Page 18 of Cast in Shadow
“What flags?”
He ignored her question. He couldn’t think of a good way to answer it without spooking her more than she already was. “Charley feels you perform a useful service, and apparently, she’d like it to continue.”
Her pretty hazel eyes narrowed suspiciously. With the black rims framing the dark bruises, she reminded him of a little raccoon. “What useful service?”
“You tell me, Robin Hood.”
She blinked, then shook her head. “Aggie. My name is Aggie.”
“That’s the name you’ve been using for the past six months, but it’s not who you really are.”
“Oh? And who am I?”
“You’re the woman single-handedly responsible for blowing the whistle on at least two dozen scams in the past five years and siphoning millions into various charities around the country.”
“What color is the sky in your world?” Her expression was incredulous, but the gleam in her eyes gave her away.
He laughed. He liked her more by the minute.
“I hate to break it to you, Zeke—if that is your real name—but I’m a bartender and not a particularly good one at that.”
That might be true, but it wasn’t all she was. Nor was it a denial that she was Robin Hood.
“Bartenders don’t have go bags under their bed and tracking tiles concealed in windowsills, and they don’t get abducted by thugs.”
She raised her eyebrow and looked pointedly at him. “And yet, here we are.”
“I’m not a thug,” he protested. “And I didn’t abduct you.”
“So, you’ll just let me walk out the door anytime I want?”
“No, but I’m not going to hurt you either.”
Her head tilted to the side as she regarded him. “So, let me see if I have this right. Someone I don’t know noticed I wasn’t around, figured me to be this mythical Robin Hood character, and hired you to find me.”
“That about sums it up.”
“What do you get out of it?”
“Money.”
She pulled her knees up to her chest—a subconscious, protective gesture—a look of disappointment on her face, and said nothing for several long moments.
“What are you supposed to do with me now that you’ve found me?”
“Get you to a safe house.”
“And then what?” she pressed.
He shrugged. “Then, my job is done.”
“What about me?”
“That’s between you and Charley.”
More seconds passed by in silence before she said softly, “I think I misjudged you, Zeke.”
He felt some of the weight that had settled in his chest begin to lift, and then she added, “You aren’t the white knight type at all, are you? You’re just a mercenary whose priority is putting a few bucks in your pocket, hired to do a job, and to hell with everything else.”
