Page 113 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

“Out for a smoke.”

“That stuff will kill you.”

Sticks flipped him off without looking back, then stepped out into the parking lot.

He leaned against the wall and pulled out his cigarettes. As he was knocking one out of the pack, he heard the hum of a car window opening.

“Hey, buddy.”

Sticks looked over.

The younger of the two men who’d just met with Simon was smiling at him from inside a black BMW 530i.

“You got a minute?”

“Maybe,” Sticks said.

“Easier to talk if you come over here.”

Sticks put the unlit cigarette behind his ear and walked over to the car. “What’s up?”

“My boss would like to have a word with you.” The guy motioned to the back seat. “In private.”

Sticks glanced back at the gallery’s rear door, then shrugged. “Why not?” He climbed into the back seat.

The older guy, the one who’d done most of the talking earlier, held out a hand. “Winston Petry.”

Sticks shook it. “Sticks.”

“Nice to meet you, Sticks.” Petry motioned to the driver. “That’s Nico Savage. He’s one of my lawyers.”

Sticks and Nico exchanged nods.

“I’m here. What do you want?”

“You seem like a man who could help me out.”

“Help you out how?”

“I’m based out of New York. Which, unfortunately, means I don’t have a lot of connections out here. Specifically, connections that are not averse to breaking the law. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah. I get you.” Sticks didn’t mention that he wasn’t from L.A., either.

“I knew you would. See, I have a delicate task that I need taken care of, and my gut tells me you could connect me to the right person. If you can, I’ll pay you a finder’s fee.”

“What kind of fee?”

“How does five thousand dollars sound?”

That was more than Sticks earned per job for Simon. But if there was one thing he knew in his world, it was never to take the first offer. “Ten sounds better.”

Petry laughed. “You get me the right guy, and you’ll have your ten. But this conversation can never get back to Duchamp.”

“Like I’d tell him anything.”

“Your buddies might.”

“Not if they don’t know.”

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