“I didn’t know bars counted as homes now.” I sat up on my elbows, giving him a pitying look. “Was the recession a little tough on you? Forced you to bed down in a bar?”
“Smart mouth from the one in a silver cage.”
I looked around me. “True. Wonder how long it will be until Jerry finds out you have physically assaulted and detained one of his couriers while on a delivery. Wouldn’t want to be you when he does. I’ll take my cage and smart mouth over his wrath any day.”
“I have no proof you’re a courier. Only your word. Someone found you standing over a body killed in much the same way as several others found this summer.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t found standing over the body. I was in the doorway leading to a room with the body. Big difference.”
“Who asked you to deliver the message?”
“Ah, ah. That’s privileged information.”
“Your intended recipient is dead. That excuse no longer holds weight.”
I sat the rest of the way up, folding my legs under me. “My client still lives. And while he does, that information remains secret unless he instructs me otherwise.”
He folded his arms across his chest and pinned me with a glare. I’m sure it was the same kind he gave to many a rebellious pack member. They probably quelled and showed their belly to signal their submission to his superior will. Me, it bounced off barely registering as a glare.
“Tell me about what was in the package.”
“Privileged.”
He snarled. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. He’d kept me in here for hours. It felt good to get some of my own back.
I figured the only reason he was down here asking me questions was because he couldn’t get my bag open to get at the message. It wouldn’t open for anyone but me. It was how Jerry ensured the contents of a delivery remained confidential even in the event of a mugging. He also wouldn’t be able to break through the security both technical and magical on my phone.
“You were willing to have me sign for the package. How is this any different?”
Wondered when he would get around to that.
“But, you didn’t sign for the package. Because you didn’t, you can’t see what’s in it.”
I got a little thrill from being able to throw that back into his face.
“I’ll sign now.”
“Nope. It’s too late now. The delivery deadline has come and gone.”
There was no point in telling him the deadline had passed even before I’d asked him to sign for it in the first place.
“We could torture you,” he said.
“You could, but it wouldn’t do you much good. That bag won’t even open for me at this point.”
His face looked like it was chiseled in stone. Didn’t like that, did he?
Good. Perhaps he should have signed for the damn package when he had the chance.
My last statement was complete bullshit, of course. I could open the bag anytime I wanted. I just wasn’t in the mood to cooperate after sitting in here all night.
“Tell me again how you broke into my bar.”
“I’ve already told you this. Again, I didn’t break into anything. I turned the knob and walked in.”
“You saw nothing?”
“No. I saw nothing. There was no one guarding the entrance. I didn’t even realize anything was wrong until I smelled the blood.”
