Griff
Maisie pushed through the connecting door like she had something to say. I didn't stop what I was doing. I just kept working the brake caliper on the cruiser I'd been pretending to care about for the past ten minutes.
She hovered by the door for half a beat before blurting out, "We need to talk."
I looked up. "No kidding."
She blinked. "Really?"
I set the tool aside. "Do you wanna go first, or should I?"
She looked gobsmacked, like I'd just offered to tap dance naked. After a long moment, she said, "Well…you can." She shrugged. "I mean, if you want." Something in her eyes flickered, like she was hoping for a pony, but expecting only shit.
"Alright." I gave the back room a quick once-over before asking, "You got a security system?"
She gave me a funny look. "Wait…what does that have to do with anything?"
"Hey, you said I could go first."
"Yeah, but…" She was frowning now. "I didn't think we'd be talking about the shop." She gave a weak laugh. "And besides, you know the answer to your own question."
"Which is…?"
"No." And then when I made no reply, she grudgingly added, "Thereisno system – as you're well aware."
Yeah. I was."But therecouldbe."
"Sure," she scoffed. "If I had a million dollars and all the time in the world." She sighed. "So let's just forget it, okay?"
I wasn't forgetting anything. "The money's easy," I told her. "I've got a friend in the business. He's looking for publicity, and he'll do it pro bono."
She squinted across the room. "I'm not quite following."
"He'll do it for free – as long as he can take some promo shots." There was no friend. Not yet anyway. But with enough money, you could get anyone to do almost anything. And you seldom had to wait.
Maisie was still squinting. For someone who'd been offered a free security system, she wasn't exactly jumping for joy. "Sothat'swhat you wanted to talk about?"
It wasn't, actually.But everything Iwantedto say would only lead to hard feelings down the road, along with complications that neither of us needed. "It's a good offer," I said. "Say the word, and I'll make it happen."
She crossed her arms. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Why not?"
Her eyes narrowed. "That's no kind of answer."
"Alright. You want an answer?" I took a pointed look around. "Your security sucks."
Her mouth tightened. "Are you freaking serious?"
Yeah. I was.The thought of Maisie here alone, armed only with flimsy locks and a trusting nature, was enough to drive me nuts. "Dead serious. And don't forget those two guys."
She scoffed. "You mean the gumshoes?"
I held up a finger. "Onegumshoe. The other guy was dressed in black."
She was staring now. "He could've been dressed like a chicken for all I care."
"Meaning?"
