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But I need him here. I pull into the diner and shut off the car. It’s sparsely populated from what I can see through the window. I was hoping for a dinner rush, but the odds are not in my favor today, it seems.
I take the usual booth and sit. Monroe is behind the counter, but she just waves because she’s stuck with one of the ancient Partinley sisters, both of whom take forever and a half to order even though they’ve been coming to the diner three times a weekfor the last century. They’re twins and I never know who’s who. All I know is that they have beehive hairdos from the doctors and they dress alike. Also, they never come in at the same time. So I’m not even sure there really are two.
I read the menu while I wait for her. It’s not like I haven’t worked here before and don’t know every item on the damned thing, but I am nervous, shaky, and I need a second to calm down.
Deception isn’t my strongest talent. I don’t want my nerves to blow it for me.
When Monroe finally gets away from the old crone and comes to the table, I set the menu down and beg my hands to still.
I’m never going to be 007. I hate this shit.
She sighs a weary, end-of-a-long-shift sigh. “What’s up, girl?”
“Not much. Long day.”
“Same.” She points her chin to the security guy sitting a couple tables away from me. “G-man of the day isreallywearing that suit.”
I hardly ever notice those guys. But I give him a look over my shoulder. “Yeah. He’s pretty.” And now comes the favor. “Think you can keep him busy while I make a run to see You-Know-Who?” I’ll have to sneak out the back door, into the alley where the dumpster is. I’ll also need to take Monroe’s car so he doesn’t see mine leave.
She gives the spook another glance and smiles. “Oh yeah. I can give him a little something to do.”
Under the table, she hands me her keys. I pop them into my purse beside the Bloodhound’s stuffed envelope.
“I’m going to pretend to go to the bathroom. Wait five minutes and go talk to him. Make sure he isn’t paying attention to the clock.”
I hate involving her more than I already have, because if Beck finds out, he’s going to birth a cow and then drop it on her head—but what else can I do? The Bloodhound isn’t going to give me any slack. This is for her. For Beck. For all of my loved ones.
Across from me, Monroe nods. “Copy that.”
I take a deep breath. It’s go time. Once this plan is in motion, there’s no stopping it.
God, I hope this works.
“Gonna go to the ladies’ room,” I announce loudly enough for my bulldog du jour to hear me. I stand and check my phone. I’ve sent the text to the Bloodhound and told him where to meet me. He responded with a thumbs up.
The back hall is quiet. I risk one more glance over my shoulder, then burst through the back door and take off running for Monroe’s car where it’s parked in the employee spots.
The rendezvous point is five minutes away. He’s there when I arrive.
“Well, don’t you look like one of those sexy librarians today?” He gives me an up and down gawk that makes my stomach curdle.
I hand him the envelope. “Just take your money and fuck off.”
He does indeed take the money, but he declines to fuck off. As I start to turn, he grabs my arm, his dirty fingers digging into my skin. “How’s your boyfriend? You tell him about us yet?”
“There’s no ‘us,’ and no need for him to know a damn thing about you.” Thekeep your fucking mouth shutthat I don’t say is implied by my glare.
He cocks his head and squints like he needs a translator to make sense of simple English. “Is that so?”
I rip my arm out of his grasp. “I have to go.”
“I can’t wait until this all comes out in the open and none of us are hiding who we are anymore. Won’t that be nice?”
My instinct is to flip him off but I don’t even have time for that. I have to get back to the diner and over to the stadium for tonight’s game. I’m not quite late, and Beck got his pregame sex this morning, but he knows where I sit and he’ll be worried if I’m not there before the puck drops.
So I break my number one rule—Never turn your back to the enemy—and put the slimy bastard in my rearview mirror.
I’m holding my breath when I walk back into the diner. But when I re-emerge from the rear hallway, Monroe and the security guard are happily chatting. I let a relieved exhale escape my lips.
