head against the passenger side window. “Does Colin know what’s going on?”
“No. ” I grinned at her calculated expression. “He knows you’re in trouble and that under no circumstance are you allowed to leave his loft.” Without taking my eyes off the road, I took her chin in my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not fucking around, Frankie. Stay inside and out of trouble.”
Fifteen minutes later we arrived uptown at Co lin’s newly purchased loft. Zoë greeted us at the door, her face drawn and pale. Yet it lit up with a genuine smile when she saw our rag-tag bunch. Zoë pulled me into a hug. “It’s so great to see you. Come in.”
“Sorry about the short notice. ” I shoved Frankie through the door. “My place is being exterminated and Frankie needs a place to crash.” The look of disgust that crossed Frankie’s face was laughable.
“No problem.” Zoë gestured for us to sit. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.” Hell if I was Frankie I’d have jumped at the offer. Their loft was much nicer than my cramped apartment. I glanced at Colin’s fender guitar and the mess of books still packed in their shipping boxes. Guess Colin had better things to do than unpack. My eyes fell on Zoë’s limber body, and I smiled. Yep, better things. “Colin home?” I asked, hoping that he wasn’t. Colin could see right through me. If he knew what I was after he’d try to stop me. To him that money was tainted with evil, and my going after it would end in disaster.
Zoë gave a small cough. “No, he’s at the studio. He’ll be sorry he missed you.”
“I’ll check in with him later,” I lied. Frankie would be safe here, and that was what mattered.
“By the way, have you seen Clair?” Zoë asked, her face tight with concern.
“No, have you? ” In my book, lying to Zoë sure as hell trumped telling her the truth. Frankie gave me a dirty look, but kept quiet. Too quiet. Alarm bells rang in my head, and I felt like my house of cards, so careful built, was about to crumble.
“I was sure Clair would have called by now.” Zoë gave a vague wave.
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll turn up.” She had better turn up at the airport. Our plane left in less than two hours. Clair was our one shot at getting the cash. If she flaked out the whole deal would be off.
Zoë gave me a hard look. “I’m sure she will.”
“I hate to cut this short,” I glanced at my watch, “ but I have to meet with the exterminator.”
“Good luck. ” Zoë smiled, coldly. “Roaches have a way of showing up when you least expect it.”
What exactly did she mean by that? My eyes stared in to hers, but she didn’t flinch. A hell of a poker face. I opened the front door and glanced back at Frankie. “Behave.”
“Be careful,” she answered.
Chapter 21
“You have a lot of faith in women. Much more than I do,” Drew said to me an hour later. We were sitting in the airport bar waiting for the rest of the gang. It was crowded and noisy, even for the mid-afternoon. I took a sip of an eight-dollar longneck and glanced around. Executives in cheap suits drank vodka martinis, bloodshot eyes glued to the ticker at the bottom of the television screen. Every so often their eyes would drift to where we sat. I’d smile and they’d flinch and look away.
“ Faith? What are you talking about?” I hadn’t been paying much attention to what Drew was saying. A mistake to be sure, but Clair was late, and that put me on edge. I glared at my watch.
Drew shook his head and threw back another shot of Jack Daniels. “Frankie.”
I swung around to face him. He had my attention now. “What? You think Frankie would fuck me over?”
He shrugged. “She’s done it twice already. That bullshit murder wrap five years ago and now Nick’s murder. But you still trust and protect her. Playing hero is gonna get you killed.”
“ I’m not playing shit.” I pulled at the glue-saturated beer label. “None
“No. ” I grinned at her calculated expression. “He knows you’re in trouble and that under no circumstance are you allowed to leave his loft.” Without taking my eyes off the road, I took her chin in my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not fucking around, Frankie. Stay inside and out of trouble.”
Fifteen minutes later we arrived uptown at Co lin’s newly purchased loft. Zoë greeted us at the door, her face drawn and pale. Yet it lit up with a genuine smile when she saw our rag-tag bunch. Zoë pulled me into a hug. “It’s so great to see you. Come in.”
“Sorry about the short notice. ” I shoved Frankie through the door. “My place is being exterminated and Frankie needs a place to crash.” The look of disgust that crossed Frankie’s face was laughable.
“No problem.” Zoë gestured for us to sit. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.” Hell if I was Frankie I’d have jumped at the offer. Their loft was much nicer than my cramped apartment. I glanced at Colin’s fender guitar and the mess of books still packed in their shipping boxes. Guess Colin had better things to do than unpack. My eyes fell on Zoë’s limber body, and I smiled. Yep, better things. “Colin home?” I asked, hoping that he wasn’t. Colin could see right through me. If he knew what I was after he’d try to stop me. To him that money was tainted with evil, and my going after it would end in disaster.
Zoë gave a small cough. “No, he’s at the studio. He’ll be sorry he missed you.”
“I’ll check in with him later,” I lied. Frankie would be safe here, and that was what mattered.
“By the way, have you seen Clair?” Zoë asked, her face tight with concern.
“No, have you? ” In my book, lying to Zoë sure as hell trumped telling her the truth. Frankie gave me a dirty look, but kept quiet. Too quiet. Alarm bells rang in my head, and I felt like my house of cards, so careful built, was about to crumble.
“I was sure Clair would have called by now.” Zoë gave a vague wave.
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll turn up.” She had better turn up at the airport. Our plane left in less than two hours. Clair was our one shot at getting the cash. If she flaked out the whole deal would be off.
Zoë gave me a hard look. “I’m sure she will.”
“I hate to cut this short,” I glanced at my watch, “ but I have to meet with the exterminator.”
“Good luck. ” Zoë smiled, coldly. “Roaches have a way of showing up when you least expect it.”
What exactly did she mean by that? My eyes stared in to hers, but she didn’t flinch. A hell of a poker face. I opened the front door and glanced back at Frankie. “Behave.”
“Be careful,” she answered.
Chapter 21
“You have a lot of faith in women. Much more than I do,” Drew said to me an hour later. We were sitting in the airport bar waiting for the rest of the gang. It was crowded and noisy, even for the mid-afternoon. I took a sip of an eight-dollar longneck and glanced around. Executives in cheap suits drank vodka martinis, bloodshot eyes glued to the ticker at the bottom of the television screen. Every so often their eyes would drift to where we sat. I’d smile and they’d flinch and look away.
“ Faith? What are you talking about?” I hadn’t been paying much attention to what Drew was saying. A mistake to be sure, but Clair was late, and that put me on edge. I glared at my watch.
Drew shook his head and threw back another shot of Jack Daniels. “Frankie.”
I swung around to face him. He had my attention now. “What? You think Frankie would fuck me over?”
He shrugged. “She’s done it twice already. That bullshit murder wrap five years ago and now Nick’s murder. But you still trust and protect her. Playing hero is gonna get you killed.”
“ I’m not playing shit.” I pulled at the glue-saturated beer label. “None
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