Page 145 of Ricochet

“She doesn’t know. Too cocky to assume I’d be that stupid, maybe. And I’ll be dead by morning. Too many others have me on their kill lists.”

He cocked his head. “That’s a shame. I like your spunk.”

Adelia snickered. “Yeah, me too.”

“Now’s this is when everything becomesa pain in the ass.” Jimmy pointed his cigarette at her. “I don’t pay, and I don’t—”

“I don’t want anything from you.”

His eyes narrowed. “No such thing as a free lunch.”

“Except—”

“See.” He pointed a finger at her. “Never that easy.”

“I left a message for my…”The title thing again.Why did she keep walking into this? “For a guy named Colin on the recording, and I want him to hear it. There’sa note to him with the location of the tape. The concierge has it. As long as Colin hears what I have to say to him, oh, and my brother, too, then I don’t want anything else. Tell the world.”

He took a drag. “You’re for real, aren’t you?”

She nodded.

“You left messages for your brother and your boyfriend on the tape?”

“Yeah, Colin is my boyfriend, my everything.”

“I’ll make sure they hearit privately.”

“Thanks.” Adelia took a deep breath, feeling as though a weight had been pried from her shoulders and turned.

“Hey, monster slayer?”

She paused, looking over her shoulder. “Hm?”

“You know what kind of problems you’re about to cause?”

Shivers rolled down her arms. “The good kind.”

Jimmy’s hard face softened, and his lips curled into an honest smile. “Good luck tonight, kid.”

“Thanks.” She was going to need it.

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