Free Bad Guys Don't Win (Janet Maple Series Book 4) by Marie Astor Page A

late.
    “Excellent. I will need his name and
phone number.”
    “Why on earth would you need that? My
personal life is none of your business.”
    “It is now that you’ve come to me for
help. And I will need your boyfriend’s name in case something should happen to
you. Also, it goes without saying that you should go outside as little as
possible until we figure out where the Kovars are.”
    “What? That’s out of the question! I
have a life. I have a business to run—”
    “Last time I checked, your bar burned
down to the ground. Do you really think it’s smart to take chances right now?”
    Mila stared back at him silently,
blinking away tears. “I guess not. But I can’t just disappear. I have to sort
things out with the insurance agents and figure out how to rebuild Amy and
Mila’s—”
    “I could be wrong, but I doubt you’ll be
able to do any of these things stuck in a basement somewhere with your hands
tied and a gag in your mouth, or worse.”
    Mila eyed him with a terrified stare.
    “And that’s best case scenario. I doubt
Anton Kovar has a warm reunion in mind when it comes to you.”
    “And whose fault is that?” Mila shot
back. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. When I
testified against the Kovars, the feds promised me protection, and now we can’t
even go to the feds and I’m supposed to be running away like some scared
rabbit.”
    Dennis grabbed Mila’s arm. “Be thankful
that you still got legs to run away,” he muttered. “The Kovars are no joke. And
I didn’t get you into this mess—you were already up to your neck with the
Kovars when I met you. If anything, I helped you get away from Anton.”
    “And look how well that turned out,”
Mila spat back.
    “You should’ve been more careful with
your choice of men. Shacking up with Anton Kovar wasn’t exactly a smart move—”
Dennis broke off, noticing the wounded look in Mila’s eyes. “I’m sorry. That
was too much. I know it’s hard on you, but you have to stay focused, Mila. You
have to help me protect you.”
    “Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll do whatever
you say.”

Chapter 8
     
     
    Exhausted, Janet opened her apartment
door and was promptly pounced on by Baxter, her Jack Russell Terrier. Baxter
was always happy to see her, but tonight he was particularly excited as he
could no doubt smell the contents of the bag Janet was carrying from Francois
Bissette’s.
    “Easy there, Baxter.” Janet lifted up
the bag and set it on top of the shoe chest where it was safely out of Baxter’s
reach. She bent down to scratch Baxter behind his ear. “I missed you too.”
    Baxter barked loudly, looked back at her
and then at the shoe chest, propping his front paws against it in an attempt to
reach the top.
    Janet shook her finger. “Naughty boy.
Sweets are bad for you. Did you have a nice walk with Mrs. Chapman?” Mrs.
Chapman was Janet’s neighbor. A former librarian and part time opera singer,
Mrs. Chapman was now retired. But she still maintained her love of the opera
and spent her days playing the piano and singing her favorite arias.
    Baxter ignored Janet’s question, his
eyes fixed expectantly on the top of the shoe box.
    “Come on,” Janet said. “It’s time for
dinner.”
    She went into the kitchen, reached for a
can of Baxter’s favorite dog food, and emptied its contents into his bowl.
“Baxter, come here, boy! Time for dinner.” Normally when it came to food, Janet
didn’t have to call Baxter’s name twice, but in a battle between savory and
sweet, the latter clearly won, as Baxter remained in the foyer, his eyes glued
to the Francois Bissette bag.
    “All right,” Janet caved in, walking
over and grabbing the bag. “Finish your dinner and I’ll let you have a small
treat.”
    Baxter barked one more time in protest,
but seeing that she wasn’t about to budge, trotted over to his bowl and began
to consume its contents hungrily.
    “See? It’s your favorite.”
    Janet