Page 48 of The Company We Keep

Then he produced the artifacts they had retrieved the night before.

The little baubles seemed so small and inconsequential without all of the trappings of the museum, without the neat little embossed tags and the intimidating glass cases. She held them up, one by one, examining them in the sun.

Thiswas their client?

Dust moved to another window, wanting a better look at this woman who had managed to hire The Company, this woman that he had practically razed a building for the night before.

Her face, as she looked at each item, was a mixture of joy and…relief.She was crying, he realized. She began saying something to Carrow again, touching his hand again, shaking her head.

The man smiled, looking satisfied. She continued talking. He nodded.

Finally, she produced a roll of suede from a bag at her feet, gently laying each artifact down before rolling the suede, tying it, and replacing it in the bag. Carrow stood with her and she caught him in a hug. The top of her head barely crested his shoulders. Carrow accepted the gesture, wrapping her in his arms for a moment. It was all so goddamned odd.

He escorted the woman around to the side of the deck, helping her down the stairs. Dust moved to the other side of the room, peering through a window in the kitchen as Carrow saw her to her car. Then she disappeared.

“You’re up,” Carrow said as he strode through the back door. “Are you hungry?”

“Thatwas our client?”

“I’m goddamned famished,” Carrow said, brushing pasthim and into the kitchen. “God, I hope someone stocked this place before — oh thankChrist.”

Carrow was squatting with his head in the refrigerator, and he began to gather ingredients for breakfast, setting things out on the counter.

“Carrow.Was she a go-between or what?”

“No,” Carrow said, a smile playing across his face. “You were right the first time. That was our client.”

“So is she going to, what, fence some ancient baubles we stole for her?”

“We didn’t steal anything for that woman. We retrieved things that belonged to her — her family, her people. And you, Dust, put the finishing touches on quite a message to the people whodidsteal from them. I assume you saw theLas Abras TimesI left out?”

Dust shook his head, trying to process it all.

“A Robin Hood job? Seriously?”

“Not a Robin Hood job. A restoration of culturally, religiously significant items to the culture and religion that imbued them with significance in the first place.”

Dust narrowed his eyes at the other man. This was beyond the scope of what he thought The Company did — beyond anything he’d ever read in his fat binder. Carrow had risked their lives to retrieve some religious items for an old woman?

“Am I allowed to ask what youmadeoff of that job?”

Carrow snorted, pulled out the envelope, and tossed it to the counter in front of Dust.

“A thousand dollars, maybe? I certainly hope it’s not much more than that. You can count it if you like,” Carrow said, his mouth curling into a deeper smile. “Dust… Did you really think that we still take jobs for themoney?”

Even as he said the words, it made sense. Of course theywouldn’t be taking jobs like that for the value of what they’d earn.

“You work strictly for charity, then?”

Carrow chuckled, swiping a pepper from the counter and examining it idly.

“Not just charity. We do it to stay sharp. We do it because it’s fun — because it’s what we’re good at. But money is no object for The Company.”

Gingerly, he set the pepper back down and leaned against the counter.

“Do you get it? You don’t have to worry about money and scores anymore, Dust. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

The enormity of the words hit him viscerally. The whole of Las Abras lay at their feet, glittering and theirs for the taking. Carrow was his, too, if he wanted.

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