Like my father. He didn’t bother raising me. I had to find that in other people, and all those people were hardened criminals.
Kira’s father was just about the closest I ever came to a real role model.
I know how she’s feeling now. It’s like she lost her mother all over again. Except this time, I think she can mourn for real. Now she knows that her mother’s truly gone for good, and she can finally put that part of her life to rest.
We park in front of Lenny’s a few minutes later. There’s only one other truck in the lot. It looks fairly new. I make sure my gun’s loaded before we get out and head to the entrance. The driver stays outside to keep an eye on our exit.
“What are the chances he’ll have it?” Kira asks nervously.
“Pawn shops are hit or miss. Some are barely more than junk stores, and others—” We push into a brightly lit and surprisinglyclean showroom. I gesture around with a slight grin. “Others are a little more professional.”
“Lucky us.” Kira wanders through the aisles. Each item has a price tag, but I know they’re all negotiable. There are cameras covering every inch of this place, and I’d bet a kidney they all work. An older man’s sitting behind a counter idly scrolling through a phone, looking bored, and perks up when I approach him.
“Afternoon, are you here to buy or sell?”
“I’m here to buy something specific.” I look him over carefully. He’s rounding in the middle, clean-shaven, buzzed head, decent clothes. “Are you the owner?”
“Sure am. That’s my name on the sign. What can I do for you?”
“A while back, a woman came in here.”
“I get a lot of those, believe it or not.” He grins at me. It’s meant to be charming, but I find it very irritating.
I take out my phone and show him a picture of Kira’s mother. It’s a candid I snapped while she wasn’t paying attention. It’s not good, but her face is clearly visible.
Lenny’s lips press together. “Can’t say I recognize her.”
“She had rings, like any other jewelry, might’ve been in here with a skinny asshole with a blond mustache. There would’ve been a key in the mix too.”
“Blond mustache? You’re not talking about Scotty and Flora, are you?”
I glance at Kira. She’s listening intently now. “Actually, we are,” she says, cutting in.
I don’t like the way Lenny looks at her. His eyes are appraising, and he licks his lips ever so slightly like he thinks he found something valuable. “Don’t tell me you’re Flora’s daughter?”
“You know them.” She beams happily. “Do you still have what she brought to you?”
“Unfortunately, I sold most of it already,” Lenny admits, shaking his head. “Sorry, I hope it wasn’t anything sentimental, but those two have been nothing but unresponsive and a total pain in my ass. Had to move that junk on.”
“What about the key?” Kira leans forward and gives him a pretty smile. My blood fucking boils when his eyes flit down to her chest. “Do you still have that one?”
“I don’t know—” He rubs the back of his head, looking bashful.
I lean in closer, my voice low. “You should go check.”
He glances at me and must not like the look on my face. Instantly, he straightens up and doesn’t glance at Kira again. “Sure, I can do that. You got any specific attachment to it?”
“It was mine. She stole it. I’ll happily buy it back.”
“I don’t truck with stolen property. Besides, if it’s just a key, it’s not worth selling anyway. Hold on a second.” He walks off to the back and is gone a long while. I’m in a shit mood, which Kira must notice. She gets close and puts a hand on my arm.
“Are you acting jealous right now?” she says, voice quiet so Lenny can’t hear.
“No. I don’t do that.”
Her eyes sparkle with amusement. “No? So that wasn’t you acting all macho and alpha right then?”
“That’s not necessary. I don’t have to act.”
