face he could see was grim, and distrust had her shoulder pushed hard into the driver’s door.
“All right. I’m going to give it to you straight.”
She looked at him like he was the kind of bloke who wouldn’t know straight if he was smacked rigid by a spirit level. He got all that from the flat line of her mouth. He stifled another laugh. It really wasn’t funny. But he’d thought he’d be counselling and comforting an overwrought, frightened woman, not bargaining with a hard-arse.
“The kind of work I do is unorthodox, but it’s not illegal. I promise you; beneath this hairy beast is a good guy.” She gave him a grunt of incredulity. “Unfortunately someone is trying to set me up—that’s the illegal bit. Now all that’s okay, that’s the world I live in, but I did a very dumb thing by involving you.” She was listening at least, not interrupting, taking this in.
“I really didn’t think you’d show up today, and when you did, I should’ve paid you off and sent you away. I was going to after Station Street, but then the meeting in the park had to be quick, and you’re so damn efficient, I knew you’d get me back on schedule, and I didn’t expect any trouble and well, here we are.”
She opened her mouth. He knew she was going to say ‘a McDonald’s car park’. It’s what he’d have said if their positions were reversed. He got it out first, “Yes, a Macca’s car park. Do you want to hear the rest?”
She sighed noisily and relaxed back into the seat a little. “With great reluctance.”
“So now I need to lay low, stay out of the way a while and preferably keep moving. And even though I think you’re perfectly safe, I don’t want to chance you being left alone.”
“Is this your nice, polite way of telling me I’m your hostage?”
He put both hands up and grimaced as pain ripped through his right arm. “No. You can walk away right now. If you decide you really want me gone. I’m outta here and you can go back to your life.”
“Finally you’ve read the market. That’s exactly what I want.”
“Are you sure? You see, I’m worried about you. It’s not just because you stood up to that ape. He could ID the Statesman, not that he’ll bother, and he’d have a hard time picking you without your uniform. It’s because you showed up this morning when you already knew I was trouble.”
She was looking out the front window at a brick wall, but she was riveted by what he was saying. “You’re a smart lady, a businesswoman, so I think to myself, why would she do that? Why would she want to drive little old arrest waiting to happen me around? The only reason I can come up with is because you need the money.” He might’ve imagined it, but he thought he heard her breath quicken.
“So the thing is, Driver, I think you’re already in some kind of trouble.” He watched her carefully. Without being able to see her face well, he had to rely on how her body reacted. “I think you owe money to someone you can’t pay. And I think you’ve been hiding out. But now they’ve found you.” She curled one hand in a fist; the other came up to grip the wheel, the veins on the back of her hand popping. Finally some progress on this deal. “By my reckoning, you and I have a good reason to partner up. I need to keep moving and you need protection.”
She’d dropped her head and yes, her breathing was unsteady. He’d scared her more with those words than with everything that came before them. He’d only been fishing, but he knew he’d caught her.
Head still down she said, “If I really needed protection why would I come to you?”
“Because I don’t care what trouble you’ve gotten yourself in. I won’t ask any awkward questions, and I have twenty-five G that says it’s a good idea.”
She looked over at him, wary as a cat.
“And you like my blue eyes.”
The light was fading and he’d have given up the contents of the cake tin to see her face properly, to work out
“All right. I’m going to give it to you straight.”
She looked at him like he was the kind of bloke who wouldn’t know straight if he was smacked rigid by a spirit level. He got all that from the flat line of her mouth. He stifled another laugh. It really wasn’t funny. But he’d thought he’d be counselling and comforting an overwrought, frightened woman, not bargaining with a hard-arse.
“The kind of work I do is unorthodox, but it’s not illegal. I promise you; beneath this hairy beast is a good guy.” She gave him a grunt of incredulity. “Unfortunately someone is trying to set me up—that’s the illegal bit. Now all that’s okay, that’s the world I live in, but I did a very dumb thing by involving you.” She was listening at least, not interrupting, taking this in.
“I really didn’t think you’d show up today, and when you did, I should’ve paid you off and sent you away. I was going to after Station Street, but then the meeting in the park had to be quick, and you’re so damn efficient, I knew you’d get me back on schedule, and I didn’t expect any trouble and well, here we are.”
She opened her mouth. He knew she was going to say ‘a McDonald’s car park’. It’s what he’d have said if their positions were reversed. He got it out first, “Yes, a Macca’s car park. Do you want to hear the rest?”
She sighed noisily and relaxed back into the seat a little. “With great reluctance.”
“So now I need to lay low, stay out of the way a while and preferably keep moving. And even though I think you’re perfectly safe, I don’t want to chance you being left alone.”
“Is this your nice, polite way of telling me I’m your hostage?”
He put both hands up and grimaced as pain ripped through his right arm. “No. You can walk away right now. If you decide you really want me gone. I’m outta here and you can go back to your life.”
“Finally you’ve read the market. That’s exactly what I want.”
“Are you sure? You see, I’m worried about you. It’s not just because you stood up to that ape. He could ID the Statesman, not that he’ll bother, and he’d have a hard time picking you without your uniform. It’s because you showed up this morning when you already knew I was trouble.”
She was looking out the front window at a brick wall, but she was riveted by what he was saying. “You’re a smart lady, a businesswoman, so I think to myself, why would she do that? Why would she want to drive little old arrest waiting to happen me around? The only reason I can come up with is because you need the money.” He might’ve imagined it, but he thought he heard her breath quicken.
“So the thing is, Driver, I think you’re already in some kind of trouble.” He watched her carefully. Without being able to see her face well, he had to rely on how her body reacted. “I think you owe money to someone you can’t pay. And I think you’ve been hiding out. But now they’ve found you.” She curled one hand in a fist; the other came up to grip the wheel, the veins on the back of her hand popping. Finally some progress on this deal. “By my reckoning, you and I have a good reason to partner up. I need to keep moving and you need protection.”
She’d dropped her head and yes, her breathing was unsteady. He’d scared her more with those words than with everything that came before them. He’d only been fishing, but he knew he’d caught her.
Head still down she said, “If I really needed protection why would I come to you?”
“Because I don’t care what trouble you’ve gotten yourself in. I won’t ask any awkward questions, and I have twenty-five G that says it’s a good idea.”
She looked over at him, wary as a cat.
“And you like my blue eyes.”
The light was fading and he’d have given up the contents of the cake tin to see her face properly, to work out
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