Page 40 of Last Shot

He supposed he’d earned that. Instead, he took an enormous breath and submerged all the way. His face screamed in pleasure and horror at the heat. The pale blot of Max shucking off Nella’s singlet above him took the remaining air from his lungs.

It was the yelling that pulled him out.

Tomaso had taken off his headphones and his eyes were open and glaring at Max, who stood before them just as she had when she’d tried to get Grey to rip off her skin to prove she wasn’t working with the La Marcas. Except this time the jeans were off. Greyson focused on the back of Frankie’s head as he tried to work out how everything had gone so wrong in less than fifteen seconds.

‘That’s ridiculous,’ Max was saying, a high-pitched note in her voice that made the hairs on Grey’s neck stand on end.

‘Have you ever been to Japan?’ Tomaso demanded.

‘No. I’ve had to spend my money on other things. Like rent. And food.’

Great job, Max. That’s really going to help.He hoped all that came across in the look he gave her. Focusing only on her face. Then back to Frankie’s head, willing her to start talking about Generation IV fission reactors or whatever other carbon neutral schemes her group was always trying to conscript rich investors into caring about so that Grey did not have to think about Max’s body ...

‘You cannot come in like that – tell her, Greyson!’

Max turned to Grey. ‘What’s the problem?’

‘She cannot wear undergarments in a Japanese hot spring! No tattoos either!’

‘Oh, Jesus Christ, Tom,’ Luca piped up. ‘Get the rod out of your arse.’

‘Luca!’ Frankie said. ‘That’s homophobic!’

‘It’s an expression!’

‘The rules are the rules!’ Tomaso said, puffing out his chest. ‘In a traditional Japanese hot spring, you go in naked and you cannot have markings on your body. Some don’t even allow women at all.’

‘Well, thank god we’re not in Japan then,’ Max said sweetly.

Grey forced himself to look at her face. It was a mistake. Her cheeks were turning pink from the humidity and her hair was curling around her neck in damp wisps. He was glad no one could see his bottom half in the thick, misty water.

What waswrongwith him?

‘Greyson,’ Tomaso growled.

‘Tom,’ Grey sighed, ‘in my professional opinion, I would advise against you forcing a woman to undress so she can get into your private hot spring. I’m not sure I could really spin that one for you in a positive light if the media got a hold of it.’

‘It’s not just the clothes!’ Tomaso’s face was turning redder through the humidity and his fury. ‘The tat—’

‘Yes, yes, the tattoos. We can’t change that, Tom. Wasn’t Nella in here a few days ago?’

‘I allow her every Thursday afternoon to herself.’

Grey nodded. ‘Yeah, well, Nella has a tattoo on her ankle.’

Tomaso stood up quickly. Thankfully, he wasn’t extremely tall. ‘She doesnot!’

‘She does.’ Grey spread his arms across the warm rocks. ‘A dove. Though I think it looks more like a lizard.’

‘That’s ... she’s ...’

Maybe this was a good thing. With Tomaso this riled up, he wouldn’t be focusing on trying to be smart with his answers. A lot of the time, when Grey needed information, Tom enacted a ‘family matters’ code, because he didn’t think Grey needed to know everything. Except of course, when the Barbarani vehicles were going to break down unexpectedly.

‘Max.’ Grey watched the white and blue patterns on the water. ‘You can get in.’

‘Undergarments off,’ Tomaso said through gritted teeth, ‘or you wait outside.’

This, Grey realised, was the deciding factor. How badly did Max want this murder solved? How much faith did she have that Libby Johnston was telling the truth? He watched her reflection. The water was too steamy to see anything, but he knew she wasn’t caving. She bobbed down and back up. He heard the familiar snap of a bra unclasping.

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