Page 77 of Dear John

“It is, but they might link us. Remember, he’s seen my face,” Kavanaugh pointed out.

“True, true,” Fox nodded. “So…what are we doing here?”

Kavanaugh sighed. “Do you think dumping him in the river is too cliché?”

“Too far,” Fox shook his head. “Besides, I think I tweaked my back earlier. Can’t aggravate it over someone like this.”

“I have a great cream for that.”

I watched the two of them banter back and forth. Meanwhile, this man was about to pee his pants. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. He did have bad intentions.

“Look,” the man winced as Kavanaugh squeezed his neck. “How about I go on my way, and you go on yours? We’ll pretend none of this ever happened. I never saw you?—”

“Or them,” Fox interrupted.

“Exactly.”

“And this will never happen again,” Fox grinned. “Because I will be watching you. I’m like Santa, except the evil kind.”

The man nodded furiously as Kavanaugh shoved him away. He stumbled into the street, glancing back only once before taking off down the road. Kavanaugh and Fox burst into laughter, congratulating each other on a fabulous performance. Meanwhile, my kitten was still gone.

“Well, that wasn’t exactly how I hoped to end the night,” I muttered.

“It could be worse. We could be watching a murder right now.”

Well, there was that.

“Another drink?”

26

KAVANAUGH

While Isla laid in bed,I chuckled at how cute she looked. Red hair splayed over the pillows, her arms flung out to either side, and her mouth open as drool slid down her cheek. I was lucky she let me come home with her last night. Then again, she was drunk off her ass, so she couldn’t exactly kick me out.

When room service knocked, I hustled to the door, hoping they wouldn’t wake her up. But as soon as I wheeled the cart into the room, she rolled over, groaning as she rubbed her eyes.

“Holy crap, what happened?”

“Before or after you yelled at a rapist in an alley?”

She sat up further, sniffing the air as I poured a cup of coffee for her. “Did you order breakfast?”

“Yep,” I said proudly, not expecting the grimace she gave me. “You’re going to need it if you want to survive your meeting.”

“My meeting!” she groaned, flopping back on the pillow.

“I thought you might feel that way. So, I have a surprise for you.”

I dropped to my knees, holding out my hand until I felt the tiny whiskers brush against my fingers. Grabbing the little calico furball, I moved slowly, setting it on Isla’s chest. Her eyes flew open and she gasped at the sight of her kitten.

“Oh my gosh! How did you find it?”

“I went back to the alley while you were working on drink six. It was under the dumpster.”

Her eyes lit up despite the pale, waxy appearance of her skin. She nuzzled the little kitten, which in turn rubbed its nose against her face. “You’re just so cute! Yes, you are!” She tore her gaze from the little fluffball and blinked back tears. “Thank you.”

“Are you crying?” I asked, trying not to tease her.

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