hook.
“That ignition better be intact.” Jake shook his captives to emphasize his point. “Rondelle, turn off the engine and get out,” he said through gritted teeth.
Rondelle obviously knew when someone meant business. He emerged from the truck with his hands in the air. Good grief! The teen had either been busted before or he watched too much Court TV. “Hey, man, we weren’t gonna take it nowhere. We’s just havin’ a little fun.”
Jake resisted the urge to rattle the kid’s teeth. That’s what he got for being a nice guy. Did Rondelle really want to get sent back to the hood?
“You two sit right there and don’t move a muscle.” He dropped his captives. They fell to the ground, nodding like bobble-head dolls.
“And you—” he pointed at Rondelle “—assume the position. I’m going to search you for weapons.” With Rondelle’s attitude, a little scare couldn’t hurt.
By the time he finished frisking the teenager, CiCi had arrived on the scene.
“What in the world is going on out here?” Sugar Plum had followed her out and was barking and bouncing around like a Jack Russell Terrier on speed. Pretty soon everyone in the camp was going to be involved.
Jake was momentarily distracted by CiCi’s tiny tank top and pair of boxer shorts, but forced his attention back to the business at hand.
“Our buddies decided to go for a joy ride,” he told her. “In my truck!” Just then Sugar Plum sniffed his crotch. “Jeeze, I hate that.”
CiCi avoided looking at him. “Um, do you think you could do something about that?” she said, waving a hand in thegeneral vicinity of his jeans. “Your zipper’s…uh…it’s at half-mast.”
Jake looked down. Damn, she was right. He yanked up the zipper. How about that? A little problem like that wouldn’t bother her unless she was interested.
“Thanks. So what do we do about this? I don’t want to call the sheriff, but—” she’d moved close enough that she could whisper “—I think they need to understand the ramifications of breaking the law.”
“Ramifications of breaking the law? They were about to steal my truck. Why are you bothering to pretty it up?” Then it hit him. “You studied psychology, didn’t you?” “Yes.”
“And you think all they need is some hand-holding and a couple of stanzas of ‘Kumbaya’.” Jake really tried to keep the sneer out of his voice but knew he didn’t quite succeed.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“So what do you want to do with them?”
“I, uh, I don’t exactly know.”
“Then let me take care of it. If you don’t like my methods, you can fire me.” For Jake that was a win/win situation. He reached into the truck and turned on the headlights. “You three, plop your butts right there in the light. Don’t move a muscle. Got it?”
The miscreants nodded in unison and shuffled over to where they were told.
“Let me look at something.” Most new cars were impossible to hot-wire, so how had they started it? Dammit, the key was in the ignition. Why did they have that?
Jake jerked it out of the ignition and went over to confront the little felons. “How did you get this?” Jake was ready to thump them, no matter how hard CiCi glared at him. What did she expect him to do?
Javier and Schultz turned to Rondelle but didn’t say a word.
“Rondelle!”
The teen looked sheepish, but tried to cop an attitude. “I heisted it out of your cabin.”
“Wrong answer, kid.” Jake’s voice was deadly soft. “I’ve dealt with people a lot tougher than you.”
He motioned for CiCi to go with him to the tailgate. “I am so mad I could spit nails. Stand here with me until I calm down,” Jake muttered so the boys wouldn’t hear him. “Okay.”
Jake took two deep breaths to slow his heartbeat. “I have an idea. Are you willing to play along?”
“I won’t let you hurt them.”
So much for their truce. “I have to tell you, princess, that comment pisses me off. What do you take me
“That ignition better be intact.” Jake shook his captives to emphasize his point. “Rondelle, turn off the engine and get out,” he said through gritted teeth.
Rondelle obviously knew when someone meant business. He emerged from the truck with his hands in the air. Good grief! The teen had either been busted before or he watched too much Court TV. “Hey, man, we weren’t gonna take it nowhere. We’s just havin’ a little fun.”
Jake resisted the urge to rattle the kid’s teeth. That’s what he got for being a nice guy. Did Rondelle really want to get sent back to the hood?
“You two sit right there and don’t move a muscle.” He dropped his captives. They fell to the ground, nodding like bobble-head dolls.
“And you—” he pointed at Rondelle “—assume the position. I’m going to search you for weapons.” With Rondelle’s attitude, a little scare couldn’t hurt.
By the time he finished frisking the teenager, CiCi had arrived on the scene.
“What in the world is going on out here?” Sugar Plum had followed her out and was barking and bouncing around like a Jack Russell Terrier on speed. Pretty soon everyone in the camp was going to be involved.
Jake was momentarily distracted by CiCi’s tiny tank top and pair of boxer shorts, but forced his attention back to the business at hand.
“Our buddies decided to go for a joy ride,” he told her. “In my truck!” Just then Sugar Plum sniffed his crotch. “Jeeze, I hate that.”
CiCi avoided looking at him. “Um, do you think you could do something about that?” she said, waving a hand in thegeneral vicinity of his jeans. “Your zipper’s…uh…it’s at half-mast.”
Jake looked down. Damn, she was right. He yanked up the zipper. How about that? A little problem like that wouldn’t bother her unless she was interested.
“Thanks. So what do we do about this? I don’t want to call the sheriff, but—” she’d moved close enough that she could whisper “—I think they need to understand the ramifications of breaking the law.”
“Ramifications of breaking the law? They were about to steal my truck. Why are you bothering to pretty it up?” Then it hit him. “You studied psychology, didn’t you?” “Yes.”
“And you think all they need is some hand-holding and a couple of stanzas of ‘Kumbaya’.” Jake really tried to keep the sneer out of his voice but knew he didn’t quite succeed.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“So what do you want to do with them?”
“I, uh, I don’t exactly know.”
“Then let me take care of it. If you don’t like my methods, you can fire me.” For Jake that was a win/win situation. He reached into the truck and turned on the headlights. “You three, plop your butts right there in the light. Don’t move a muscle. Got it?”
The miscreants nodded in unison and shuffled over to where they were told.
“Let me look at something.” Most new cars were impossible to hot-wire, so how had they started it? Dammit, the key was in the ignition. Why did they have that?
Jake jerked it out of the ignition and went over to confront the little felons. “How did you get this?” Jake was ready to thump them, no matter how hard CiCi glared at him. What did she expect him to do?
Javier and Schultz turned to Rondelle but didn’t say a word.
“Rondelle!”
The teen looked sheepish, but tried to cop an attitude. “I heisted it out of your cabin.”
“Wrong answer, kid.” Jake’s voice was deadly soft. “I’ve dealt with people a lot tougher than you.”
He motioned for CiCi to go with him to the tailgate. “I am so mad I could spit nails. Stand here with me until I calm down,” Jake muttered so the boys wouldn’t hear him. “Okay.”
Jake took two deep breaths to slow his heartbeat. “I have an idea. Are you willing to play along?”
“I won’t let you hurt them.”
So much for their truce. “I have to tell you, princess, that comment pisses me off. What do you take me
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