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“I guess you have to expect that sort of thing when you’re dealing with criminals and thieves.”
“More or less.” Tanner stopped, walked to a bench, and sat down hard.
I lingered in front of him, arms over my chest. “What’s wrong?”
He stared up at me and crossed his legs. “Been thinking about what you said earlier.”
“About what?”
“About my life after all this.”
I softened a little. “I think I was out of line.”
“You weren’t.”
“I don’t know you. I don’t know if this is really going to ruin your life. I mean—”
“You were right,” he said. “I knew it when I made the decision. But hearing you say it didn’t feel good. Pissed me off, truth be told.”
“I could tell.” I tilted my head and smiled a little. “You didn’t want your back rub.”
“You’re still paying that debt, don’t worry.”
“I’m sure I will.”
“But I’m coming to grips with my future. And I’m wondering if I’ll be able to stay in this city.”
I felt a strange tugging at my chest. I walked over and sat down next to him, close enough for our hips to touch.
“I’m sorry if you’re going to have to leave town because of me.”
“Depends on how things shake out. But maybe it’s for the best. I’ve been thinking for a while now that my current occupation isn’t exactly a long-term thing.”
“What happens to most hitmen?” I asked. “I mean, I don’t think there’s a retirement plan, right?”
“The retirement plan is live long enough to retire, and hope you still have money left.”
“So prospects aren’t great.”
“The majority of killers end up dead or in jail,” he said. “I don’t want to end up either of those.”
“Stop killing then.”
“I’m good at it.”
“So what? Are you addicted to the thrill of murder or something?”
He snorted. “No. That’s some TV shit.”
“Then give it up. Find something else.”
“The reformed killer. You want to tell everyone you saved me, right?”
I laughed a little. “You saved me, remember?”
“True,” he said. “That’s very true.”
We sat on the bench together in the deep darkness. Fireflies flickered in the field. I watched them blink on and off. It was a Pollock painting in mid-air.
“Maybe you’ll be happier,” I said. “You know, without killing.”
“I’ll find a job waiting tables,” he said. “Be a real normal working stiff.”
I smiled and looked at him. “I could see it.”
He looked at me and smiled back. The night seemed brighter. I felt his warm body shimmy closer. I smelled his skin and wanted to feel his stubble on my lips.
He bent forward. “What if I didn’t let you go when this was all over?” he asked, almost a whisper.
“I don’t know if you have much of a choice in the matter.”
“Oh, I think I do,” he said. “What if I kept you, sweet girl?”
I opened my mouth then shut it again. I found I didn’t have an answer, and that scared me more than anything else.
He kissed me then. I returned the kiss and tried not to think about the future. I tasted his tongue and mint gum. The kiss lasted hours, or maybe seconds, I wasn’t sure.
But he pulled away and stood. He half turned to me, took my hand, helped me up.
“Come on,” he said. “Before we do something stupid.”
“Right,” I said. “Uh, wait. Something stupid? Right here on the park bench?”
He grinned at me. “As if you could resist.”
I rolled my eyes and he pulled me along the path, holding my hand tight.15EliseAfter the meeting with Lee in that weird dog park, I got the pleasure of learning exactly how stakeouts work.
Turns out, they’re incredibly boring.
“So you just sit here?” I asked.
“Yep,” Tanner said.
“And stare at the house?”
“Yep.”
“And wait?”
“Yep.”
“Stop saying yep.”
“I don’t know what else you want from me.” He killed the engine and turned off the lights. We were parked midway down the street on a quiet tree-lined block. An old woman with a silk scarf wrapped around her head limped the sidewalk alone.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Something. Anything. What are we even doing here?”
“We’re waiting for Bennigan.”
“And then what?”
“And then I’ll know he’s definitely here.”
I stared at him. “You don’t trust Lee?”
“Not at all.”
I snorted. “Great. Really great. So you paid him all that money for what? So we could sit in this car and do nothing?”
“Basically.”
“And isn’t Bennigan going to notice this car?”
“Nope,” he said. “It’s black, basic. Fits in anywhere, especially this part of the city. There’s another Lexus parked two cars up.”
“Still—” I started, but he interrupted.
“I know this sucks,” he said. “Sitting in a car for hours at a time doing nothing isn’t my idea of fun. But it’s necessary.”
“Necessary for what?” I asked.
“We need to confirm Bennigan’s here,” he said. “Once we do that, then we can plan our next move. Maybe I go in there and kill him. Or maybe we just keep an eye on him so he doesn’t get the drop on us again. Either way, we need to figure out what the plan is, and this is the first step.”
