Page 173 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

“Where’s Teddy?” Dino asked.

Stone looked over to the rip in the wall where Teddy had been, but he wasn’t there. “Teddy?”

He hurried to the hole and saw Teddy lying unconscious on the floor surrounded by debris from the crash.

Stone stepped through and kneeled next to him. He had thought Phillip’s first shot had hit the wall, not Teddy. Stone didn’t see any blood or obvious wounds, however.

He gently shook him. “Teddy?”

Teddy blinked and opened his eyes. “What happened?”

“That’s what I was going to ask you.”

“Phillip?”

“Dead.”

“How many times did you have to shoot him?”

“Once.”

“See, I told you that you were getting better. And Petry?”

“Cooling it on the couch with Dino. Now it’s your turn.”

“The last thing I remember is Phillip’s gun going off and the bullet flying past me.”

“That’s it?”

Teddy shrugged, then winced.

“You’re hurt?”

“Back of my head.”

Stone helped him into a sitting position, then checked Teddy’shead, finding a bump. He looked at the floor near where Teddy had been standing and smirked. “Looks like you slipped.”

He pointed at the mark on the floor that Teddy’s shoe had made.

“Is that a move the CIA trained you to do, or…?”

Teddy scowled. “If you think about telling anyone, remember that I know forty-seven ways to make your death look natural.”

“Noted.”

Chapter 54

Tuesday morning, Stone opened the door to his house at the Arrington and said, “This way, gentlemen.”

Three Arrington bellhops entered, carrying paintings wrapped for transport. Stone led them into the living room and had them place the packages against a wall, side by side. He then thanked them, gave each a tip, and sent them on their way.

He opened each package and checked the contents. After the events of Saturday night, his mother’s work had been taken by the LAPD as evidence. Due to their value, it had been decided that each could be returned to its owner. Who, in all cases, was now Stone.

He had purchased one from the estate of the man who had died in Marin County and the other from the previous owner near San Diego. The third was the gift from Teddy.

Upon seeing that each was undamaged, he went out back,where Monica, Dino, and Viv were sitting by the pool, enjoying mimosas.

“Any problems?” Monica asked.

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