AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course. She doesn’t take herself too seriously. Neither do I.”
“Not everyone knows that, though,” his sister said thoughtfully. “At first people think you’re very serious all the time.”
“Maybe perps do. Other agents. Suspects. Interview subjects.”
“How long did it take Bliss to see through your badass facade?”
“Right away,” he admitted. “I’m pretty sure she started teasing me from the moment she stepped into our hotel suite. She flashed a sarcastic peace sign at me. I guess you had to be there,” he added when Marqui didn’t react.
“Okay, I have a crazy-ass thought here. What if the two of you are perfect for each other?”
Annoyed, he stopped in the middle of the canned bean aisle. A shopping cart bumped into him from behind. He swung around with a fearsome glare, then had to reassure the elderly woman pushing the cart that she’d done nothing wrong, that it was all his fault.
Finally, he was able to get back to his phone conversation.
“Fuck, Marqui, what are you talking about? I just told you that she rejected my proposal. Why would you say we’re perfect for each other?”
“The way you talk about her. I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like that.”
“I…like her. She’s going to be the mother of my child. How am I supposed to talk about her?”
He reached the checkout counter. Agitated, he unloaded his cart at double speed. The girl—emo eye makeup, ripped black t-shirt—behind the counter shot him a world-weary look.
“There’s no ‘supposed to.’ I’m just making an observation. Did you include anything in your proposal related to how you feel about her?”
“About who?”
“Aboutwho?”
“The baby or…” He realized the girl was probably listening. “The other one.”
“Jesus, Granger. You really are up a creek without a paddle. The other one. The one you were proposing to. Did you happen to include any mention of your feelings?”
“I told her that I felt the pros outweighed the cons.”
“Oh sweet Mama. If you weren’t a few thousand miles away I’d kick your ass. Let me ask you this. Howdoyou feel about her?”
“She didn’t ask about that.” He mumbled the words as he loaded the groceries in a bag.
“She probably figured that if you had feelings for her, you’d tell herduring the proposal.” A heavy sigh traveled across the far distance between them. “My God. Good old Mom really did a number on you, didn’t she?”
For the first time, it felt wrong to complain about his mother. “She left me a fund, did you know that? I’m drawing on it now until I figure out my next move.”
“She left you a fund? How the hell did she do that?”
He was out on the street now, phone in one hand, grocery bag sitting on his hip. “I think she got Steven Gault to set it up. I don’t know, it’s pretty murky. Maybe one of his band members got her pregnant, and he felt obligated to help her out. Fuck if I know. I didn’t want it at first, but circumstances changed.”
“Interesting.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Why would Gault feel responsible for his bandmate’s kid?”
“He was like that. He was generous, according to everyone around here. Eccentric as hell, but generous.”
“I don’t know. There could be another reason.”
“Hm?” He reached the car that Conor had lent them from Gault’s garage. It was a vintage mint-green Cadillac that gave Granger joy every time he slid into it.
