He suddenly spotted a police SUV and his breath caught. He watched it come down US 33 as he continued, his eye following the progress of the vehicle into the store parking lot. "Jess -- this means a lot to me, a LOT. I need to know I have your support and that you'll do whatever it takes to help me." He watched as Sheriff Grissom cruised to a stop next to him, then turned off the ignition.

Jess sighed again in his ear. "Johnny -- I do support you. I don't know why you're doing this, but you know I've got your back." Jess' manner became brisk. "I'll have the attorney out there follow up with the state in a few days and let you know what we learn, okay?"

Staring at Grissom as the man got out of the truck, Johnny answered absently. "Yeah, Jess. Let me know. I gotta run -- 'kay?" He hung up and shoved his phone in his jacket.

"Hey, Sheriff." He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to look casual. A deep woof from inside jolted him forward. Excited, he turned to look at the huge black Schnauzer. "Hey, Grissom -- did you hear that? He spoke to me! He hasn't said a word until now." Johnny stuck his nose against the window, looking in at the monster.

Grissom leaned over to look in the cargo area. "He is pretty impressive looking. Jacey called my office to let me know you'd been in, so I figured I'd spot you around here. I'm glad you took me at my word when I suggested you get a dog..." His voice trailed off as he got a look at the two pitiful curlicue dogs in the back seat. They were sitting glued together, staring at the two men. Their low-pitched whines could just be heard over the traffic noise.

He raised his gaze to meet Johnny's, his brows raised sardonically. "You're kidding, right?"

Johnny raised his hands helplessly. "I couldn't leave them there! They'd already been there almost two weeks and you know what happens after fourteen days? It's awful. They were looking at me and crying and..." He stopped babbling as he heard a snort from Grissom. "What?" The snort turned into a cough. "What?"

Clearing his throat, Grissom stopped trying to hide his grin and openly smirked at Johnny. "Big, bad rock star can't resist a couple of dumb mutts, huh?"

Johnny had to defend himself at that. "Hey! You try resisting these two. They're even named after the Flintstones -- how cute is that?" Belatedly, Grissom's comment sunk in. "Whoa. Wait a minute -- you know who I am? How... how do you know?" He slumped back against the car, his hand going to his forehead. "Shit, shit, shit." He lunged back to a standing position. "Does anybody else know?" He stared fearfully at Grissom. He did not want his just-established peacefulness disrupted before it even got started.

"Relax, Blondie. Nobody else knows -- unless you've been dumb enough to flash your ID or credit cards."

"No, I didn't, Grissom -- and don't call me that," he tagged on, even though the nickname sent a thrill deep into his belly. "How did you find out?"

Grissom leaned a hand against the MKX, his body subtly invading Johnny's personal space. "I thought you looked familiar, so I went back to the office and did a little Internet search."

Johnny pressed back against the car as Grissom ever-so-slightly leaned toward him. He wasn't sure if Grissom was trying to intimidate him or jerk him around as the city boy. "Don't stand so goddamned close to me," he said firmly. At least, he thought it sounded firm.

Grissom didn't appear to think so, since he didn't move.

Johnny took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He affected an insouciance he didn't feel -- but then, he was used to performing in front of people. "Hey, Grissom, better watch out -- folks around here might think you have the hots for me." He threw that out there, sure that would make Grissom bolt.

Grissom leaned closer. "Folks might be right."