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Destitute and desperate, yet Nicole still wanted her say.
“You’ll call your hacker guy?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks. Think about coming today. I appreciate your input, your experience.”
“Did you just call me old?”
On laughter, the line disconnected, and she shook her head. Whisper was an unexpected friend, but not an unwelcome one.
The car stopped. She scrolled to the right contact as she got out and went up the stairs. The call went through to her most secure friendship. Most secure until she told him her plan.
“Scamp.”
“Hi! How did you sleep?”
“What did you do?” he asked, deadpan.
“I didn’t do anything. Why would you think I…” She sighed. “I need to talk to you.”
“You are talking to me.”
“I know and I’m just wondering, as a friend, if you’re in a good mood because I’m about to land a doozy on you.”
“My mood was fine until you called,” he said. “I leave you alone for one morning and you hatch some scheme that will probably end with one of us behind bars.”
“Or in the morgue,” she added into the silence and knocked on reaching the right apartment door. “I’m kidding! Geez, Strat, it’s a joke.”
Kind of. Keeping the mood light wouldn’t lessen the weight of what she intended to suggest.
“Hilarious when you—”
He stopped when he opened his door and there she was, hanging up the phone. “You said I should call first.”
In she went and he swung the door back into its frame. “We’re meeting in the club in less than an hour.”
“I know, but I need to talk to you.”
“You said that already.”
She sat in the chair by the window. Strat didn’t sit. Feet apart, arms folded, he was doing the dad face thing.
“I need a teeny favor. That’s all. Just a teeny-weeny little favor.”
He wasn’t moved. “From me? What’s wrong with your boyfriend?”
“My boyfriend…”
Maybe it was the way she trailed off or the way her head turned, but he sucked in a nasal breath.
“You don’t lie to Ire McDade. You don’t ask me to—”
“It’s not lying. It’s telling the truth, just… after the fact. He’s used the omission isn’t a lie thing on me, we have that in our favor.”
“What is it you want?” Hmm, was it the time to ask? “Don’t ask, don’t get.”
True. “I need a meet.”
