door for anybody but him.”
Kurt was good looking with a lazy alertness in his hazel eyes. “No problem,” I said.
Aiden turned for the door. “Look pissed when we go out.”
“No problem,” I said, meaning it.
We opened the door and nearly stumbled into Saber.
Aiden paused. “What’s up?”
Saber didn’t look my way. “Barensky’s men are here. Now.”
I looked down at the parking lot at the same time Aiden did to see two men there not dressed like the others. They were in dockers and golf shirts, looking like tourists or accountants.
Aiden nodded. “All right. I’ll meet with them right now. You take Anna home. This is good. They can see her leave on your bike.”
Saber looked at me. “Try to look both angry and sad.”
“Throw in scared, and that’s exactly how I feel,” I said quietly.
“That’s because you’re smart,” Saber said. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 19
Saber dropped me off, and I found my cousin waiting on my porch and reading the paper.
“Quint,” I said, hurrying toward him and trying to banish the feeling of impending disaster swamping me. Aiden was meeting with henchmen of a bomber right now, and it was hard to concentrate on anything else.
Quint smiled and stood. “Hey. So. Nice picture.” He flipped the newspaper around to show me a front-page picture of the food fight from the day before, and it included Nick leaning over, lines of pain on his face. Tess and I were in the background, both covered with pastries. The headline read: “Prosecuting Attorney Gets Derailed by Albertini Disaster Train.”
I groaned and took the paper to read about the food fight and my involvement. “Your girlfriend is always so good about mentioning that I’m a partner at the Bunne & Albertini Law Firm.” It was as if Jolene wanted to drive the firm into the ground. She really didn’t like me. “I doubt we’ll have as good as a result from a food fight as we did from a bar fight.” And considering Nick wanted to run for office someday, his getting caught in silly situations like this was not good for him. I could see his Grams arguing that Nick and Tessa really shouldn’t date.
Quint took the offending paper away. “Jolene is not my girlfriend, and she actually likes you. Unfortunately, this makes good copy. Stop getting in fights and you won’t have to worry about it.”
“That’s easier said than done,” I said, walking to my door to unlock it.
Quint whistled and Zena bounded around the cottage.
I gave him a look. “You brought your dog to butter me up?” I allowed Zena inside and then followed her as Quint did the same.
“Kind of. I was hoping you’d watch her for a few days. Jolene and I are going to the hot springs up north.” He shut the door and managed to keep a straight face.
I slammed my hands on my hips. “You’re going away with that harpy? She’s trying to ruin me.”
He chuckled. “She is not. You make good copy. Stop it, and the news stops.”
“You said she wasn’t your girlfriend,” I challenged.
“She’s not. We enjoy each other’s company, and right now, I need that.” He set a hand on Zena’s head. “I talked to Aiden, and he thought it’d be a good idea for Zena to stay with you right now, anyway. Something about a case he’s working on.”
I loved the dog and would’ve watched her anytime. Plus, if Quint needed time to spend with Jolene to help his peace of mind, I couldn’t begrudge him that. What if they got married? I hid a shiver.
Quint grinned. “Think of the bright side. If Jolene is up north with me, she won’t be writing articles about you.”
Now that was a very good point. I wouldn’t be able to turn down Zena, anyway. “Fine, but you owe me one.” I already had dog food in my pantry for Zena since I watched her once in a while. “I suppose you want to eat lunch here?” I had some good cold cuts in the fridge.
“No,” he said. “I need to pack and get on the road. We should be back on Tuesday.” He looked at my face. “You have a couple of bruises along your jaw.”
“Multiple fights,” I murmured.
He grasped my shoulder. “What’s up, Anna Banana? Come on. Talk to your tough-guy cousin.”
A smile tempted my mouth. “My tough-guy cousin isn’t here. Vince is up north, I think.”
“Funny. I’m tougher than all of my brothers,” Quint said. “What’s on your mind?”
The truth blew right out of me. Quint