the
thick of things, so he wasn’t sure he’d hear from her again.
The other worry that nagged at him was the fact that he’d
told Liz his father had approached Carlotta at a rest area in
Florida. He’d justified the slip by tel ing himself that since
Liz had been Randolph’s attorney, she had a right to know
he was alive and wel .
But, as he’d learned from his father’s papers, Liz wasn’t
just Randolph’s attorney, she’d also been his lover. And
now that Wesley’d had time to think about it, letting Liz in
on the secret might not have been the wisest move. What
if she was sore at his father for taking off and decided to
go to the D.A.?
His hand shook slightly as he flipped up the phone. Damn,
the Oxy seemed to be wearing off more and more quickly.
“Hi,” he said into the mouthpiece.
“Hi yourself,” Liz said, her voice cracking.
Wesley frowned. “Are you sick?”
“I’ve been better,” she said. “It’s been a rough couple of
weeks. I wanted to let you know I’m going out of town for
a few days.”
“Okay,” he said, puzzled. “This doesn’t have anything to do
with my dad, does it?”
A rueful noise sounded over the line. “No. I just need to
think through some things.”
“Okay,” he said, stil at a loss as to how, or if, he should
respond.
“I thought you should know in case something comes up
that needs my attention. How’s the undercover work
going?”
“Fine. Jack is so wrapped up in The Charmed Kil er case
that he told me to lie low for a while.”
“Yeah, everywhere I go, that’s all people are talking about.
The women in my office are scared to death.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Um…I haven’t decided yet.”
“When wil you be back?”
“Maybe a week or so. Call my cel if there’s an emergency.
Maybe all this serial-kil er business wil be over by the time
I come back.”
Wesley frowned. “Is something else bothering you, Liz?”
A pregnant pause sounded over the line. “Nothing you can
help me with. I’l check in when I get back.”
Wesley closed the phone, frowning. Liz Fischer wasn’t the
kind of woman who was easily rattled, especially by
anything work related. So whatever was shaking her cage,
it had to be serious…and personal.
9
Carlotta lowered the Vespa kickstand in the mall parking
lot and careful y climbed off the pink scooter—not easy to
achieve in a short skirt. Then she walked over to where
Jack sat in his sedan and grinned. “I think I have the hang
of it. But thanks for fol owing me.”
He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t think this is a
good idea.”
“Why not?”
He gestured to the scooter wildly. “You’re exposed. It’s not
safe.”
“It’s perfectly safe. There are scooters al over this city.
And the helmet? Hel o?”
“I know, but you…”
She crossed her arms. “What?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t know what Ashford was
thinking.”
“He was thinking that I needed transportation, and he
knew I wouldn’t accept a car. It’s a very thoughtful gift.”
“Just remember that the learner’s permit is only good for
six months.”
“I know.” She loosened the chin strap on the matching
pink helmet. “Do you think the salesman is going to be
okay?”
“He’l be pissing sparks for a while, but yeah, he’l be fine.”
“He was really nice about the whole thing.”
“Thank the magic skirt,” Jack said wryly, his gaze drifting
down before he looked back up. “I’m glad to know you’re
not afraid to use the stun baton, but you might need to be
a tad more discriminating.”
She frowned. “I wanted to use it on Agent Wick this
morning.”
“That, I wouldn’t advise. I talked to your boss about
Michael Lane being on the loose again. You’l have an
undercover security officer in your area in case Lane
decides to put in an appearance.”
She nodded, her gut clenching.
“Keep your cel phone with you and call me if you
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