Page 66 of Hidden Ascent

“Wait.” She pulled her gun and handed it to him. She’d been stupid enough to bring her badge with her. It was bad enough he had her gun, but if he found her badge, she’d be in real trouble. “I don’t like being touched.”

“No kidding. Down the hall. Door on the left. Move.”

She shuffled down the hall and waited at the closed door until he ordered her to open it.

“This is your last chance to let me go.”

“Open. The. Door.”

God, I need to you make me better at pretending, quick,she prayed as she turned the knob and entered a dimly lit room.

Chapter15

Jay was sittingat a round table in the middle of the room. If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t show it.

The other man with him was the one she’d seen earlier, but now she could inspect his face.

He had high cheekbones and vivid blue eyes, even in the low light. He could pass for sixties, but Isla guessed he was somewhere in his fifties but with the weathered face of a man who’d lived a hard life.

“Who’s this?” the man said.

“A troublemaker,” the bouncer said, still aiming his gun.

“Excuse me,” Isla said. “I already told you, I was defending myself. Mason assaulted me. What was I supposed to do?”

“It was how she handled herself, Mr. Blanchet. Didn’t feel right.”

“I’ve taken self-defense classes. And it’s a good thing too, since your bouncer here didn’t offer any assistance.”

Mr. Blanchet’s eyebrows lifted. “Is that true?”

The bouncer shifted on his feet. “I was in a different area of the bar. When I heard what was going on, I went over to take care of it, but this lady had already laid Mason out flat. Then I found this on her.” He handed over the gun.

Blanchet examined it, then laid it on the table. “What were you doing in another part of the bar that was so important?”

“I was dealing with another matter.”

“I see. So this young lady was forced to defend herself.”

“Don’t blame your bouncer,” Jay said after an exaggerated sigh. “It’s my fault, Carl. I shouldn’t have trusted her to stay in the car.”

Carl Blanchet considered Isla for a full minute before responding. “Leave her here with us. I’ll take care of it. But can you see to it that Mason is no longer allowed in this establishment? This isn’t the first time we’ve had an incident with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Isla glanced down at her gun, then looked at Jay, who gave her an almost indiscernible shake of his head.

“Please have a seat,” Carl said to Isla.

“Thank you, Mr. Blanchet.”

“Please, call me Carl.”

“Thank you, Carl.”

“So, Miss…”

“Taylor,” she said. “Isla Taylor.”

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