Miracle of all miracles, Eight finally cracks a grin. “I feel safer already,” he teases.
“Jesus Christ,” Sadie chirps. “You two are giving me a toothache.”
Chris looks up from his computer screen. “Ironic,” he murmurs. Then to me he says, “He was hardly worth the trouble of tracking him down.”
I shrug. “I’m all about law and order. Keeping criminals off the street. Doing my civic duty.”
“And yet, you’re hanging around this guy.” Chris nods his head towards Eight.
“How much is the bounty?” Eight asks, ignoring Chris’s feeble zinger.
“It’s not important,” I say quickly. “What counts is that we got this slime off the street.”
“This is slap-on-the-wrist shit,” Sadie sneers.
“Then why’d you run, asshole?” I reply.
“How much?” Eight repeats to Chris.
“Five bills,” Chris says.
“Judas!” I snap at Chris.
“You risked your life over $500? Are you fucking nuts?”
“It’s not about the money!” I lie. “My bounty hunter oath binds me to not pick and choose.”
“That’s not actually true,” Chris starts.
“Shut it,” Eight and I say at the same time.
“Whatever,” Chris says with an eyeroll. He reaches for the intercom. “Malcolm, we got Steve Irwin out here.”
“Who?”
“Steve Irwin. Sadie.”
“Right,” Malcom replies. “Who brought him in?”
“Who do ya think? Selkie Fleming.”
“She gone yet?” Malcolm’s voice crackles back at Chris.
“Not yet,” Chris replies.
“Can it wait until she’s gone?”
“No. I need you down here to process Steve.”
I hear a heavy blow of breath. “On my way.”
A minute later, a portly cop comes from the back. He glances from Sadie to me and then to Eight. “Which asshole is it?”
“Eight is not an asshole,” I reply, feeling the girlfriend bear rage building. “He’s?—”
“It’s been established I am an asshole,” Eight interrupts. “Could we fuckin’ get on with whatever has to be done, so we can go?”
“You didn’t let me finish,” I protest.
