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called, thank God. So he hadn t had to say anything about the cop, or explain about the
promotion that he d offered him the night before.
That was embarrassing. But the guy had the moves and the badass looks. Still, Tony
kicked himself for not spotting him. He d believed he could always smell a cop. Even now he
couldn t think back and say, I should of made him for a cop because ... nothing. Zach had been
aloof, a little on the quiet side, but he was slick with the chickadees and that was the name of the
game at the club.
The cop hadn t showed, or bothered to call, tonight.
Tony finished his tour, returning to his office behind the flashy bar. Maybe somehow he
knew his cover was blown. Maybe the boss would call back and this time he d give him clear
orders. That could be good, or it could be bad.
Tony thumbed out an antacid, chewing it thoughtfully.
For sure, he d get another load of crap about how stupid he d been, but what the hell, it
all paid the same.
Every week his bank balance grew more impressive. He d planned on hanging in there
for the rest of the year. A few more months, and he and Patsy would be on easy street. Then the
scary boss, sneaky cops, moody dancers, and limp dick waiters could all take a flying leap.
At least, he d gotten the chick s place bugged without anything unfortunate biting his
ass. He d borrowed his brother-in-law s, the florist, delivery van, just in case she was home.
She wasn t, but a smart guy thought ahead.
He d planted two trackers on her car, a broadcaster on her landline, and noise activated
bugs in every room. The only thing he hadn t wired for sound was her cell phone. Maybe the
boss planned to handle that one himself. He d even rented an apartment right down the street to
house the recording equipment. It had a view of the chick s place, in case the boss decided he
wanted closer surveillance.
Personally, Tony thought the boss was freaking over nothing. But he d done a real
professional job. His ass was covered.
Paragraph indent insert Except for the cop.
Nobody had ever given Tony a damn thing. Every dollar he had he d hustled for one way
or the other. The only people he owed anything to were Patsy and Sam.
He d talked to Patsy about the heat he was taking. She was for pulling the plug right
DANGEROUS SURRENDER Evanne Lorraine 92
now. Thinking about his wife made him feel good. She was his solid gold anchor.
Sam wanted to hang in as long as they could, but he was a good boy. He d go with
whatever his folks decided. Tony crossed himself. Then thanked the saints and his clever wife
for giving Sam her maiden name. Extra protection paid off, big time.
Not even the boss knew Sam was his son.
* * * *
He paced from one end of the living room to the other. Every third turn, he stopped and
scanned the balcony, checking for fresh omens of menace, expecting to find stress cracks in the
massive tiles, or some worse disaster.
The clouds moved in, obscuring the full moon. Abruptly he hit the switch to darken the
windows, wishing he d opted for the barrier of drapes.
How much could the Donovan kid know?
Not enough, hell she was nothing but a kid. Unfortunately for her, a kid with a sweet ass,
who had hooked up with Longstreet. The detective had the personality of a pit bull, complete
with the same single-minded determination.
If she stumbled across the money trail and whispered about what she d found to
Longstreet, it would be a disaster.
His whole week had been bad, getting worse.
The Donovan kid had ignored his warnings to get her nose out of his business.
So he  d arranged for a new message turning up the volume. He had sent Tommy over
to disable her car and rough up her up a little. Nothing crazy. It didn t take much to scare off a
pretty woman. All he wanted him to do was break her arm, an assignment that should have been
no problem. Except the Donovan kid had kicked Tommy s ass.
Then the Cabell bitch called his bluff and refused to pay. That was the problem with the
new generation they didn t give a damn.
For once, Tony was right on the uploads. No cash payment from Cabell and he released
the video with her face revealed.
Shit, the one time it would have helped for Tony to be a little lazy and the fucker turned
into a speed freak. None of these problems was anything he couldn t fix. However, so many
loose threads at once made him nervous.
The key to solving all of his problems was one green-as-shamrocks reporter. He sat on
the soft couch. Suddenly, the luxurious silk developed a subtly malevolent odor. He rose,
retreating to the office and the safety of his leather chair. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]