Page 29 of The Best Shot

I glanced at the house one more time, then back at my phone.

Me: Where?

Hale: Ricochet. Booth in back. Please.

Ah.

Ava’s ambush with Dr. Kimball.

Me: I’ll be there.

I started the car before I could think better of it.

In the rearview mirror, the house held its shape, stubborn and lit from within.

I knew exactly how far its reach went.

8

“I GET CURIOUS, IS ALL.”

YASMINE

Iwas at Ricochet thirty minutes later.

The place was slow for a Tuesday. Not empty, but nowhere close to packed. A few regulars hunched over beers at the bar while two guys near the back murdered a game of pool one missed shot at a time.

I scanned the room and found him.

Back booth. Right where he said he’d be.

As expected, he wasn’t alone.

Ava sat on one side of the table with that smug little sparkle she got when she thought she’d done something clever. Across from her was a woman I’d never seen before.

Dr. Kimball, obviously.

Though obvious was where my expectations ended.

She was probably mid-thirties, with brown skin, high cheekbones, and tiny braids pinned back into a bun. Narrow glasses. Dove-gray sweater buttoned all the way up. The whole look should have been severe enough to warn people off. Somehow, it wasn’t. Her face was too pretty to sell the threat.

She leaned toward Hale as she spoke, and on the surface he looked relaxed, his smile easy. But I’d watched enough animals in the wild to recognize when one was calculating the distance to the nearest exit.

I didn’t hesitate. I walked straight to the booth and slid in beside him.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said, grabbing a menu. “Got held up.”

The woman blinked. “I’m sorry, who⁠—?”

“Yasmine.” I flagged down a server. “Loaded fries and a margarita, please.”

Ava’s eyes narrowed. She mouthed, What are you doing?

I gave her a small shrug.

“This is Yasmine,” Ava said slowly. “One of our friends. Yasmine, this is Dr. Sasha Kimball. She teaches at the university.”

“Nice to meet you.” I grabbed a nacho and popped it into my mouth.