Free The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands Page B

right," Decker concurred, glancing back toward the table they'd just left. "Right now they think it was a line."
    "They do?" Bricker glanced back to the table with a frown.
    "Yes." Decker was concentrating on the women, obviously reading them. "They're debating whether it's just you who's the twit, or we're all bald-faced lying assholes hoping to get laid."
    "Oh man," Bricker muttered and then said accusingly, "Well, they wouldn't be thinking that if you two hadn't reacted like I'd announced we were Jack the Ripper wannabes. For Christ's sake! You're both older than me. You've had to lie to mortals about countless things for centuries. I would have expected you to be better able to carry this off."
    " You claimed we were in a rock band," Mortimer pointed out, as if that explained their inability to follow up the lie believably.
    "Girls like that stuff," Bricker insisted. "They find it exciting. And it's not like I said we were band members in Nickelback or something. We don't have to be successful rock stars. And," he added grimly, "it saves having to come up with an individual lie for each of us."
    He let them consider that for a moment and then added, "It wasn't like either of you were speaking up and coming out with something."
    Another moment of silence passed, and then Mortimer said reluctantly, "We really should have considered cover stories before we came over tonight."
    "Yes," Decker muttered, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.
    "Look," Bricker said eagerly, seeing that his argument had a chance of winning. "I've had more experience with women. I know what they—" He stopped abruptly as the two older immortals turned cold-eyed scowls on him. Both of them were much older than Bricker.
    "I mean, I have more recent experience with women," he corrected himself quickly. "You two stopped bothering with them a long time ago. I still… er… socialize."
    Mortimer and Decker relaxed.
    Releasing a sigh, Bricker went on, "We can tell them that we're a road band, an opening show for bigger bands. We've just got our first recording contract, spent months in the studio recording our first CD, and we're taking a break together up here before we go back on the road."
    "Jesus," Mortimer breathed, staring at him with disbelief. "How often do you use this line?"
    "All the time," he admitted airily. "And it never fails. Trust me."
    Mortimer shook his head and glanced at Decker in question.
    The immortal hesitated, but then grimaced and shrugged. "I suppose it might work."
    "I suppose," Mortimer muttered reluctantly.
    "And it would save us having to come up with alternate lies," Decker pointed out. "Besides, if we don't go with it and pull it off, we either have to erase the memory or they're going to keep thinking we're a bunch of lying losers."
    "Losers?" Bricker echoed, glancing toward the women with dismay.
    "If they're having trouble believing it, we can always slip into their thoughts and help out a little," Decker pointed out, ignoring him, and then glanced at Mortimer and offered, "I'll take Sam since you can't."
    Mortimer nodded, but he was scowling. He now really didn't want Decker touching Sam's mind. His attitude toward the woman had changed since he'd learned her clumsiness was due to an ear infection. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized she was an intelligent, sharp-witted woman and the less he noticed that she was overly slender, lacking in a proper bosom, and befreckled. She was clever and amusing, and he was starting to like her a little. Mortimer wasn't ready to announce that she was definitely his life mate, but she was showing possibility, and as long as there was a possibility she might do for him, he didn't like anyone else messing with her.
    "I'll take Jo."
    Something about the eagerness in Bricker's voice made Mortimer turn his narrowed gaze on the man. "Can you read her?"
    "Yes."
    "Then don't mess with her romantically," Mortimer snapped.
    "Oh, come on, Mortimer. She's cute. And I