His eyes crinkled but there was still no answer.
“Why did you do this?”
One of his forearms was on the steering wheel, the other one on the back of my seat. He grabbed a lock of hair and wrapped it around his finger.
“I figured I’d need one eventually, so when I had the opportunity to take care of that chore, I took it.”
“You’re very cocky, have I told you that?”
“I think you’ve mentioned it.”
He pulled my hair toward him and I had no choice but to follow it. He kissed me, no brush on the lips this time, this one left me a little bothered.
Okay, a lot bothered.
He waited until the door to Fortnum’s closed behind Chowleena and I and he took off.
Duke was behind the book counter, Tex was behind the espresso counter. There were no customers and no sign of Jane.
“You need to go home, you were shot three days ago,” I told Tex.
“I was waitin’ for you to get here. I wanted to hear about your day,” Tex answered.
I threw myself full body on one of the couches. Chowleena jumped up, sat beside me and stared at Tex. Everyone, man, woman and dog, stared at Tex.
I ran down an abbreviated version. “I had a tour of Lee’s Command Headquarters, nearly got into a bitch-slapping fight with his receptionist, then I tasered a hit man in the street just before he got the chance to shoot me. We found Rosie and he’s been arrested and now I’m here.”
Duke put his elbow on the counter and his forehead in his hand.
Tex stared at me and he looked disappointed.
Then he shrugged. “The day’s still young.”
I closed my eyes.
Tex left and I stayed where I was.
“Do you know how old that guy is?” Duke asked.
“Old… ish?” I answered the question with a question.
Duke didn’t reply, but instead he said, “Do you know he’s an ex-con?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you know he hasn’t had a job since he got back from ‘Nam?”
I opened my eyes and looked at Duke. “No.”
“Totally dropped out, so dropped out that he makes me look like a soccer mom. Even before he went to prison and definitely after.”
Yikes.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“Hank came by.”
I nodded and closed my eyes again.