Page 88 of Family Jewels

“No. Not directly. Now shut up and let me tell you what happened.” When he didn’t interrupt, I continued. “When I saw Trixie with Buck last night, I could tell she was scared of him, so I asked the bartender to slip her a note.”

“And what did this note say?”

“I told her to call me if she needed help. I left my number, but she didn’t have my real name. I used the fake name that I used when Neely Kate and I went to the pawn shop.”

“So Trixie called you and asked you to meet her at the bar.”

“She called me around lunchtime and asked me to meet her at One Eyed Joes—that’s why Neely Kate and I were there, but Trixie never showed. She said Buck found out.” I told him about her black eye, the way Buck had announced his presence, and how he’d known my real name and that Neely Kate and I were looking for the necklace. “He told me to bring the necklace to him when we found it, and then he wanted to know how I knew you.”

“He said my name.”

“Yes.”

He waited a beat, then asked, “So what did you tell him?”

“That we only worked together because we both had our own reasons for taking down J.R. He asked if I was Lady, but I laughed it off as ridiculous and then left.”

“He let you?”

“He said we weren’t finished, but I walked out anyway, and he didn’t stop me.”

“Where are you now?”

“On my way home.”

“Is anyone following you?”

“No. I’ve been lookin’.” I’d learned my lesson with Jed earlier in the day. “Was Jed followin’ me all day or just to One Eyed Joes?”

“Neither. He saw you pull into the lot. Figured if you were hanging out in a trucker bar, you might need backup. And he was right. So let’s talk about why you chose to go there alone tonight.”

“After what happened this afternoon, I didn’t want to bring Neely Kate.”

“Good call. So why didn’t you call Jed?”

“Come on, James. Isn’t he tired of playing babysitter?”

“It doesn’t matter if he is or not. His job is to do what I tell him to do.”

“You don’t have to send anyone at all. I did just fine on my own tonight.”

“You got lucky, and you damned well know it.”

I saw no reason to agree. “I’m not your responsibility, James. Not anymore. When I was Lady, you had a vested interest. That’s over.”

“Don’t make me go there, Rose.”

I rested my elbow on the door and rubbed my temple to stave off the headache I could feel coming on. “I’m not. But I’m pointing out that you’re putting your most valuable guy on what is now a very low-priority job. It doesn’t make business sense.”

“Fine. Call me next time.”

I released a laugh. “You’regonna come runnin’?”

“I’m gonna assess the situation and determine what resources to allocate.”

“James, why do it at all?”

“Because we’re friends. If the situation were reversed, would you come help me?”

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