Page 41 of Love Her

“I’m looking for a certain dealer. Services college-aged brats. Maybe works for you, but also maybe works for someone shifting harder stuff—” because I couldn’t imagine that Nick wanted me to kill a dealer whose only crime was selling his daughter MDMA. “Goes by the name Bix, like he’s a cartoon character or something.”

Milo shook his head, and I believed him. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“For someone it will,” I said. “And if you ask around for me, we’re even.”

Milo let smoke curl out of his mouth in a long exhale. “Just…ask?” he questioned, his lips curling up. “Or like ask-ask,” he said with emphasis, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I need them alive—and not afraid of me. I just have some questions for them. So if you could find out where they live, their regular haunts—that’s all I need to go on.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m very much not. I mean, I wouldn’t place bets on them reaching their next birthday, but?—”

“Life’s hard and nothing’s free?” Milo offered, flicking his butt to the ground before stomping it out.

“Pretty much.”

“I’ll let you know. Is this a rush case?”

“Yeah,” I said. He offered his hand out, and I shook it.

“Then I’ll be square with you as soon as I can,” he said, kneeling down to pick up his cigarette butt—and then offer to take mine. I gave it to him curiously, and watched him put it out as well, before keeping both of them in his hand.

“Am I gonna regret giving you DNA?” I asked, and Milo laughed.

“No. I’ve got two pre-teens in Altar Guild here,” he said, coming back up to stand. “Apparently, by the virtue of me smoking, I’m personally responsible for all the cigarette butts they have to pick up in a five-hundred-foot radius from the sacristy,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Kids, man. I fuckin’ love ‘em—but you’re lucky you never had any.”

“Sounds like,” I said, putting my hands into my pockets, so he wouldn’t see them fist.

“I’ll be in touch!” he shouted, as he turned, veering for the nearest trashcan.

22

LIA

Trevia was working her way through the adjusted pre-nup, while I read my “homework” under Marcus’s watchful eye. Myfiancéewas the kind of dreadful it was hard to pin down on a map, because he didn’t express any of his positions too strongly. He was anti-abortion, but fine with a meager six-week window, so he could pretend to have it both ways, in case a liberal person wanted cover to vote for him—and he was against raising taxes, but also for free school lunches—like you could have one without the other.

“It’s good to go,” Trevia murmured beside me, handing me her papers, folded open to the page I needed to sign. “Your interests in Corvo are protected, both pre and post-marital. Just don’t go and invent nuclear fission on your own, because he’d get half.”

I gave a soft snort. “Thanks for the chastity belt,” I whispered under my breath. She warmly squeezed my knee beneath the table, and then everyone was looking at me.

I just had to keep faith in Rhaim.

I closed my eyes, and wrote Lia Ferreo on my line with a flourish, along with the date—and then handed the papers over, where a waiting Marcus was ready with his own pen.

He visibly relaxed when we were through, and snapped his fingers. “Champagne!” he called out, while I pulled my water close.

“None for me. It’s too early in the day.” And also I had no reason for celebration.

“Suit yourself,” he said, then added, “in this one instance.”

Trevia stirred beside me, packing up her folio. “Lia—the car’s outside—” she said, catching my gaze, and I knew what she was doing: woman-to-woman, she was offering me an out.

Because she thought I didn’t have any other options.

But, I did.

And he was waiting for me to call him later.

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