Jade slapped her face. “Color me stupid. That was really insensitive, girl. You can do better.”
Reaching across the console, I took her hand. “It’s because I know Arnaud. You’re not being insensitive.”
“A doped up chick who probably can’t speak English can give consent? I was insensitive. Suck it up, buttercup.”
“I just adore you when you get all riled and feisty. Gives me the shivers.”
“I want pancakes,” Jade announced. “With bacon. Lots of bacon.”
“Your wish is my command.”
I found a family type diner a few miles down the road we took, and I pulled in to park. I’d barely shut the engine off when I saw a big black Chevy SUV driving down the street. I’d chosen to park facing the street. I seized Jade by the neck and forced her head down.
“Hide,” I hissed, as though the occupants of the Chevy could hear me. “Stay down.”
I, too, ducked my head below the dash. I waited, my gut tight with the tension, fearing the goons had seen me before I saw them. When, a seemingly endless time later, I ventured to peek through the windshield, I found no black SUV pouring goons with machine guns from its doors.
“Sorry,” I said, letting Jade up. “I was a bit rough.”
Jade rubbed the back of her neck, grimacing. “You’re a strong son of a gun. Do you think they’re cruising for us?”
“No way to know,” I replied, searching all around for goons, guns, and black Chevys. “Maybe yes, maybe no. We’ll have to be on guard for cops, too. We won’t know we’ve been spotted by a dirty cop until it’s too late.”
“Maybe we should don disguises.” Jade opened her door, grinning. “We both put on blonde wigs.”
“That might not be a bad idea. I’m hungry.”
A smiling hostess escorted us to a table, thankfully near the front window. I’d planned to ask for such a table had she not taken us to it.
“Coffee?” she asked, setting menus down.
“Yes, please.”
I couldn’t stop myself from watching the street and the parking lot for Arnaud’s pals. “This is crap,” I muttered. “Anywhere we go we might be seen.”
“Hence blonde wigs,” Jade said. “A passing cop, looking for people with our descriptions, and sees two blondes in a Jeep when he’s been instructed to look for my car and us.” She shrugged. “He’ll drive on by.”
I shook my finger at her. “You’re too good at this spy business. I want us to buy cameras before we hit Arnaud’s. I don’t think one phone will do all we need it to.”
“And a laptop computer. We should look at the pictures on that, I think. Especially if we find anything especially incriminating.”
The hostess brought coffee, poured for us while asking if we were ready to order. Jade took only a moment to decide.
“I’ll have the pancake special with extra bacon.”
“I’ll have the same.”
As we had the evening before, we talked with an ease, a level of comfort between us that hadn’t been there before I’d gotten shot. Before that time, Jade held her mistrust and suspicion up like a shield, her defenses so good they weremilitary grade. I saw a softness, a gentleness in her face, her manner, the way she spoke, that only came about in that abandoned house.
“After this is over,” I said slowly, pushing my empty plate away, “what do you think will happen?”
She frowned, her brows lowering. “Happen?”
“You know.” I swallowed hard. “With us.”
“Oh.” She stirred her coffee that didn’t need stirring. “I can’t really say. I suggest we just get through this shit alive, then see. Fair?”
“I like you, Jade.” The admission dried my mouth. “I don’t want the end of this shit to be the end of us.”
