The Debt Collector (Book 1 of a Jack Winchester Organized Crime Action Thriller) (Jack Winchester Vigilante Justice Thriller Series) by Jon Mills Read Free Book Online

of skepticism thrown in.
    “Your office was closed…”
    She glanced in the direction of the office, then back again.
    He thumbed over his shoulder. “I thought someone might be at the house.”
    “Right. Sorry about that. We don’t get a lot of people stopping by here with the new bypass that they’ve put in.”
    “Yes, it’s a little out of the way.”
    “We don’t allow any animals in the rooms.”
    “I’ll be sure to mention that to Apollo.”
    She glanced at him, hearing the joking tone in his voice.
    “Well, he can tend to drag in the odd bloodied rabbit.”
    Her eyes widened.
    “I’m kidding. He’s as good as gold. You won’t even know he’s here.”
    She bit her upper lip. She didn’t want to cause a scene. There weren’t any other guests, so there was no problem there.
    “Well, okay, let’s get you signed in.”
    She led him to the office. A wall of heat hit them. The temperature had risen to twice what it was outside, and it was lingering somewhere in the high seventies. Switching on the air conditioning, it let out its usual groan and churned to life, barely offering any relief. It was one of the many things that was desperately in need of replacement, along with the long list of things that had fallen into disrepair.
    The man tapped on the unit, and it let out a loud hum.
    “Seems like it’s on the blink.”
    “Yes, I’m sorry I can’t offer you much in the way of comfort. There are modern lodgings in the town.” She paused, watching him look around. “It’s actually closer to everything, too,” she said.
    She couldn’t believe she was actually referring potential business to the new inn that had opened up. But in all truth, she still found it a little odd that he hadn’t been there already. Few people had booked in at her location over the past year, and those who had were either lost, drug addicts, or had changed their mind once they saw the rooms. As much as she wanted to get the place back to its former state, the expenses were too much. She was fortunate that the motel was paid for in full. That was the one smart action Matt had taken. Where he had managed to come up with the money was another story.
    “It’s fine,” he said, smiling and meeting her eyes.
    Okay, hope you enjoy bed mites , she thought.
    She pulled out a book from underneath the counter. Inside was a pen. She flipped to a new page, not wanting him to see the large mass of empty pages, revealing how many had stayed in the past year.
    “Pleasure or business?”
    “What?”
    His gaze penetrated her. She felt herself becoming flushed.
    “Are you visiting for pleasure or on business?”
    “A little of both, I guess.”
    She watched him sign his name: Jack Winchester .
    It was a strong name. She cast her gaze over his muscular frame. It suited him.
    “Hopefully more for pleasure,” he said, bringing his eyes up to meet hers.
    She wondered what he was implying by that. And what type of business was he in? She wasn’t into prying. As long as he paid his bill, didn’t damage anything, and kept his distance, it was fine.
    “How long will you be staying?”
    “A few days I think should do it.”
    An unusual reply , she thought. He didn’t sound certain.
    There were twelve rooms at the motel. She turned and grabbed the key to room eight. It was the only one that wasn’t in a complete state. She kind of felt guilty, knowing there were far better options in the town, but she needed the money and it would give her motivation to work on cleaning up the rooms. Maybe this was the beginning of turning this place around?
    “I’ll show you to your room.”
    Not that that he needed directions, but she hadn’t been in room eight for weeks and the thought of him running across a cockroach made her even more nervous than he did.
    “So you and your husband run the place?”
    “It’s just me and my son now.”
    “Oh, he moved out?”
    She paused at the door before twisting the key in the lock.
    “He’s