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“Your text said something about fresh coffee?” Quinn poked her head into the break room, the front desk’s portable handset in one hand and an empty coffee cup in the other.
“Some asshole took the last cup and didn’t refill.” My tone was harsh, considering it was a common office transgression.
“Ugh, Simon and Noah are both common offenders. I’m tempted to roll back the security footage and see who.” She playfully nudged me in the shoulder, expecting me to laugh or at least smile. I did neither.
“You okay?” Concern wrinkled her forehead, and she laid a hand on my shoulder.
It was tempting to brush off her concern, but instead, the question that had been burning through me all weekend popped out. “Am I a Boy Scout?”
She sat and considered me for a moment, her eyes roaming over my face and body like she was seeing me for the first time. “I wouldn’t say Boy Scout. More like Captain America.”
“No, not like that. Like, am I too self-righteous?”
“That’s a loaded question. And a dumb one too. You are you. At your age, you have a well-developed moral compass, a life path, and you don’t take shit from anyone. I wish more people were like you.”
“Thanks.” I started to get up, but her hand on my arm stopped me.
“What is this about?”
“That woman I was seeing. It’s over. We were… incompatible.” That wasn’t true. Lee and I were totally compatible in bed and out. Our time together had been good, and if things had been different, I think we could have gone the distance.
“Incompatible, how?”
“I’m, ah, too much of a Boy Scout and she’s, ah, not looking for that.” I rubbed my tired eyes and sighed. “Our worlds don’t mesh, and there was family history, too. It was doomed from the start. We eked out a small window of time together, but…” I shook my head, at a loss.
The coffee maker beeped—at least I had that to look forward to.
“Was it good while it lasted?” Her voice was pure sympathy.
“Epic.”
“Perhaps that was all you and she were meant to have. Like a shooting star. Brief and brilliant.”
“But I—“ I choked back the rest of the sentence. Wishing for more wasn’t a solution.
Quinn patted my hand. “At least you’re brave enough to try. I’m over here sitting on the bench and doling out advice, but I’m not playing the game.”
She half stood and hugged me.
“Thanks, Quinn.” I sat back in my chair, feeling better than I had all weekend. A hug from Quinn was priceless.
“That’s what friends are for. And I owe you. Monday mornings we get the most calls, and half are a waste of time. I’m following up on the last few leads, but I think I’ve found the end of the money trail in the Leck kidnapping case. John asked me to write it up so we can send it to the cops.” She talked to me over her shoulder while she filled her coffee cup.
“Who’s holding the purse strings?” I opened the cabinet, pleasantly surprised to find my favorite mug clean and put away.
“One of Leck’s business partners.”
“Damn.” Maybe my life wasn’t that bad.
Chapter 30
Lee
IpulledtheBentleyto the curb near a popular sushi restaurant in the Design District and put it in park. Everything about this meeting was setting off warning signals, and I was ignoring them. I had to do this. I wanted out.
I turned off the car and checked the gun in my handbag. Loaded. Safety off. No fucking around tonight. If things went bad, it was shoot first, apologize later.
I took the single key from its envelope and shoved it in my bra for safekeeping.
