“How fast can you do it for me?”
“Depends,” he said.
“On what?”
“Whether I decide to take the job.”
I blinked at him. “You work for Desmond Burke. And he asked you to do it.”
“Actually, I’m a contractor, not a full-time employee,” hesaid. “And I only accept work that I find interesting. And well-paying. Am I right, Ralph?”
Ralph nodded slowly, his meaty hands folded in front of him on the table like a stack of catcher’s mitts.
“Ralph, on the other hand, works for me.”
“Full-time,” Ralph said.
“I thought you told me he doesn’t talk,” I said.
“I do occasionally,” Ralph said.
I glanced down at the glowing tablet, which Dick had placed on the table. My name was on the screen, followed by my driver’s license photo and a chunk of computer code.
“What’s that?” I asked him.
“Research.” Swinging Dick smirked at me. I was really starting to hate this kid.
“Ah.” I unzipped my shoulder bag. Just enough for him to see my .38. I left it open until I could sense him looking down at it.
“What’s that?” he said.
“Insurance.”
The smirk grew broader. “Ooh. Color me scared.”
“Are quips like that part of your delightful personality?”
He continued, undeterred. “I know you’re a good shot,” Dick said. “I know you’ve worked some high-profile cases and you’ve got a reputation as a tough guy. Well, for a girl.”
I leveled my eyes at him. “Color me impressed.”
“But I’m burying the lede here,” he said. “I also know your social, your address, and your FICO score.” He grinned. “I can get you in some serious trouble if you don’t play ball.”
“What do you mean, ‘play ball’?”
“Thirty K ought to do it,” he said. “I prefer cash, but no sweat if you don’t do paper. I’ve got Venmo.”
I stared at him.
“Consider it a gratuity,” he said.
“What if I were to tell Mr. Burke about this gratuity?”
“Well, I guess our deal would be off,” he said. “And, um…so would your credit score. Am I right, Ralph?”
Ralph let out a tired “Ha.” A part of me felt sorry for him, having to listen to this little prick full-time.
“The thing is, Sunny, I can, like, fully destroy your life if I want to.”
