Free Blood Diamond by R. J. Blain Page B

than necessary, and while I should have averted my eyes, I stared at her. When she caught me watching, she smirked.
    “Boss, I know she’s pretty, but get in the truck already. I’d rather not leave without you, seeing as I came all this way just to pick you up.”
    I grunted and climbed in, buckling up before I shut the door. Zachary started the engine and pulled out. While I expected him to burn rubber, he drove at a sedate speed. “Five minutes if that,” I countered.
    “I’m amazed you can still count. How much did you drink, anyway?”
    “Too much. Why did I break my brand new phone, anyway?”
    “I already told you, didn’t I? They were tracking it. In less than thirty minutes, a group of very angry Inquisitors will be visiting the hotel. News on the wire is your killer stole the phone to access Inquisition data.”
    Evelyn growled before saying,  “He didn’t break it. I did. Into teeny tiny pieces, which I decided to flush to make certain the phone didn’t reappear anytime soon.”
    Laughing, Zachary shook his head. “That’s going to drive them absolutely wild. You did dump your wallet, didn’t you, Boss?”
    “It’s gone, along with my regular ID. Last I saw it, it was somewhere in Georgia lying on the ground. It might have been covered in blood.”
    “No wonder they think you’re dead. Your brother’s in the process of losing his shi—”
    I cleared my throat so my friend wouldn’t curse in front of Evelyn. “Yes, I expect he’ll be a little upset with me.”
    “A little? Someone blew up his truck. Also, we’ll be talking about who your brother is. I can’t even believe it, and he was the one who told me. Anyway, add in the fact they found your stuff covered in your blood, and almost everyone believes you’re dead. A few believe you’ve been kidnapped, since they didn’t find your body. That said, I heard it’s a real mess there, and it’s entirely possible, according to some, that your body is there, but it’s in so many chunks they might never get a positive ID on it.”
    I groaned, wishing I hadn’t drunk so much. Following the conversation was proving difficult enough. It took me far longer than I liked to realize my friend must have done one of the more dangerous and foolish things he’d ever managed since I’d employed him. “You hacked into the Inquisition’s communications, didn’t you?”
    While I could handle the fact the world spun around me in slow circles, dealing with the unanticipated fallout of my haphazard escape with Evelyn required sobriety, something I definitely lacked.
    With a snort, Zachary pulled the truck into a parking lot near the pier. “Of course I did. I was in less than ten minutes after you called me. It’s going to be hard keeping you hidden, Boss. We both know the Inquisition will cheat, so we will have to cheat better than they do. How do you want to play this?”
    With another groan, I banged my head into the truck’s dashboard. “I’m too drunk for this. Let me think for a bit.”
    “I’ll have coffee for you once we’re on board,” my friend promised.
    “If the Inquisition believes he’s been kidnapped, that’s better for him, right?” Evelyn asked.
    Zachary made a thoughtful noise before replying, “Possibly.”
    “Could you make it look like we’ve both been kidnapped?”
    I grunted, waving my hand dismissively. “Impossible. Absolutely not. I might get away with it because of my brother, but not you. They have your picture on file. They might believe you’ve been kidnapped, but they won’t treat you well.”
    “Boss, please tell me she’s not one of their targets.”
    Drumming my fingers against the dash, I considered how to handle the newest of my problems. “I won’t tell you she’s one of their targets. Instead, I’ll tell your truck. I know, truck. It’s difficult being us. You have to put up with him every day. Your owner is an idiot if he thinks I’d leave her for the Inquisition to find.”
    Evelyn