Page 31 of Heat Lightning

He peered around my bedroom. “And where should I go? I won't fit through that window.”

There was enough confidence in his tone to give me pause.

Mr. Marino knocked again, louder this time. “Max? If you don’t answer, I’m going to have to come inside.”

Right. More questions later.

I waved my hands around. “Then hide! I like this job. I won’t forgive you if I get fired because you gave the kid nightmares.”

“That cat is the real nightmare. He’s massive! He nearly took a chunk out of my arm getting in here. Don’t lock me in here with⁠—”

I shut the door in his face. Godspeed.

A few deep breaths later, I opened the front door just as Mr. Marino knocked again.

“Hi,” I said, startling them both. “So sorry it took a minute. Jeffrey doesn’t like company, so I shut him in the bedroom first.”

“Ooooo, Max has a boyfriend named Jeffrey,” Enzo said in a sing-song voice. I wanted to be irritated, but he was way too cute standing there in matching pajamas and clutching his favorite stuffed toy, an octopus he’d gotten at the aquarium.

“No,” I clarified quickly. “Jeffrey is my cat. I don’t lock my boyfriend in the bedroom. Not that I have a boyfriend. Just a cat. No one’s in the bedroom, I swear.”

A loud thump followed by a hiss came from—you guessed it—the bedroom.

They both peered around me in unison.

“Except for Jeffrey. Who is⁠—”

“Your cat,” Mr. Marino finished for me. “Of course. But are you sure everything’s alright? I tried to call, but it kept going to voicemail.” He was still looking over my shoulder.

Fuck, could he see the dent in the wall?

“Yes, everything’s great. And sorry, my phone died. I haven’t charged it yet.” I cleared my throat, hoping my voice would lower back down to a normal octave. “Why?”

“I saw your boyfriend climb into your house during storytime!” Enzo said.

My brows shot into my hairline. Mr. Mission Impossible was never going to hear the end of that. “Oh! Well, no one else is in here, Enz. I’m not sure what you saw.”

“It was a man. He almost fell when your cat jumped on his face, but⁠—”

“Enz,” Mr. Marino interrupted. “Max has said no one’s in his house, so let’s leave it for now. But can I ask why you answered the door holding a knife? Do you feel safe?”

He took a subtle step in front of Enzo.

Fucking. Hell. I was still holding the Masked Man’s knife.

“Uh, sorry. Totally forgot I had that. I was chopping vegetables.” I quickly set it on the side table and tucked my hands behind my back.

Chopping vegetables? With a serial killer knife? Really?

“Uh-huh.” Mr. Marino clearly didn’t believe that, but he seemed reluctant to come inside. Probably because he had Enzo with him.

Honestly, if I thought a burglar was creeping around the estate, I wouldn’t have left him alone in the house, either.

“Well, as long as you’re alright, we’ll leave you to your vegetables.”

“And your boyfriend!” Enzo chimed in, the cheeky little shit.

“Come on, Enz,” Mr. Marino said, picking him up. “Max deserves his privacy. Let’s go finish your story.”