Free Cut and Run by Jeff Abbott

lips.
    This was why Paul didn’t give a crap what Bucks had done to her. Her heart filled her throat, her mouth.
    ‘You want me to talk to Frank for you?’ She prayed he’d say yes, let her handle it, get the money back, not send the muscle
     pounding down on Frank. ‘You know Frank, he doesn’t know numbers, he probably entered a few figures wrong in a spreadsheet.
     He’s not the brightest star in the sky.’
    Paul dragged his sleeve across his lips. ‘Yeah. You talkto Frank. Because I don’t want to smash Frank’s face in. He brings in the celebs. Without Frank’s touch we’re just another
     high-end titty bar. The staying power of minor celebrity never fails to amaze.’ He smiled, a cold one like his father used.
     ‘If he’s having money problems, he should let me know; I’ll take care of him.’ Paul’s voice was now gentle, steady. It scared
     Eve.
    ‘Of course, Paul. There’s a reasonable explanation …’
    ‘I have to be able to trust him, Eve. If I can’t trust him … if I can’t trust you …’ He let the words fade into the quiet.
     ‘Then I have to take corrective measures, regardless of my affection for you or Frank.’
    Corrective measures. Tommy’s old code words for a hit. Dizziness spun through her head at the idea of Paul ordering her and
     Frank killed. She thought of Ricky Marino, his body thrashed into shreds by a chain. She didn’t know for sure that Paul had
     done it. But people had whispered: Yeah he sure had, whooping and screaming and making a tantrum into a gut-wrenching kill
     that ended up discrediting his father and destroying their organization in Detroit.
    ‘I’ll make good on anything Frank’s done,’ she said in a rush. ‘And if I pay it back and you’re still mad at him, then let
     us go back to Detroit.’
    ‘Wow.’ Paul gave a soft laugh. ‘I haven’t even shown you proof of Frank’s skimming. You sure seem ready to believe he’d do
     it.’
    After a moment she said, ‘Well, you wouldn’t accuse him without good reason.’
    ‘Finally you show faith in me,’ he said.
    ‘Of course I have faith in you, honey. Always.’
    ‘You want to see the proof?’
    ‘Yes.’
    He handed her a CD. ‘Destroy it when you’re done,’ he said. ‘One file shows the charges actually made on clientcards. The other shows the nightly revenues. There’s a big shortfall.’
    ‘I’ll check it carefully. If it’s him you’ll get your money back and an apology. And he’ll work for free, no salary, for six
     months. He’ll show you respect, Paul, I promise.’
    ‘Frank’s stealing from me, from my dying father, and you, you want to lecture me on how Bucks behaves and what deals I enter
     into.’
    ‘I’m not lecturing you,’ she said. ‘God forbid. So who found out Frank was skimming?’
    ‘Doesn’t matter.’
    He got up from behind Frank’s desk and she stayed still as he walked behind her chair. After a moment he put his hands, thick-fingered,
     on her shoulders. ‘I know you returned money to my dad years ago A big load of cash he otherwise would have lost. So I’m giving
     you fair warning. You clean Frank’s nose. You get the money back he stole. And you and Frank keep breathing. Understand?’
    ‘Yes,’ she said. The pressure from his hands tightened on her shoulders, her collarbone. His thumbs rubbed the sides of her
     neck, tickled them slightly. Avoiding the bruise Bucks had left.
    ‘I forgive once, Eve. Not twice.’
    ‘Thank you, Paul,’ she said. ‘I’ll fix it. How much does he owe you?’
    ‘About ninety thousand,’ he said. The pressure on her throat increased.
    She said nothing. It could be worse. She could call Detroit, talk to a couple of old friends, get a loan. Frank, the idiot,
     what had possessed him? ‘I’ll fix it,’ she said again. ‘Please, let me talk to him first? I’ll straighten this out.’
    Paul Bellini eased the pressure of his hands, slowly turned the chair so she faced him. Leaned down close toher.