Page 59 of Heart Stopping
Later, I told myself. I couldn't get distracted right now. Just as well Boner wasn't wearing a suit too, or I would have been in serious trouble.
I blinked a couple of times to clear my thoughts and watch Archer striding toward the brownstone, his hands in his jacket pockets.
He knocked on the door and stood with his arms crossed, waiting for it open before stepping inside.
"Almost party time," Boner whispered. "I have to say, getting him in there was a stroke of genius."
"Thank you," Cass said, sounding like he was blushing. It was his idea; he’d hacked the security firm to have Archer added to the roster. Along with a resume that made him a shoe-in for filling in when the regular security was sick. And by sick, I mean recovering from an unfortunate dose of food poisoning. He'd be fine in a couple of days.
My competitor he ordered the food from? They were looking into it. Since they tried to steal my recipe for sweet potato ravioli, I didn't feel too bad about it.
The door opened again and the security guy stepped out, hurrying towards the subway station at the end of the block.
I waited until he was out of sight and nodded. "Let's do this."
Boner grabbed my hand and we rose from the spot between two buildings where we'd crouched for the last half-hour. We stayed in the shadows while a couple walked past, before stepping out and crossing the street.
He tapped on the door and we waited for Archer to swing it open.
"I'm so sorry to bother you," I said in my best apologetic tone. "My boyfriend here is drunk and he insisted he knows the man who lives here."
"I do know him," Boner protested, slurring his words. "Philippo and I went to school together. He's a goddamn motherfucker, but he told me if I was ever here I should look him up. So here I am, in all my fuckin' glory." He spread his arms to either side.
"There's no one named Philippo here," Archer said, glancing at Boner like he thought he was out of his mind. In other words, his usual expression when he looked at the Englishman.
"Of course there is." Boner staggered past Archer. He tipped his head back and shouted, "Phil! Where are you, you bastard? Come out here and say hi to your old friend Rastus!"
Rastus?
I exchanged bemused glances with Archer and offered half a shrug. Boner said he'd get Fairfield's attention, but he hadn't elaborated how. Apparently it worked, because Fairfield trotted down the stairs at the center of the house, staring at Boner.
"What's going on here? Why are these people in my home?" He looked like he'd throw us out onto the street, Archer included.EspeciallyArcher, since he was the one who let us in and was still standing beside the door.
The door he closed and stood in front of, his arms crossed.
"Phil, there you are," Boner said, sounding perfectly sober.
"There's no one by that name here," Fairfield said coldly. "Get the hell out."
I smiled. "I don't think so. Archer?"
"There's no one else here," Archer said. "There was a young woman, but I untied her and helped her out the back door. She's on her way somewhere safe." He must have contacted Cass to arrange someone to take her home.
"What the fuck?" Fairfield backed up a step or two. "I paid good money…"
Apparently he realized he was about to incriminate himself, because he slammed his mouth shut, turned and started to run for the back of the building.
Boner and I gave chase, trotting down the hallway a few feet behind.
Fairfield darted into a side room and Boner held out his arm to keep me behind him.
"Prick's going to have a?—"
Fairfield stepped back out of the room, a gun in his hand. "Did you think I'd be unprepared?"
"We didn't think you would, but we'd hoped," Boner said. "I mean, guys like you usually rely on other people. It's not often they have the balls to deal with anything themselves."
He was right. There could have been a panic button in the room he just vacated. The cops might be on their way right now. We needed to deal with this quickly.
