Page 19 of Steel

Amused and annoyed, I glanced over at the door to the house, which was wide open. Boxes, bags of garbage, and a few pieces of furniture were strewn across the front lawn.

I’d had zero interaction with the renters of the house, mostly because I was rarely home.

Just then, the owner of the cabin stormed out, tossing a few pillows, feathers flying through the air. He noticed my critical eye, throwing out his arms as if I’d know what he was going through. Jasper and I weren’t friends, mostly because I considered him a slum lord, but I sensed his utter exasperation.

I turned down the radio, shaking my head as I did. “A turkey? Were you trying to kill me?”

He approached, cursing under his breath. “Come see the shit I was left to deal with.”

Since he didn’t wait for my reply, turning around and stomping back inside, I had no choice but to park and cut the engine. It didn’t take long after climbing out for me to realize his previous tenants had skipped out in the middle of the night.

All I had to do was walk inside to confirm my suspicions.

Jasper stood in the living room, glaring at graffiti on the wall, the neon colors likely able to glow under black light. “Do you see this shit? They stiffed me and left. Didn’t even pack up all their crap either. Now I gotta deal with it. They pulled the plug on the refrigerator. That shit has been in there ten days at least without being kept cold. Smell that stench?”

“Wasn’t that a nice family living here?” I didn’t need to take a deep breath. The air was odiferous.

His glare was as if I’d lost my mind. “That was two renters ago, Steel. Where you been?”

I chuckled. “Working, and I’d help you out, Jasper, but I haven’t slept in three days.”

“No big deal. I have a cleaning crew coming in an hour. I just don’t know why I put myself through this shit.” He kicked a box and as soon as he did, unknown powder became airborne.

You bet I laughed. While I wouldn’t dare tell him, it served him right. I’d only had one conversation with the guys who’d lived here but I’d heard all about the maintenance items the son of a bitch had refused to fix, including a malfunctioning toilet.Maybe that had been a couple of renters before. Time flew when every day was the same.

I’d been the one to repair it. Come to think of it, I’d never sent Jasper a bill. Like the cheapskate would pay.

He scrubbed his face. “Fucking kids. At least I have a decent renter coming in.”

“Hopefully after you’ve taken the time to fix up a few things.”

I could swear to God the man had no idea how shitty the interior truly was. The rooms needed more than just paint and body work. “Hey, I sprang for some new furniture since the bastards destroyed the living room. Look at that shit. I loved that couch.”

Part of his problem was renting the cabin fully furnished. If you could call early Goodwill pieces decent furnishings.

“Well, good luck. I hope the tenants are more qualified.”

“Yeah, thank God for that. You shouldn’t have any trouble, but if you do, give me a call.”

“Sure thing, Jasper.” I bit back another laugh as I headed out. At least there was some decent acreage between this house and mine.

I headed to the cabin, grateful I knew my way around a power tool. That’s the only reason I’d been able to purchase my house and turn it into a home.

Yeah, a home I’d thought I’d be sharing with someone special for the rest of my life.

As soon as I walked in through the front door, I was struck by the silence. Maybe I hadn’t paid enough attention to the absenceof sound before. Or maybe I always had music on to keep me company.

I tossed the duffle and immediately headed to the refrigerator, yanking it open and tossing in the few groceries before grabbing a beer. How could a few stupid pictures on the internet trash my mood so badly? They meant nothing. Not a damn thing.

Before I had a chance to take a single swallow, my phone pinged. If I was being called back to the command base, I wouldn’t be able to contain my anger.

I yanked my phone into my hand, grimacing immediately. My sister had texted me.

And why?

The goddamn pictures.

Josie:I didn’t know my brother was a pin-up hunk.