Read Online Maggie Lee (Book 11): The Hitwoman Hires a Manny by JB Lynn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: JB Lynn
Tags: cozy mystery
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announced.
He tilted his head and smiled at me. “I’m glad we had a chance to talk.”
“Me too.” As I reached for the door handle, I realized I meant it.
Angel waited until I’d gotten into my car and started the engine before pulling out of his parking space. Even then, he waited for me to drive out of the lot ahead of him.
Giving a quick wave, I headed in the opposite direction, as he headed for the B&B and I went to fill out the paperwork at my new job.
I hadn’t driven two blocks when the cell phone underneath my seat began to ring.
“Crap!” I shouted eloquently. Yanking the steering wheel to the right, I pulled onto the shoulder of the road, threw the car into park, and reached under the seat in a mad scramble to get to the phone before it went to voice mail.
This wasn’t just any phone under my seat. It was the cell that Patrick had left for me.
After jamming my thumb against the track that allows the seat to slide forward and back, I finally grabbed the phone.
“Hello?” I shouted, since everyone knows that yelling while answering is the one trick that keeps the voice mail fairies away.
“Hey, Mags.”
Just hearing those two syllables made my day, but I played it cool. “Hey.”
“Sorry I had to leave town like that,” Patrick said.
“Where are you?” My thumb was starting to throb, so the question probably sounded cross.
“Safer that you don’t know.”
I rolled my eyes, but because this was a phone conversation, he couldn’t see me.
“How are you?” he asked carefully.
“Dandy,” I snapped. “Katie’s coming home, I found out my mom blames Kevin Belgard for Darlene’s disappearance, and Templeton’s got a revenge-seeking nutcase after him.”
I managed not to say, “ And you’re not here ” out loud, but I was thinking of it.
“You forgot to mention the Delveccio kid.” Patrick’s voice was deceptively bland, but I knew him well enough to hear the note of annoyance buried deep in his tone.
“ He ,” I responded, “is not one of my problems at the moment.”
Patrick didn’t reply.
“How do you know about him anyway?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’m keeping an eye on you.”
I twisted in my seat, looking in all directions, trying to spot him. “You’re here?”
“I told you, I left town.” His overly patient tone made it sound as though he thought I was a simpleton.
“And yet you’re keeping an eye on me? You don’t think that sounds a wee bit stalkerish?”
“A wee bit,” he mocked.
I blew on my thumb, which was really starting to ache.
“Mags?”
“What?”
“Be careful of Rivgali. He’s got a mean streak a mile wide.”
“You know him?”
“Know of him. Good guys and bad guys all slept better once he was off the streets.”
I bit the inside of my lip wondering if I should tell him how worried I was about the ex-con.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Patrick prodded gently.
“I think he may have already accosted Loretta and that Susan saw him hanging around the B&B,” I blurted out.
“Are they okay?”
“Loretta was shaken up and Susan said that Angel chased him off.”
Patrick sucked in a sharp breath. “What are you doing with that guy?”
“How do you even know about him?”
Patrick sighed. “Jack Stern. He mentioned that Rivgali was out and that you seem chummy with Delveccio’s nephew.”
My other cell phone buzzed, reminding me that I was going to be late for the appointment I’d been on my way to.
“Are you, Mags?” the redhead asked quietly.
“Am I what?”
“Chummy with him.” Patrick’s voice crackled with jealousy.
The fact he was jealous made me feel a little bit better. It cemented that he cared, despite his mysterious out-of-town trip. For an instant, my thumb stopped throbbing. “He’s the
He tilted his head and smiled at me. “I’m glad we had a chance to talk.”
“Me too.” As I reached for the door handle, I realized I meant it.
Angel waited until I’d gotten into my car and started the engine before pulling out of his parking space. Even then, he waited for me to drive out of the lot ahead of him.
Giving a quick wave, I headed in the opposite direction, as he headed for the B&B and I went to fill out the paperwork at my new job.
I hadn’t driven two blocks when the cell phone underneath my seat began to ring.
“Crap!” I shouted eloquently. Yanking the steering wheel to the right, I pulled onto the shoulder of the road, threw the car into park, and reached under the seat in a mad scramble to get to the phone before it went to voice mail.
This wasn’t just any phone under my seat. It was the cell that Patrick had left for me.
After jamming my thumb against the track that allows the seat to slide forward and back, I finally grabbed the phone.
“Hello?” I shouted, since everyone knows that yelling while answering is the one trick that keeps the voice mail fairies away.
“Hey, Mags.”
Just hearing those two syllables made my day, but I played it cool. “Hey.”
“Sorry I had to leave town like that,” Patrick said.
“Where are you?” My thumb was starting to throb, so the question probably sounded cross.
“Safer that you don’t know.”
I rolled my eyes, but because this was a phone conversation, he couldn’t see me.
“How are you?” he asked carefully.
“Dandy,” I snapped. “Katie’s coming home, I found out my mom blames Kevin Belgard for Darlene’s disappearance, and Templeton’s got a revenge-seeking nutcase after him.”
I managed not to say, “ And you’re not here ” out loud, but I was thinking of it.
“You forgot to mention the Delveccio kid.” Patrick’s voice was deceptively bland, but I knew him well enough to hear the note of annoyance buried deep in his tone.
“ He ,” I responded, “is not one of my problems at the moment.”
Patrick didn’t reply.
“How do you know about him anyway?” I asked suspiciously.
“I’m keeping an eye on you.”
I twisted in my seat, looking in all directions, trying to spot him. “You’re here?”
“I told you, I left town.” His overly patient tone made it sound as though he thought I was a simpleton.
“And yet you’re keeping an eye on me? You don’t think that sounds a wee bit stalkerish?”
“A wee bit,” he mocked.
I blew on my thumb, which was really starting to ache.
“Mags?”
“What?”
“Be careful of Rivgali. He’s got a mean streak a mile wide.”
“You know him?”
“Know of him. Good guys and bad guys all slept better once he was off the streets.”
I bit the inside of my lip wondering if I should tell him how worried I was about the ex-con.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Patrick prodded gently.
“I think he may have already accosted Loretta and that Susan saw him hanging around the B&B,” I blurted out.
“Are they okay?”
“Loretta was shaken up and Susan said that Angel chased him off.”
Patrick sucked in a sharp breath. “What are you doing with that guy?”
“How do you even know about him?”
Patrick sighed. “Jack Stern. He mentioned that Rivgali was out and that you seem chummy with Delveccio’s nephew.”
My other cell phone buzzed, reminding me that I was going to be late for the appointment I’d been on my way to.
“Are you, Mags?” the redhead asked quietly.
“Am I what?”
“Chummy with him.” Patrick’s voice crackled with jealousy.
The fact he was jealous made me feel a little bit better. It cemented that he cared, despite his mysterious out-of-town trip. For an instant, my thumb stopped throbbing. “He’s the
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