Page 46 of Lone Wolf

“Whatever you have to do.” He sank onto the couch next to her, considered the sacrifice of allowing the wreckage of his penthouse at her hands for a greater cause, and forced out the offer: “Need to stay here a few days?”

Joey finished the last of her brownie, contemplated. “Well, I’ve already watched Netflix. Like all of it. So yeah, nothing more to do at my place. I can move into the Vault and get it done here. If you’re not all annoying breathing down my neck and—and cleaning all the time.”

“Give me the sitrep when I get back.”

“Where you going?”

“To see Jayla Hill in her hospital room. She’s at the Downtown Medical Center under police protection. Break into the hospital database and put me on the guest list as family. I’ll gauge the security and see if I can sneak by to see her.”

“Family? Have you seen your skin tone?”

“Say I’m an uncle by marriage. And wipe the record after I’m gone.”

“Which legend you want me to use?”

He thought a moment. “Marv Miller.”

Resisting the urge to wipe the fresh avalanche of crumbs from the leather cushions, he moved to rise.

“X—shit. I forgot to ask.”

“What’s that?”

The words bubbled out through barely contained laughter: “’Member when you got your ass beat by Geriatric Ginny and a folding cane?”

“I thought we were done with this because I broke the continuum.”

“Yeah, well. I lied.”

Evan placed a foot gently on Joey’s hip and shoved her off the couch. Cracking up, she brought most of the crumbs with her onto the floor.

It was worth it.

27

Duh

A glossy flyer fluttered beneath the windshield wiper of Evan’s F-150. Irritated, he cast a glance around Castle Heights’ subterranean parking lot. Every vehicle had been similarly papered.

Plucking the flyer free, he was unsurprised to see Hugh Walters’s face peering out from the top like a custom monogram. Part corporate headshot, part Realtor bus-stop portrait, the photo looked as if it had been shot through cheesecloth. Beneath this grinning vignette of solidity, Hugh’s myriad legislative accomplishments were bullet-pointed.

Overhauled morning beverage selection in lobby Oversaw transition to “green” cleaning supplies Replenished funds for Howdy Nu Neighbor!TM gift baskets

And so on.

Evan crumpled up the flyer and tossed it at the trash can beside the pillars goalposting his parking spot.

Hugh melted from the shadows near the blue recycling dumpster with catlike guile. “Mr. Smoak!”

The crumpled flyer hit the side of the trash can and rolled to a stop before Hugh’s tasseled Florsheims. Evan and Hugh stared at it awkwardly.

Hugh cleared his throat. “I just wanted to inquire as to whether you had a chance to review my record, so to speak.”

“Yup,” Evan said. “All good.”

Hugh crouched to pick up the flyer, unfurled it, and smoothed it against his khakied thigh. “And to know if I can answer any questions for you.”

“Nope. All good.”