they really been the arse-wipes, or had she? She'd been labeled a ball-buster far too many times to count, so…yeah. She'd probably been responsible for the fails, which was why she now saved herself the trouble of being jettisoned, using a flesh-tone pocket-rocket for all her womanly needs.
It was just easier.
Joe snorted. So why was she giving Mike a second look? Was it because he was handsome as sin? Was it the fine ass she'd noticed every time he bent over? Or was it something less carnal? Perhaps it was the infinite patience he'd shown for the two chuckleheads who were clearly vying for a job on his SWAT team. That had been danged admirable. If Joelle had been vetting them, she would have thrown them out on their kiesters long before Mike had called it quits.
Yeah, he'd been pretty flippin' brilliant. And she'd wanted to stick around and watch him get into some action with a worthy opponent, but before that had or hadn't happened, he'd laid eyes on her and she'd taken off.
After waiting a few minutes in her running car to see if Mike would emerge to continue his stare-off, she quickly determined he wasn't interested—such a shame—and circled around the block, parked her car in a spot where it couldn't be seen, and waited for him to leave the gym. Five minutes later she followed him and his friends to their current lunch spot, and her opinion of him, after she settled in, rose even higher.
She watched from a seat on the far side of the food truck, but Mike's obvious high regard for his friends was easily discerned. She observed that he laughed easily and engaged with interest, but she also took note of how he remained hyper-aware of his surroundings…which made it a good thing she'd changed her shirt and pulled a big, floppy hat on her head, tucking up her hair and leaving the brim slouched over her face.
When the group finally got up to leave, Joelle, in no hurry, chewed down the food she'd finally procured, because she had no need to immediately tail Mike. She'd put a tracker on his beat-up truck, so no matter if he got out of sight, she'd be able to locate him wherever he went. What she did need to do, Joelle reminded herself as she polished off her single taco, was to track him to his house, then stake it out. Once she was certain no one was observing her, she'd mount a couple battery-operated cameras—as well as a hot spot—on his property, aimed at his truck. Then she'd be able to see when and if the conniving-couple she'd overheard would mess with the vehicle while it was home-berthed, at which point she'd rush in and save the day before disappearing off Mike's radar for good.
Joe doubted the duplicitous-duo would target the man's house, what with the plotting twitch's kids being in residence there with their dad. If Melanie had any motherly instincts at all, she'd want to keep danger away from the young pair. Joelle also figured the bleeping creeps wouldn't attempt to mess with Mike's vehicle at work. The BPD parking lot had plenty of surveillance, and the unskilled-subversives wouldn't risk getting caught at the high-profile location.
For Joe's part, if it looked like—after tailing Mike for a few days—he had any other places he habitually parked, she would throw up some cameras in those spots, too. Maybe his parent's house, or a…booty call?
Huh.Did Mike have a special lady friend? Joe scowled at the thought, then shook herself. It was none of her business. Stop fixating on the man, she scolded herself. She didn't have a casual sex agenda, even if she had the time. Other than her small slip-up today where they'd caught each other's eye, Mike need never know she was watching him, or jonesing over his…assets.
For the duration, it was time to pull up her professional-panties and see this job through.
Joe, following Mike's signal to a fairly remote area, noted a driveway cutting through the trees to a house she couldn't see, that had to be his. The location was ideal for privacy, but not so great for security purposes. Mike's ex's boy-toy could easily sneak through the woods and cap his truck in some horrific way. Especially if the Melanie-witch was correct, and Mike didn't have any kind of security on premise.
Of course, that made it easier for Joe, too, to get in and out, unseen.
She drove past the driveway, and luckily, not a mile down the road she found a hiking and picnic area where she could leave her car and wait Mike out until he left again. Perfect.
An hour later, Joe realized he must have hunkered in for the afternoon. Screw it. Grabbing her backpack full of equipment from the rear seat, she locked her vehicle, and hoofed it into the trees, headed back toward Mike's property.
Operation Save Mike's Man-tail was a go.
There was some bushwhacking to be done on her hike in, so it took Joelle thirty minutes before she saw the clearing where Mike's house stood, and she paused to gape for a few long seconds.
It was a pretty. Very. A two-story structure, it was large to say the least; extremely Maine-y with its rough-hewn logs making up the fa?ade. It had a wide front porch that was strewn with comfortable looking wooden furniture, and a spilling-over abundance of red flowers in boxes that were attached to the railings. The landscaping surrounding the house wasn't over the top. It was subtle, and done in such a way as to blend in with the vast, surrounding forest. Joelle found the whole look charming as all get out.
The more Joelle found out about Mike, the more she thought Miss Mellie might have rocks for brains. How could the woman have left a bright, handsome guy who was not only social, but clearly ambitious and able to provide for his family in such an enchanting setting, for someone…questionable. Okay. That was unfair.
Her new man was actually a dolt.
Or…could there have been something else at play to make Mellie jump ship from the yacht that was Mike, to paddle around on row-boat-Cam?
Joe wrinkled her nose.
Was Mike severely compromised in some way she wasn't seeing? Oh Lord. Maybe he was one of those wet-lipped kissers. Joe shivered distastefully. Perhaps he was Quick Draw McGraw in the sack. But… Even if he was, couldn't that have been fixed? Mike looked to be a good communicator—if his position on the SWAT team was any indicator—and if he sucked at putting tab-B into slot-A, a simple discussion or a tutorial would probably have set him on the right track.
Mmm. Tab B.
Joe wondered for a second what Mike would be sporting for assets down below, but stopped herself from traveling that carnal-thoughts-trail. It would do her no good. She wasn't here for libido fulfillment; she was here to prevent a murder.
Joe, not seeing Mike's truck as she took stock of the surroundings, crept around the perimeter of the house, keeping to the trees. She huffed when she saw the vehicle in question parked behind the main structure. Not in a garage.
Who didn't have a garage in Maine? Weren't the winters snowy as hell? Clearly Mike didn't mind clearing a little, or a lot, of white stuff off his truck, and right now that was fine with Joe. It meant she wouldn't have to break into a structure to set up her goodies.
Completing her circuit around the house, Joe grinned when she saw a rough, but good-sized treehouse just inside the woods to the right of the main abode. Moving closer, she noted it had clearly been a while since anyone had used it. There were broken branches speared through a couple of the ladder rungs, probably from a windstorm, and as she climbed up the semi-pulpy wood, she noted an undisturbed blanket of pine needles all over the platform surface onto which she emerged.
The fact that it wasn't currently in use made Joelle very pleased, and as she pushed open a rough door to a small, interior space, she wanted to crow. The cut-out window on the structure had a perfect view of both house and truck.
Quickly pulling one camera from her bag, she found a branch just outside the window where the device would be nicely camouflaged, and mounted it with ease. Fishing out her phone, she set up the battery operated, wireless hotspot, then coupled the camera to her app. She sat for a few minutes, looking over the rest of the property to find a good location for camera number two. There was one tree opposite her current perch that looked climbable, and would give Joe a view of the other side of the property.
The question was, could she get up into the branches without being seen? The large oak wasn't as hidden as the treehouse, and if Mike or one of his kids happened to be glancing out a window while she climbed, she'd be screwed.
Joelle chewed her lip. Should she wait, relying on the one device she'd already put in place until Mike and his family were elsewhere? With full, unimpeded access at a later date, she could easily install her second set of eyes. But maybe she should risk doing the install, now, just in case drip-head Cameron decided to make a move tonight while Joe was busy working at the bar.
Schnitzel.That was a tough call.
Joe dug in her pack again, and pulled out her mini-binoculars, putting them to her face and focusing on the house. Specifically, the windows, to see whether Mike or his offspring were currently roaming around inside, or if they were, say, static on a couch. If any of them were on the move, she'd take off and hope for the best; that Cameron the crud-muffin hadn't completed his internet search on how to freak-up someone's ride, yet. But if it looked like the occupants inside were busy with food, or video games, Joe would take the chance and install her second camera.
She focused on the downstairs windows first, and didn't see a sign of movement. None. There was a big, state of the art kitchen that was beyond magnificent with a professional grade stove and a huge, granite topped island surrounded by stools. It was hard not to want to check out the multitude of stainless appliances and custom cabinetry in more detail, but time was ticking. She shifted her focus. A dining room in the next window looked like it was rarely used, so she didn't linger. But another, smaller chamber to its left, looked like a game room that was well loved. Still, there was no one inside.
Joe turned to her glasses to the upper floor, and…
Her mouth suddenly went dry and she couldn't conjure enough spit to swallow the huge lump that formed in her throat.
Mike was standing in what was clearly his bedroom. He'd shed his shirt to give her a ringside-seat to his perfect abs, but what had her gaping in anticipation was that his fingers were currently working on his belt.
Joe's hand's shook a little as she focused, but at the same time she scolded herself. Her main objective, finding out if anyone would see her as she scurried about the property, had been pretty much debunked. Mike wasn't going to be looking out any windows. Given his state of semi-undress, it was pretty obvious he was stripping to head into the shower, which meant she should twaddle her little tushy down the ladder and make haste to do her deed while he was busy.
But…his pants…
They were just about to become history, and Joe couldn't draw her eyes away.
Dagnabbit.She wasn't a perv; at least she hadn't been up until this point in her life. Was she really going to watch the man drop trou?
Her breath caught for a single second before?—
She put the binocs down, shaking her head to clear it.
As much as she wanted the peep show of all peep shows to unfold before her eyes, she couldn't violate Mike's privacy like that. It was bad enough that she had to spy on him for his own safety. She couldn't be the sicko who used her powers for voyeuristic pleasure.
She just couldn't. And that kinda sucked eggs because Joe really, really, really wanted to see what Mike looked like fully naked.
She sighed. Too bad, so sad.
Resolutely placing her eye-enhancers back into her pack, she shouldered it and scampered down the ladder. Another minute, and she found herself at the tree she'd pinpointed across the yard as the best place to anchor her second camera. Removing her binoculars, as well as tucking the device she needed to mount into the waistband of her pants, Joe once more put the glasses to her eyes and carefully examined the windows on this side of the house.
There was a large living room in the front with a stone fireplace, and next to it, a cozy den that looked like it had floor to ceiling shelves full of…
Huh.Mike was a collector? Holy spit! It looked like he had war artifacts out the wazoo; medals, knives, guns. How cool was that? Kindred spirits, kinda. Joe had a few antique weapons of her own at home. But hers were more in the line of incendiary devices; fire arrows, fire bombs, one-man flame throwers, and ancient hand grenades. Those who knew of her collection thought she was out of her mind amassing such an odd cache, but Joe had an inkling that Mike wouldn't find it odd, at all. And didn't that thrill her almost as much as his near-pants-drop.
Quickly putting all appropriate and inappropriate thoughts aside to examine at another, more convenient time, Joe turned her lenses up and checked the windows of the second floor, finding no activity at all. The bedrooms on this side of the house clearly belonged to Mike's children, and were currently unoccupied. Which meant they probably weren't home.
That was good. She could finish her task and be on her way while Mike let water cascade over every inch of his lickable…
Okay. That was enough.
Joe focused. Looked up at the tree. Gave a running leap and caught a bottom branch, using it to hoist herself up into the foliage.
This was a mission, she reminded herself, not a dating expedition.