Page 13 of Very Special Forces

"Juliahasn't done anything wrong, that's all I can tell you," I said.There was no point denying it. Lily knew and she would keep prying."You don't have to cancel her reservation."

"Good toknow. I will sleep easier knowing she isn't going to destroy mybar. So, are you investigating her?" Lily proddedgently.

"No! Nother exactly. Maybe something involving her but I haven't decided ifI'll take the case yet. I need to get more information."

"Whydon't you work the party?" Lily suggested in a feat of outstandingingenuity. "You can get close to her and she won't think anythingof it since she already knows we're friends. Then you can decidewhat to do."

I sat upa little straighter and promptly regretted it. My core muscleshated me and made it known. Lily was right; I was going to hurt inthe morning. "Could I? It would really help."

"Sure. Ican always use another set of hands especially when there's aprivate party going on; plus, I know you have plenty of experienceas a cocktail waitress. Will it really help?"

"Yes," Inodded, certain it would. It would give me the perfect opportunityto get closer to Julia and Bryce and the people in their life.Family, friends, and colleagues were guaranteed to be there. Plus,in my server capacity, I could easily listen in on conversations.If anyone else voiced a suspicion about Bryce that would confirmwhat Jas said, I could find out. If it just appeared that they wereany other couple, and showed no signs of anything untoward, I wouldpolitely decline the case. "Thanks, Lily."

"Anytime. Drink your smoothie."

"Absolutely not."

By thetime we left the gym a half hour later, I had drunk half thesmoothie and found it not quite as unpleasant in taste as itsmelled. I wasn't convinced of Lily's enthusiastic claims about itswonderful properties but what didn't kill you made you stronger anddrinking it hadn't killed me. Drinking two might have so I wasdetermined to be the one to order smoothies when we next hit thegym's bar. Thinking of the bar made me briefly sad. Where had thedays of drinking beers and eating burgers at O'Grady's gone? Howhad we grown up into two bona fide adults? One married person witha baby and a business to run, and one almost married person with anactual fulfilling career. "Damn," I said to myself as I fished mycar keys from my purse. "We're grownups."

"Unfortunately," agreed Lily, "but one real night out — nobabies, no partners — and we can smash anyone's assumptions ofthat."

"What ifsomeone sees us?"

"Most oftown has seen us do something stupid at one time or another," Lilyreminded me.

"True,but we're law-abiding citizens now."

Lilysnorted. "No, we just don't get caught. Enjoy your sexy dinner withsexy Solomon." She waved as she hopped into her car and pulled outof the space. I walked three cars down and raised the car key tobeep the door open but before I could do so, the hair on the backof my neck rose. Someone was watching me. If I had any doubts aboutgut feelings, I didn't now. I slipped my hands into my jacketpockets looking for a weapon but it hadn't occurred to me to bringmy gun to the gym and I didn't have anything handy like the SwissArmy knife my mother had given me or even a can of mace. I did,however, have my phone. I unlocked it, scrolled for Solomon, mythumb poised over his name.

"Whoeveryou are, step out into the open," I called loudly over the poundingof my thumping heart. They didn't know it was a phone in my pocket.It could be anything and truly, it was a weapon of sorts. Solomonwould come to my aid the instant I needed him and good luck toanyone who tried to hurt me.

Therewas a rustling behind the trees, then a thickset African-Americanman in a black jacket, the collar turned up, stepped out. "How didyou know I was there?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Ismelled you," I said, which wasn't true but would certainly givehim something to think about.

"I toldyou," said a second male voice. A slightly taller and similarlyattired Caucasian man stepped out from behind the first. He had aknit cap pulled low over his forehead and his hands were thrustinto his pockets. "I told you that you splashed too much of thatstuff on. You smell like a teenage boy who just got his firstbottle of aftershave."

"I donot. It's nice stuff. My wife bought it for Christmas."

"Wherefrom? The Dollar Store?"

"If youever shopped anywhere else, you would know that some things costmore than a buck."

Isighed. I would know this bickering anywhere. I just hadn't heardit in a long time. "Luke Harris and Jesse Kafsky," Isaid.

The pairstepped forwards, quietly now. "It's Sergeant Major Kafsky to you,"said the taller of the pair.

"Ignorehim. I'm Captain Harris now. He has to do what I say."

Kafskymade a rude noise.

I lookedbetween them, wondering how they had got through Army bootcamp whenI hadn’t. "Amazing. Which idiot promoted you two?" I teased,thrilled to see them after so long.

The pairglanced at each other and grinned. "Same idiot. How's civilianlife?" asked Harris.

"It wasokay until you two showed up. What did I do to deserve this?" Iasked, holding back the smile that was threatening to burst from mylips.

"Youdon't write, you don't call..."

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