LITMIR.BIZ

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chair next to the bed. She laid the snub-nosed revolver in her lap and began to rifle through the contents of his wallet. It wouldn’t take long.

      “I don’t carry credit cards. You’re welcome to what cash there is, but it sure don’t seem worth all this effort.”

      She pulled out the driver’s license. The bogus name, Frank Boylen, went with his cover story, and would lead to a fabricated history if she tried to dig.

      She tossed the wallet onto the mattress beside him, but kept the license. Holding it between two fingers, she tilted it from side to side, then inspected the back before flipping it to land neatly on top of the wallet. She picked up her gun and pointed it back at him. “So, Frank Cabrini, anything you want to tell me before I haul your butt in and collect my bounty?”

      Bounty? Oh, hell.

      Three facts registered as new tension threaded cold fingers along his spine.

      His captor was a bounty hunter.

      She knew his real name.

      He was in a world of trouble.

      Angela Marie Donovan, aka Angel, studied her prisoner’s reaction. Background information had included that little tidbit about the license being under a false name.

      Whoever Frank Cabrini was, he was good at the game. His only reaction to her use of his real name had been a slight widening of his eyes and the involuntary dilation of his pupils. The muscles in his arm flexed as he tested the handcuffs, but his movements were subtle. He didn’t struggle.

      Memory of the strength she’d felt in those muscles warmed her hand. Her reaction to this transient bothered her. He wasn’t her type. Not that she had a type, much to the chagrin of well-meaning friends. But this guy was even further out of sync than the last blind date her friend Tina had set up for her.

      No, Frank Cabrini was so rough she could file her nails on his edges. His black hair was in desperate need of a cut. Either that, or it needed another month or two of growth before he’d be able to tie it away from his face.

      What she could see of his face piqued her curiosity. Blue eyes, the same color as the Minnesota summer sky, studied her with a clarity that might unnerve a weaker soul. Especially when contrasted with the heavy beard that hadn’t been groomed or trimmed in a longer period of time than his hair.

      In general, his appearance fairly shouted, “Danger! Stay away!”

      His appearance did, but not his manner. She’d watched him at the bar. No one approached him, but he’d been civil enough to the bartender and waitress. When Tina had sidled up to him, he’d acknowledged her, but he hadn’t hit on her. He’d played the gentleman, right up to the moment the sedative had kicked in and they wrestled his semiconscious butt up the stairs to this makeshift holding cell.

      Cabrini rattled the handcuff against the old wrought-iron headboard. “Is this really necessary?”

      “For now.”

      “Care to tell me what this is all about?”

      She smiled. He was cool enough about the whole situation—she’d give him that. Most men took exception to being handcuffed. At least, they did when it was without prior consent.

      Cabrini’s calm didn’t fit the profile of the typical collar.

      After almost ten years in the business of tracking down bail jumpers, she had a pretty good sense of the norm. Cabrini differed from her usual quarry, both because of his manner and because of her client.

      She decided to indulge a little curiosity. “Now Mistah Cabrini, suh.” She slid back into the southern accent. It usually elicited the most information. “Just what did you go and do to get yourself into this predicament, hmm?”

      His eyes narrowed and he took his sweet time answering. No skin off her. She could outwait him any day.

      “If you really are a bounty hunter—”

      “We in the industry prefer ‘bail bond enforcer.’”

      He shifted on the bed and rolled onto his side, probably trying to get more comfortable. Good luck.

      “Regardless of what you call yourself, don’t you normally inquire as to the nature of the criminal you’re hunting?”

      She nodded, conceding the point. “I always find it entertaining to hear the tales of woe spun out as an excuse for bad behavior.”

      “Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart. No sad tale here. In fact, I can’t begin to imagine why you think there’s a bounty on my head.” He shrugged, an oddly elegant gesture in spite of his awkward position. “Who sent you on this fool’s chase, anyway?”

      She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that is privileged information. My client prefers to remain anonymous, at least for the time being.”

      Cabrini rolled onto his back and scooted into a sitting position with his back braced against the wall. The new position had them on the same level, looking eye to eye. “We seem to be at something of an impasse. You won’t divulge your client’s name, and I can’t think of any bail I’ve jumped, nor anyone who would want me bad enough to send a bou—bail bond enforcer after me.”

      “Well, suh, you’ll just have to ponder a bit harder. Perhaps it will come to you.” She stood, regaining the dominant position and forcing him, once again, to look up at her. “I’ll leave you to your musings.”

      “You’ll be back?” The faintest hint of concern threaded through his voice.

      She smiled and sashayed to the door, paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Rest your poor, troubled head, Mistah Cabrini. I shall return with all due haste.” With one last hip sway, she pulled the door closed behind her.

      The southern-belle facade disappeared with her next step. She reverted to her natural stride, tucking her Smith & Wesson Airweight into her back waistband as she moved the few steps to the end of the hall. From that vantage point, she could watch the street below while keeping an eye on the door to the room, as well as the stairs leading down to the street. The metal fire escape outside the window would allow for a quick departure if that became necessary.

      This was as close to privacy as she was going to get for a while. She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through the address book. She needed to sort through a few details.

      She’d known her client, Marvin Dexter, her entire life. Honorary uncle and surrogate father since her dad’s death, when he’d approached her about tracking down Cabrini, she’d made an exception to her “no family” rule. It was the least she could do after all the ways Dex had helped over the years

      And if that wasn’t enough motivation, her mother’s health insurance had gone up again. The extra money she earned for bringing in Cabrini would go a long way to help cover that bill.

      She highlighted a number and punched “ok.”

      Dex answered on the first ring, his cultured tones clear on the cellular connection.

      “Hey, Dex. It’s me. I’ve got him.”

      “Already?” The question followed a brief pause. “I hadn’t expected you to catch up with him so soon.”

      “Yeah, well, I’m just that good. Which is why you hired me, right? Now that I’ve got him, do you want me to bring him down to your office?”

      “No.” Another pause, longer this time, which was out of character for Dex. He was known in his political circles for his sharp intellect and quick responses. “I’m not ready to meet with Mr. Cabrini. There are still a few details I need to iron out.”

      “What am I supposed to do with him in the meantime? I can’t very well keep him locked up in this room.”

      “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

      The endearment triggered a tiny ache in her chest. She could hear the echo of her father’s voice

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