Wicked Business (27 page)

I leaned against the front of the grocery store. “It was a bad choice of cars.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t know that. All’s he saw was two women sitting in a car like a couple dummies. He probably figured if we was stupid enough to be sitting in the car, we was stupid enough to give it over to him.”

“He was wrong.”

“Not by much,” Lula said.

Fifteen minutes later, Ranger eased his black Porsche Cayenne to a stop in front of Lula and me. I got into the front passenger seat, and Lula got into the back.

Ranger cut his eyes to the charred cadaver of twisted metal and smoldering tires that used to be my car. “Yours?” he asked me.

“Yep,” I said.

“Do I need to know how this happened?”

“Nope.”

Ranger idled in front of the bonds office and Lula got out. I moved to follow her, but Ranger wrapped his hand around my wrist. “Stay. I want to talk to you.”

I’m not currently in a physical relationship with Ranger. Ranger has clear priorities, and matrimony isn’t high on the list. In fact, it isn’t on the list
at all
. Until recently, marriage hasn’t been high on my priorities list, either, but my mother feels otherwise, and as much as I hate to admit it, my mother is wearing me down.

“I need a date,” Ranger said.

My voice ratcheted up an octave. “You want me to get you a date?”

“No. I want you to
be
my date. I need to attend a black-tie event, and I need someone watching my back.”

“Me?” I wasn’t exactly the Terminator.

“People would talk if I brought Tank.”

Tank is appropriately named. He’s Ranger’s shadow, and second in command at Rangeman. And Ranger was right. Tank would make a controversial date.

“When is this?” I asked Ranger.

“Tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow? I can’t just drop everything and do this tomorrow. You should have asked me sooner. I’m seeing Morelli. Friday is date night. We’re going to the movies and then—”

“I can give you a better
and then
,” Ranger said.

I went breathless for a beat at the thought of Ranger’s
and then
. Morelli was an amazing lover, but Ranger was magic. I pulled myself together and narrowed my eyes at Ranger, hoping I looked determined.

“You and I are done doing
and then
with each other,” I said. “There is absolutely no more
and then
. Morelli and I have an understanding.”

“Which is?”

“It’s vague.”

“Babe.”

“I’m serious this time. I might be ready to have a committed adult relationship.”

Joe Morelli is a Trenton cop working plainclothes, crimes against persons. I’ve known him forever, and our relationship has progressed from downright hostile to deliciously hot to
maybe we could actually live with each other without complete mayhem
. He’s six feet of hard muscle and Italian libido. His hair is black and wavy. His eyes are brown and assessing. His style is casual. He wears jeans, untucked shirts, and a Glock 19, and he has a big shaggy dog named Bob.

“I’ll pay you,” Ranger said.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll hire you for the night. You can be my bodyguard.”

At the risk of sounding mercenary, this got my attention. I was a month behind on my rent, and I wasn’t having great luck with the fugitive apprehension stuff. Vinnie had mostly low-bond skips this month, and I was barely making pizza money, much less rent money. And I was pretty sure I could muster enough self-control to keep from ripping Ranger’s clothes off.

“What exactly would bodyguarding entail?” I asked him.

“The usual. You take a bullet for me if necessary, and you manage the small talk.”

“You can’t manage your own small talk?”

“Making polite conversation isn’t at the top of my skill set.”

“I’ve noticed.” Okay, so this doesn’t sound so bad, plus I’d get dinner, right? “What time will you pick me up?”

“Six o’clock. This event is in Atlantic City. Dinner is at eight.”

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Exclusive to the eBook edition, Janet Evanovich gives readers an insider’s look at Lizzy and Diesel’s exciting treasure hunt in WICKED BUSINESS, sharing photos and personal anecdotes along the way!

Salem, Massachusetts

Image courtesy of Corbis

Salem was founded in 1626 and is probably best known for the witch trials of the late 1600s. It gets extra nutty in October, when ghouls and witches descend on the city to celebrate Halloween. At other times it’s a cosmopolitan mix of commercial and residential with excellent ice cream and candy shops, and a variety of museums.

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The Salem Witch Museum

Image courtesy of Corbis

What can I say … It’s Salem.

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Marblehead, Massachusetts

Image courtesy of Alex Evanovich

I could spend days wandering the streets of Old Town Marblehead, looking at the houses and reading their plaques. The memories of a town filled with cordwainers (shoemakers), fishermen, blacksmiths, and housewrights still linger here. Plus there’s a bar with kick-butt buffalo wings.

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Historic house in Marblehead, Massachusetts

Image courtesy of Alex Evanovich

Okay, so it leans downhill a bit, and the ceilings inside are only six and a half feet high, and the whole house shakes when the washing machine hits the spin cycle. But the inside is filled with sunlight and memories of family and freshly baked bread. Not so different from people as they age, right?

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Marblehead, MA, harbor

Image courtesy of Alex Evanovich

It’s hard to beat Marblehead in the summer. When I’m visiting I walk up to Crocker Park every day, sit on a bench in the shade of a tree, and watch the sailboats coming and going out of the harbor.

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Boston, Massachusetts