hoping to hide my surprise. Wow. She'd looked like she had eyes for nothing but the girls, but she'd clearly been more aware of the room than I'd given her credit for. I put my arm over her shoulder and made sure that Bug and J.C. saw us on our way out. I'd resolve things with the MC later.
We walked to the bike and got on without speaking a word, and we got to Max's apartment before she broke the silence.
She took off her helmet and rested it on her hip, stretching out her arm to hold it in place. "Well. It's been an interesting day, Moses."
I'd been unsure how she'd react, and I laughed at her understatement. "You okay?" I asked.
She laughed too. "Yeah. A little overwhelmed, but I'm okay." She looked at me for a few seconds. "I'm starving, though. You hungry?"
I realized that I was. "Yeah. Hadn't thought about it, but I am now that you've brought it up."
"I'm going to throw together some pasta for dinner, and you're welcome to join me if you don't have plans. If you're busy we can catch up tomorrow."
Her offer surprised me, but I couldn't think of any reason to say no. "That would be nice. Thanks."
She smiled and turned, waving at me to follow her. We walked up the few flights of stairs to her apartment, and I couldn't help but shake my head. We'd spent the day working on her cover, easing her into a role that couldn't be more different from the way she'd led her life. She'd met a bunch of new people -- some of them pretty rough around the edges, and she'd handled it all without a hitch. She'd walked into real live porn, and she hadn't freaked out. And then she was hungry, acting like the crazy afternoon had been no big deal. Tombley had been right about Max. She was the right woman for the job.
She unlocked her door and we walked inside. I locked the door as a matter of habit, and I scanned the room to make sure the back door was still locked. The fact that we were a few floors up didn't make me automatically feel safe. I'd seen too much weird shit in my day. I watched to see if Max would check the rest of the apartment. When she went over to the refrigerator, I figured I had another lesson to teach her.
"Hey," I said, stopping her in her tracks. "One thing you're gonna have to get used to. You never relax until you've cleared your house. I live in the middle of nowhere, and I have alarms, but I don't ever settle in until I've checked out the whole house."
Max just looked at me, expressionless again. "You ever find anyone?"
"Nope. Still do it though."
She thought for a minute. "Not a bad habit," she said as she left the kitchen and walked through the rest of the apartment, opening the doors to the bathroom in the hall, the spare bedroom, and her bedroom and bath, remembering to stick her head in the huge closet as well.
"All clear," she announced as she headed back to the refrigerator. "Wine or beer?"
"Beer."
I liked this girl. She didn't laugh off my suggestion, and she was careful and thoughtful. I'd made up my mind; she was going to be a good partner.
Chapter 13
Max
I pulled the cork on a bottle of Albarino and poured myself a glass.
"Cooking wine," I announced to Moses with a wink. "What I drink while I'm cooking."
He laughed and sat down at one of the bar stools I had tucked under the breakfast bar that faced the kitchen.
"So what did you think of the day?" he asked as he took a sip of his beer.
I opened the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen shrimp and dumped about half of them into a bowl of water to defrost, glad I'd bought the ones that were already peeled and deveined. "Shrimp okay?" I asked. After Moses nodded, I answered his question. "It was a little overwhelming. I feel a little like a fish out of water, trying to act like I belong in a group I know very little about."
"You did fine."
"Thanks." I peeled a clove of garlic and minced it while we talked. "It'll take me a while to settle in, but I think I can do it." I squeezed the juice of half a lemon into a little bowl and
We walked to the bike and got on without speaking a word, and we got to Max's apartment before she broke the silence.
She took off her helmet and rested it on her hip, stretching out her arm to hold it in place. "Well. It's been an interesting day, Moses."
I'd been unsure how she'd react, and I laughed at her understatement. "You okay?" I asked.
She laughed too. "Yeah. A little overwhelmed, but I'm okay." She looked at me for a few seconds. "I'm starving, though. You hungry?"
I realized that I was. "Yeah. Hadn't thought about it, but I am now that you've brought it up."
"I'm going to throw together some pasta for dinner, and you're welcome to join me if you don't have plans. If you're busy we can catch up tomorrow."
Her offer surprised me, but I couldn't think of any reason to say no. "That would be nice. Thanks."
She smiled and turned, waving at me to follow her. We walked up the few flights of stairs to her apartment, and I couldn't help but shake my head. We'd spent the day working on her cover, easing her into a role that couldn't be more different from the way she'd led her life. She'd met a bunch of new people -- some of them pretty rough around the edges, and she'd handled it all without a hitch. She'd walked into real live porn, and she hadn't freaked out. And then she was hungry, acting like the crazy afternoon had been no big deal. Tombley had been right about Max. She was the right woman for the job.
She unlocked her door and we walked inside. I locked the door as a matter of habit, and I scanned the room to make sure the back door was still locked. The fact that we were a few floors up didn't make me automatically feel safe. I'd seen too much weird shit in my day. I watched to see if Max would check the rest of the apartment. When she went over to the refrigerator, I figured I had another lesson to teach her.
"Hey," I said, stopping her in her tracks. "One thing you're gonna have to get used to. You never relax until you've cleared your house. I live in the middle of nowhere, and I have alarms, but I don't ever settle in until I've checked out the whole house."
Max just looked at me, expressionless again. "You ever find anyone?"
"Nope. Still do it though."
She thought for a minute. "Not a bad habit," she said as she left the kitchen and walked through the rest of the apartment, opening the doors to the bathroom in the hall, the spare bedroom, and her bedroom and bath, remembering to stick her head in the huge closet as well.
"All clear," she announced as she headed back to the refrigerator. "Wine or beer?"
"Beer."
I liked this girl. She didn't laugh off my suggestion, and she was careful and thoughtful. I'd made up my mind; she was going to be a good partner.
Chapter 13
Max
I pulled the cork on a bottle of Albarino and poured myself a glass.
"Cooking wine," I announced to Moses with a wink. "What I drink while I'm cooking."
He laughed and sat down at one of the bar stools I had tucked under the breakfast bar that faced the kitchen.
"So what did you think of the day?" he asked as he took a sip of his beer.
I opened the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen shrimp and dumped about half of them into a bowl of water to defrost, glad I'd bought the ones that were already peeled and deveined. "Shrimp okay?" I asked. After Moses nodded, I answered his question. "It was a little overwhelming. I feel a little like a fish out of water, trying to act like I belong in a group I know very little about."
"You did fine."
"Thanks." I peeled a clove of garlic and minced it while we talked. "It'll take me a while to settle in, but I think I can do it." I squeezed the juice of half a lemon into a little bowl and
Similar Books
The Live-Forever Machine
Kenneth Oppel
Thoreau in Love
John Schuyler Bishop
3 Loosey Goosey
Rae Davies
The Testimonium
Lewis Ben Smith
What Happens At Christmas...
T A Williams
Consumed
Matt Shaw
Devour
Andrea Heltsley
Organo-Topia
Scott Michael Decker
The Strangler
William Landay
Shroud of Shadow
Gael Baudino