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"We're relaxing," I said. "We had a busy morning followed by a long drive, so we've been chilling out waiting for you. Now we'll get down to business."

I started to get up again, but Jack pulled me back down.

I laughed and shook my head, then turned to Evelyn. "He's not letting me be polite and give you my spot, so pull up a chair and let's chat."

CHAPTER 22

Evelyn settled in. "The first order of business, apparently, is keeping someone from getting herself killed."

"Don't you love how she says that," I said. "Getting myself killed."

"You know there's a price on your head. Therefore, if someone manages to collect that bounty, it's through your own carelessness, isn't it?"

"My carelessness," Jack said. "I got her into this."

"You didn't--" I began.

"Enough," Evelyn said. "I was needling Dee, not provoking a blame war. I'm sure you're both equally responsible for what happened."

"Um, no," I said. "The guy who put out the hit is responsible. Now our job is finding out who that was."

"No," Evelyn said. "Your job is making sure Roland doesn't realize you killed his pro. You seem to be making a habit of that."

"We're narrowing the job field. It was getting crowded."

She snorted. "You know, I'd be impressed if I thought that's what you were really doing. If you develop a taste for weeding out idiots, I could give you a few names."

"Roland," Jack said.

"Back to business," Evelyn said. "Well, the last time you two got yourselves into this kind of mess, I managed to convince the middleman to hire Dee to replace the missing pro. That's not going to work here."

"Because Roland's not stupid enough to hire a mark to kill herself?"

"No, because Jack here pissed Roland off so badly that the man would probably send a pro after me if I so much as called him."

I glanced at Jack. "Something you forgot to mention?"

Jack frowned. "Roland?"

"Nineteen eighty-nine," Evelyn said. "He wanted to hire you for a job. You said no, and he came to me, pushing hard, and when that failed, he resorted to threats. So you killed his dog."

I turned on Jack. "You did what?"

Evelyn chuckled. "Oh, now you're in trouble, Jacko. That string of bodies in your wake doesn't bother our girl very much. But a dog?" She shook her head.

"Wasn't like that," Jack said. "Threatened me. Went to have a talk. There was a dog."

"And Jack murdered the poor beast as payback--" Evelyn began.

"Fuck off," Jack said, shooting her a glare. "Sicced the dog on me. Vicious brute. Didn't have a choice."

"You couldn't just wing him?" I said.

Now I was the one getting the look. I grinned and rubbed his leg with my foot. "I'm kidding. Under the circumstances, I'll accept the killing of the dog."

He looked at Evelyn. "That was Roland?"

"My God, you are getting old. Or course, admittedly, it does take work to keep track of everyone you've pissed off over the years."


Tags: Kelley Armstrong Nadia Stafford Mystery