Page 71 of Property of Yak

“Damn. You guys are all shacked up, and no one is reproducing yet? You guys must be doing something wrong.”

“I’ll be sure to pass the message along.”

“Be sure you do.”

“Why did I call you again?” he sighs.

“Because I’m the bestest friend you’ve ever had, and you miss the fuck out of me. You wish I was there to hold your hand.”

“I fucking hate you,” he mutters.

“Lies. All lies.”

“Well, as riveting as this conversation is, I’m going to let you go. Keep me updated. My phone’s on if you need anything.”

“All right brother. Take care.”

Shaking my head, I hang up. I miss the fuck out of the guys in Colorado, but it doesn’t feel like home anymore.

Home is here. With Julie. With Yooper. The only thing missing are my sisters. As soon as the thought enters my brain, I push it away. I don’t want the girls anywhere near this disaster. Not right now at least, but maybe someday when shit has settled and is taken care of, they can come visit.

It’s been too long since I’ve seen them and even longer for Yooper. I bet he would go ape shit over how grown they are.

My phone pings again.

“Jesus, I’m fucking popular,” I mutter as I lift it.

When I see the notification that someone is at Julie’s, my heart rate kicks up.

Taking a few steps, I lean against a tree and watch as a police officer, someone who’s not her dad, gets out of his car. He walks toward her door like he’s on a mission, making me frown.

“What the fuck?” I hiss as he pushes his way inside.

Turning up the volume, I listen to his entire speech and watch him look around the place. I smile when he doesn’t notice the cameras, but my smile drops when he mentions seeing a truck there often.

What. In. The. Hell.

He’s watching my girl. The thought hits me like a freight train and pisses me off.

Who the fuck is this guy, and why does he think he has any say in my girl’s life?

It’s then I realize why the fucker looks familiar. He was there the first night I snuck around Julie’s place. He’s the cop who chased me.

Like a good friend, Liz calls him out and unknowingly lets me know exactly who he is.

Ray Overstreet. Second-in-command to Chief Corday.

Interesting.

I watch as he leaves in a tizzy. Then Liz and Julie start to argue over if they should call the Chief or not.

Julie looks right at the camera. “Trust me, I’ll take care of it.”

She says she will take care of it, but we both know the truth.

Overstreet just stepped into my web and has become my problem now. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Shoving my phone into my pocket, I head to my truck.