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“Just thought you’d help me make an unforgettable first impression on my first day of teaching, huh?” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Thanks, Cin. This does great things for my credibility.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose! I was just standing there!”
“Yeah, that’s all it takes.” Miles took the towel away from his face, and grimaced at the gory smears. “Jesus. I need ice.”
“Can I go get you some?” she asked, eager to redeem herself.
“No. Just tell me why you’re here, and get it over with. Come on.”
He grabbed her arm, steered her into a room full of weight-lifting equipment. He shut the door, and dabbed at his nose. “So? Spit it out.”
“It’s really hard to talk to you while you’re glaring like that.”
Miles rolled his eyes. “A glare is the default expression of a guy who’s just gotten his nose practically broken by a twelve-year-old. So have you thought of something you want from me after all?”
She gritted her teeth and pressed on. “Actually, yes,” she admitted. “But not for me. It’s for Javier. He’s—”
“Forget it.” Miles’s scowl deepened. “I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend right now. In any case, I’m not doing favors for him.”
“Javier is thirteen!” she snapped. “He’s one of my students. I want to make him a decent audition tape. He’s applying to the All-Star Young Artists Jazz Program, and he needs a scholarship to—”
“Bring out the violins.” Miles clapped the towel over his face, giving her another chance to ogle his awesome body. Those biceps were to die for. She wanted to palpate them so bad, her fingers twitched.
“I’m out of the business of doing sound for free,” Miles went on. “I spend all my time doing favors for my musician friends. That’s why I’m broke. I’ve got to draw the line somewhere, so here it is. Don’t cross it.”
“Please?” she wheedled. “I know you think I’m pond scum, but this isn’t about me at all. Javier’s a great kid. His uncle Bolivar is the janitor up at the Colfax building, and I’ve been giving him lessons for free for almost a year now. His dad’s in jail, and his mother—”
“I don’t want to hear about his mother,” Miles cut in. “I don’t want to hear about her working double shifts in the factory to put food on the table, and poor Tiny Tim with his crutch in the corner. I do not care.”
“It’ll take you a half an hour,” Cindy coaxed. “We’ll come to your house any time it’s convenient—as long as it’s before the online submission deadline tomorrow. Javier’s a really great kid. He deserves a break.”
“Who’s going to give me a break?” Miles’s voice was plaintive.
“Well. Since you mention it.” Cindy crossed her arms over her belly, pressing down on her nervous flutter. “That brings me to another thing. What do you intend to do when Mindmeld wants to meet Mina?”
Miles’s face darkened. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. And it’s none of your damn business, anyway.”
Cindy rocked back, unnerved by the anger blazing out of Miles’s brown eyes. “Well, I got to thinking last night about how the physical profile sounds, um, a lot like me.”
“Goddamnit, Cin, I told you—”
“Shh! Just hear me out!” She held up both hands. “I thought that if you needed to set up a real meeting, you could use me.”
Miles blinked at her. “Use you,” he repeated.
“Yeah!” She gave him a bright, encouraging smile. “As bait, you know? It’s, like, perfect. I’d be more than willing to help.”
He was dead silent for almost a minute, his blood streaked mouth dangling open. “Are you fucking nuts?” he finally exploded.
Cindy jerked, startled at his vehemence. “Ah…”
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be? Did it occur to you that we’re talking about a serial killer?”
“Uh, yes,” she said cautiously. “So? People take risks to catch guys like that, right? Why not me? I just thought—”
“Don’t think, Cin,” he snarled. “We’d all be better off.”
“I still think it’s a good idea,” she muttered, defensive.
