Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“I know, but I’ve been telling you for a while—”
“Got to live my life. I know, I know.” I roll my eyes. “You wouldn’t believe where I am right now.”
“Probably not, since you just disappeared without giving me any clue where you were headed.”
I grimace then describe Lanzo’s apartment. “It’s all mine for a little while. Well, mine and the guy I’m staying with.”
She’s silent for a second. “You’re staying with a guy?”
“It’s not like that.” Although it actually sort of is, based on the raw, beautiful sex we’ve been having, but I don’t want to worry her any more than I have to. “He’s just my boss.”
“You’re staying in your boss’s apartment?” I can hear the anxiety in her tone. So much for keeping her calm.
“It’s temporary. This job is a little unconventional.”
“What’s this job, exactly? You’re not, uh—” She clears her throat.
I take a slow, calming breath. “Amy, did you just suggest that I’m prostituting myself?”
“Well, look at it from my perspective! You’re staying with a rich man in his apartment, you disappeared with no notice for a couple days…” She trails off, probably sensing the rage I’m mentally sending her over the phone connection.
“I am not whoring myself out,” I say, emphasizing each word. “We’re doing courier work.” Which is also sort of true. I delivered a corpse burrito to a ravine, and next I’m picking up a package tonight.
“Right. Courier work.” She clears her throat. “Ren, I love you, and I’ve offered a million times—”
“—I don’t want to hear this,” I say, frustrated.
But she doesn’t care. “—if you need money, I can help. I want to help.”
“I’m taking care of Grandpop just fine, okay? We’re fine, I have this handled.”
“Right.” She sighs. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Don’t be.” I glare at my vague reflection in the window. I didn’t call to get a lecture. I just missed her voice and wanted to feel normal for a second.
“Well, are you going to tell me about this boss guy or what?” She sounds like she’s smiling now. “Is he attractive?”
“Very,” I admit. “But he’s also really weird.” I give her as much info about Lanzo as I can without going into specifics. “Once this is finished, I’m coming back home.”
“I’m sure Grandpop misses you already, but you know what he says.”
“I should live my life. Yeah, yeah, I know. Easy for him to say.”
Amy laughs quietly. “He just worries about you. We all do.”
“You don’t have to anymore. Once this job is over, everything’s going to be okay.”
“You sound like something big is about to happen.”
“Something like that.”
Three million big things, actually.
“All right, sure, you can be super vague, but that’s not helping me not worry.”
There’s a noise toward the front of the apartment. A key in the door, the door opening. Lanzo coming home. “Hey, I gotta go.”
“Call me again soon, okay? And text me too. Every ten minutes.”
“I’m fine, Amy. Talk to you soon.”
I hang up as Lanzo comes into the room. He glances at me, goes into the kitchen, pours himself some coffee, before joining me in the living room.
“Already putting your new phone to good use, I see,” he says, lingering nearby.
“Believe it or not, I have people that worry when I don’t reach out for two days.”
“I believe it, but I can’t relate.” He sits down heavily. “You got a text on your other phone this morning.”
Annoyance rankles me as I glare at him. “You’re checking my messages.”
“Of course I am.” He waves me away. Dismissive as always. “It was an address from Burian. I did a quick drive-by of the location. Seems pretty benign.”
Curiosity mellows me out. “Where’s the drop-off location?”
“Right in downtown. A public spot in the park under a specific bench.”
“Huh. Why out in the open? Why not somewhere he can control?”
“I’m not sure,” he admits. “Since when did you become a tactical genius?”
“Since always.” I look at my nails, feeling smug, then grin at him. “I read a lot of thrillers.”
He laughs then takes a long drink of coffee. I smile back at him, feeling strangely at ease for the first time since we started doing this. Maybe it was the sex last night, banging the sense from my skull, but I want him to come over here and kiss me.
“I have something for you,” he says and for a second, I’m worried he can read my thoughts.
“If it’s another corpse burrito, no thanks, you can deal with that on your own.”
Another laugh, this one softer. “No, it’s something you’ll like. Come here, I’ll show you.” He pulls a piece of paper from his back pocket, folded into a square.
I don’t move. “Whatever’s written there, I don’t want to know. Unless it’s a receipt for the hand grenade I requested.”
“They don’t write receipts for hand grenades. Come over here, Ren. I’m trying to do something nice.”