Page 81 of Protecting Josie
They strode up to the door and before they even had to knock, it opened. Genevieve stood there—and for a moment she looked shocked to see them.
“Who were you expecting?” Smiley asked in a hard tone that would’ve had most people quaking in their shoes.
Not this bitch. She put one hand on her hip, leaned against the doorjamb and glared at all three of them. “What do you want?”
“Josie. Where is she?”
“How the hell should I know? Did she up and disappear again? Shame.”
Blink’s hands fisted at his sides.
She smirked at him and said, “Guess these are your super-soldier friends? I’m not impressed. Piss off.”
“We aren’t leaving,” Smiley said. “Not without Josie.”
“So, what? You’re just going to camp out on our lawn? Because she’s not here. And if you were smart,” she told Blink, “you’d get the hell away from her, because she’ll probably manage to kill you too, eventually.”
“Ifyouwere smart, you’d quit talking out your ass and go get Josie.”
“Look, you might think you’re hot shit, but you soldier assholes are all the same. Cocky, conceited, and you think you’re God’s gift to women. News flash—you aren’t. I don’t know where that fucking bitch is, and I don’t care. If I ever saw her again, I wouldn’t lift a finger to help her. She could be drowning right in front of me and I’d stand here and watch. She’s. Not. Here. Now go away.”
“No,” Blink said in a guttural growl.
“Oh, it speaks,” Gen said with a roll of her eyes.
“Let them in.” Millie had come up behind her daughter and entered the conversation.
“What? No, Mom,” Gen protested.
“Yeah, Gen, let us in,” Smiley echoed.
“We have nothing to hide. They won’t find Josie here. If it’ll make them leave, let them look. The faster they understand she isn’t here, the faster they’ll get the hell off my doorstep.”
Gen sighed dramatically, then whirled and stomped back into the house.
“I’m allowing this because I want you gone,” Millie informed them. She looked at Blink. “I hate her. She ruined my life. But I didn’t do anything to the little bitch. Gen and I have been here for the last twelve hours at least.”
Blink stared at the woman. She was protesting too much. No one had asked where she’d been since this morning. Only where Josie was.
Smiley stepped through the door, with Blink and Preacher on his heels.
The house was a mess. It was obvious Millie Hitson was a hoarder. There wasn’t an empty spot on any of the tables in the house. They walked through the living area, sticking to a narrow path between stacks of boxes and miscellaneous crap, heading toward the kitchen. Piles and piles of clothes were on the couches, with only two spots open, obviously where Millie and Gen sat. The entire house had a kind of rank stench, a mixture of old food and possibly rotting rodents. But Blink wasn’t there to judge the way Millie lived. He simply wanted Josie.
Without talking about it, the men split up. Millie and Gen sat in their places on the couch as if they were unconcerned the men were there and what they might find.
For the first time, Blink wondered if he was wrong. Would they be so relaxed if Josie was here? He wasn’t sure.
It was difficult to search the house because of all the junk piled up literally everywhere. Opening closets was impossible, as they were blocked by who knew how many years of stuff being collected.
Preacher forced open a door near the kitchen and yelled, “Basement!”
Blink was surprised, since this part of the country wasn’t known for having basements, but his adrenaline spiked. Josie had to be down there. Shehadto be.
It was treacherous going down the stairs, because they were broken and uneven, and there were things stacked up on each step. Looking around, Blink’s optimism sank. It smelled even worse down here, and there wasn’t even a path through the crap. He had no idea how to start making his way through the piles and piles of junk that had been stashed in the cramped space.
“Shit,” Smiley swore from behind him.
“Josie?” Preacher called out.
