Chapter Five
Through the doorway, a customer stepped inside, rain dripping from his leather jacket onto the mat.
Built like he spent his free time throwing cars around for fun, he had the kind of frame that made doorways look narrow.
Dark hair, slicked back from the rain. Stubble shadowing a jaw that could’ve been carved from stone.
Everything about him screamed danger, from the way he moved—too controlled, too aware of his surroundings—to the cold assessment in his eyes as they swept the store.
Not William. But close enough to trigger something primal in Jamie’s gut.
“I’ve got it,” he told Emma, already pushing himself up from the chair. His legs felt unsteady, but he forced them to cooperate.
Making his way to the front, Jamie plastered on his customer-service smile. The one that said he was helpful and friendly and definitely not cataloging the nearest exits. “Hey there. Can I help you find something?”
“Yeah.” His voice came out rough, like he gargled nails for breakfast. The guy’s gaze locked onto him. “You got snakes?”
Every muscle in Jamie’s body went rigid.
Not the snakes. Anything but the snakes.
Jamie’s smile wobbled. “We do. They’re in the back section.”
“Show me.”
Not a question. A command.
“Right this way.” He gestured toward the back corner, already dreading every second of this interaction.
Leading the way down the narrow aisle between shelving units, Jamie’s heart beat like crazy. Behind him, the customer’s boots thudded against the linoleum, each step a countdown to something Jamie didn’t want to face.