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watching to make sure I held up my end of the bargain. I was, at least for now. I needed information from him, and I wouldn’t completely burn that bridge until I had it. Once I had what I needed, I planned to take a blow torch to it. He had me shot, I might not have died, but I was still prickly about it. That wasn’t something I was going to get over. In fact, my anger had done nothing but grow in the last day. He would be lucky if I didn’t torch the whole casino down around him. I might be a broke waitress, right now, but I was resourceful. I’d find a way.
    I spent the ride home thinking about how satisfying it would be to take Hawking down. I was so immersed in my thou ghts I almost missed my stop. I pulled the cord and had to get out a block farther away than normal, but it was a beautiful night for a walk, and I figured the guy following me should earn his keep. Let him have to hop from bush to bush for all I cared.
    I couldn’t pin -point anyone on the bus who looked like a tail, and when I got off, I got off alone. My best guess was that whoever was following had driven behind in a car. Apparently, these thugs had higher standards then I did and wouldn’t slum it on public transportation.
    The bus had just pulled away when a man stepped into my path. I looked up to see Vitor’s face. I just shook my head and walked around him.
    “How are you, Jo?” he asked, as he fell into step beside me.
    “I’ve been better,” I replied without bothering to look at him.
    “I saw you at the casino. I think I misjudged whatever happened the other night. You aren’t on the best terms with Cormac. I’m not exactly sure why you are so opposed to hearing me out.”
    “Because you want something from me, and whatever it is, I want no part of it.”
    “Why wo n’t you at least hear me out? Maybe we could help each other.”
    I couldn’t help myself, I had to laugh at that. “I don’t need anything from you that badly, and I have a feeling whatever I could gain would cost me a lot more than I was willing to give.” As we walked into my development, I headed toward my trailer. He already knew where I lived, so I didn’t see the point in evasion now. And for whatever reason, I didn’t think he was a threat.
    “I have information that I think you would want to know.”
    We stopped in front of my trailer, and he held his hand on my door. I was forced to pause, whether I wanted to or not.
    “What ?”
    “There are whispers , Josephine. Something is coming, something big that will steam roll over Cormac’s entire organization. You are one of them. Do you want to take that chance?”
    “What’s coming?”
    “There are dangerous people aligning against Cormac and they aren’t alone.”
    “Shouldn’t you be telling him?”
    “He won’t do what needs to be done. I need you. ”
    “ I’ve told you, I’m sorry your people are having trouble, but I learned years ago that there is only one person you can depend on. Maybe it’s time for them to learn that lesson, too.”
    I looked meaningfully at his hand and stood waiting for him to remove it.
    “You’re backing me into a corner, Jo.”
    The sound of desperation in his tone alarmed me. I looked at his face now, and realized that I might have been lulled into a false sense of security with him. It wasn’t in his nature to attack, of that I was positive, but he was desperate. Desperation made people do horrible things. I’d seen it many times in my life.
    I tried to soften my face and body language. “Look, Vitor, I’m really beat tonight. How about tomorrow afternoon we sit down and talk? I promise I’ll hear you out then.”
    His hand relaxed on my door knob. I’d walked him back from the cliff just enough to buy me the time I needed.
    “Okay,” he said, then paused as if figuring out his schedule in his head. “I’ll be here at three.”
    “Deal.”
    He nodded his head, and I watched his back as he walked away. When he was willin g to take my word on