Envy the Night Read Online Free PDF Page B

money to hold the job, and it didn’t seem likely he was going to dash off and leave his expensive car. If hedid, hell, she’d make a fine profit off that. How long did you have to wait to claim a mechanic’s lien?
    So she let him take her car and drive off, didn’t fill out any of the standard paperwork, just accepted his money and his promise to return Monday. Even a few months ago she would never have believed she could agree to something as crazy as this, but a few months ago the shop’s debt was merely threatening, not suffocating her in the way that it was now. She stood in the parking lot and watched him go, two grand in cash in her pocket. It was enough to justify the breach of protocol. She was in a dream world when she walked back into the shop, and pulled up with surprise when she saw the young guy standing there, Frank. How old was he, anyhow? Appearance said he’d be a few years her junior, maybe twenty-six, twenty-seven. Acted older, though. Carried himself all steady and sharp-eyed, the way a man who’s seen a lot will do. The way her father had.
    “Hey,” she said, and for some reason she tugged off the baseball cap, shook her light brown hair out.
    “Hey. You get things settled with that guy?” He stepped closer to her, an easy smile on his face but the eyes not matching it, too thoughtful. A nice-enough-looking guy, runner’s body, good skin. Needed to grow the dark hair out, though, lose that military cut that made him look even younger than he was.
    “A pocketful of money to prove it,” she said and gave him one raised eyebrow that made him nod.
    “Feel safe about getting that Mitsubishi back?”
    She laughed. “If I never see it again, that’ll only save me money.”
    “Different sort of guy, wasn’t he?”
    “Seemed a little on edge.”
    “Uh-huh. Got a gun out of the glove compartment when he was moving his things into your car, too.”
    That stopped her. Not just because of the gun, but the way he said it. Relaxed. Casual. And how had he even seen that? When O’Connor was busy switching his gear from the Lexus to the Mitsubishi, she’d been standing right beside him, with Frank all the way back at the shop, leaning against the wall.
    “Handgun,” he said. “No big deal, I’m sure. Lots of people carry them.”
    She didn’t say anything, just stood beside the door and stared at him.
    “Look, I didn’t want to worry you,” he said. “It’s meaningless.”
    “I know that. I was just surprised you saw him with it, that’s all. You were standing all the way over—”
    “Good eyes. I’ve got good eyes.”
    “I guess so.” Pretty eyes, too. Nora always liked blue eyes on a guy with a dark complexion. Something about the contrast. She pulled open the office door, stepped inside with Frank behind her.
    “I’ll go back and tow your car in just a minute,” she said. “You know what you’re going to do for a ride?”
    “I’ll figure something out.”
    “Where were you headed?” If he said Rhinelander, she was going to be awfully uncomfortable.
    “The Willow. Staying at a cabin up there. I’ve got some errands to run in town, though, groceries and the like, so I’ll deal with them first.”
    “You aren’t going to rent a car?”
    “No need. Once I get up there I don’t plan on leaving for a while.”
    She pushed her hair back over her ears, the baseball cap still in her left hand. Over Frank’s shoulder she could see Jerry standing at the row of lockers along the far wall, getting ready to take a cigarette break. The doors to the paint booth were still open and the lights were off, which meant the Mazda wasn’t drying, which in turn meant Jerry hadn’t repainted that quarter panel yet. Good thing he was taking a cigarette break.
    “Tell you what—if you can kill the afternoon in town, I’ll drive you up to your cabin tonight,” Nora said, refocusing on Frank again. “Come by around six?”
    “You don’t need to—”
    “It’s not a