“Same here. And if I can afford Starbucks coffee once a month,” she added with a laugh, “life is wonderful.”
“My blood is ten percent coffee,” he replied. “My brain doesn’t even work until my second cup in the morning.”
“There’s one other thing: I finally got a burner phone,” she said, pulling the device out of her pocket. “Write this number down so you’ll have it in case you need to call me, because I won’t answer the phone if I see any sheriff’s department number on the ID.”
“Smart thinking,” he said as he jotted it down and handed it back to her.
“Well, regardless of John Everett’s disgusting opinion of me, I do occasionally use my brain.” She grinned.
She glanced at her watch. “I guess I’d better get outside before my ride goes to sleep.”
“Didn’t John bring you?” he asked.
“If John brought me, I’d be in a croaker sack with the meanest cat he could find or even worse, with Precious.”
He gave a mock shiver. “Brave man to keep that kind of pet in his bedroom. I don’t imagine it does much for his love life.”
“There’s no hanky-panky in his mother’s house, thank you very much.”
He grinned. “Not with his mother,” he agreed. “Amazing woman, Mrs. Everett. Beautiful and talented and kind. That’s a rare combination in my world.”
“And mine as well,” she agreed, getting up. “Thanks for hiding the information that could get me killed. I’m sure the Everetts have many safes, but I couldn’t risk asking them to put something so dangerous in their home.”
“Lucky that nobody ever asked you to take off your boots in public when you were talking to Raines in the bar,” he laughed.
“I’ll drink to that,” she replied with a smile. “Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. John asked me how it was that I managed to carry a gun when I’ve got a rap sheet. I told him you didn’t know about it and asked if he was going to turn me in.”
“Quick thinking,” he said approvingly. “We’ll play it that way.”
“No way I’m going to be caught without a weapon. Not in my line of work.”
“Or in mine,” he agreed, one hand on the butt of his single action .45 Ruger Vaquero pistol. It sat in a beautiful hand-tooled leather holster. And it was tied down around his muscular thigh.
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll drop that thing on your foot and break it?” she asked as they walked out the front door.
“Never have before,” he said. He waved at Danny Hill, sitting in the truck waiting on Josie. Danny waved back.
“Well, I’ll see you when I see you,” she said. “Should we make up some story about when I appear in front of a judge?”
“I’m hoping you can wind this up before we ever have to face that question,” he told her.
“Which reminds me,” she said. “I still haven’t heard from Raines about when we go after the shipment, and it’s the big shipment. All this hard work has been leading up to impounding.”
“The holidays are coming up, so it shouldn’t be too much longer, I wouldn’t think,” he said. “I’ll cross all my fingers.”
“I’ll cross mine, too,” she said. “I’d really like to see Velasquez in a maximum-security prison.”
“Roll on the day,” he replied coldly. “I’ll send up fireworks.”
“I’ll be in touch,” she said.
“Stay safe,” he replied.
“You do the same,” she said, and nodded as she got into the truck with Danny and they headed back to the ranch.
John was in the kitchen drinking coffee with his mother when Josie walked in. He gave her a biting look. “I guess he didn’t think to frisk you,” he said.
“John Everett,” his mother said, “you stop it.”
