Page 9 of Covert Chaos

"Diamond Pie Baking Company," he said. "Why?"

Hattie beamed at him. "They're delicious. I might have to order some for my café. How do I get in touch with them?"

He shrugged. "I usually go through Emmeline, but Charles and Beckwith Barnes are around here tonight. They own it."

"Emmeline?" Hattie stiffened. "Emmeline Wilson?"

The tone in her voice got my attention. Who was this Emmeline person?

"I don't know her last name." He turned his head. "Hey," he shouted. "No fights." He spun away from us and headed to the other side of the tavern.

Hattie looked at me. "Emmeline used to work for me at my café. She was a sassy little thing, but a good kid."

"Would she betray you for money?"

She raised her brows. "Doesn't everyone have a price, Mia?"

"I don't," I said without hesitation. I'd give up my life to do what was right. I already had, actually, and I was trying to rebuild.

Hattie cocked her head. "Your ex would probably say you betrayed him when you told the feds he was a drug kingpin."

"Well, yeah." His mom had agreed with that assessment and hired an assassin to try to kill me. "But since doing it eviscerated me and caused me permanent trauma, it's more of me being a hero than betraying him."

"Or maybe your price to betray your friends is your strong moral code."

I blinked. "I wouldn't betray you, Hattie."

"You can say that because you know I have a heart of gold. But we both know that if I didn't, you would be willing to make the tough choice."

"No, I?—"

Hattie grinned and put her arm around my shoulder. "Baby cakes, your moral code is one of the reasons I love you. I'm not worried. I'm a fantastic human being, and if I ever became a serial killer, I'd count on you to get me off the streets. Every gal needs a friend who will hold them accountable." She kissed my cheek. "Speaking of killers, let's go find one, shall we?"

Without waiting for me, she crawled away, her fuchsia hair like a beacon of joy in the dim light of the tavern. King Tut pushed his head out from the neck of my sweatshirt and growled, a low, aggressive sound that said exactly how amused he was by being stuffed in my jacket.

I'd stolen him from my nasty neighbor to save him. Was that a betrayal of my neighbor and my moral fortitude, or heroic to my cat? Maybe both.

I looked down at my cat. "You're fine with it, right?"

He fastened his yellow gaze on me, then snuck a paw out and tapped my chin with it. I was calling that a love pat, even though there had been a little bit of claw.

Lucy suddenly knelt beside me. "Griselda's coming this way," she whispered. "Devlin's heading into the back, to the restroom I'm guessing."

Crud. Men were so inconvenient.

We both froze as we saw Griselda walk past the end of the aisle. All he had to do was turn his head, and he'd see me and Lucy on the floor.

He was great at his job. We had only a split second before his subconscious would register we were there.

Seven

"This way!" I dove under the nearest table and crawled out the other side, Lucy right behind me.

"Hey!" A woman pushed out her chair and looked down at us. She was wearing jeans, pink sneakers, and a matching T-shirt that bragged about some sort of baking competition. "What the—" She paused, when she saw me, her eyes widening. "Mia? What are you doing down there?"

She knew my name? I stared at her for a second, trying to place her, but I came up with absolutely nothing. I was great with faces and names, but I was sure I'd never seen her before. Her eyes were a bright blue, which I would have remembered. She had a trail of stud earrings on both ears, and she had a tiny heart tattooed on her collarbone.

Things I would have noticed, right?

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