Page 59 of Burning Justice

Before she could respond, he pushed out of the car.

She used her left hand and kicked the door open. Closed it with her hip.

“You good there, slick?” Rio strode over.

“Good to go.” Did he want her to snap a salute?

Rio’s brows lifted.

“Fine. I didn’t take a pain pill this morning, just some over-the-counter stuff.”

“My wife gets grumpy when she’s in pain. Or tired. Or when she’s hungry. Or when I don’t let her help take down bad guys.” He frowned. “That sounds like it happens a lot, but it doesn’t.”

Maria grinned. “Skye is great. Don’t worry about it.” Sounded like the woman was human rather than the superhero she came across as. Then again, all of the smokejumpers and hotshots were something…more than the usual person. It was why she and the boys had fit in so easily.

She looked over at the screen door to the saloon, wondering if today they’d manage to capture Elias Redding. Kane and the boys probably wanted to do it themselves, but as far as she was concerned, she could save them the trouble.

That way, no one would be able to say they’d come after their former teammate in an act of vengeance. Their names would be clear.

The FBI could track down the canister and it would be over.

“Sure you’re good? We can have someone else be here in your place.”

Maria shook her head. “Elias knows me. If it isn’t me, alone at the bar, he won’t show.”

“All right.” Rio ushered her to the front. “Thanks for the intel on the man who hurt you, by the way.”

“Hammer passed it on?”

Rio nodded, stopping by the door to say, “He’s on the Ten Most Wanted list. A Chinese Triad hitman. A really nasty piece of work. I’ve got agents tracking him, and they’re close to taking him down.”

Maria forced her body not to shudder, even though that’s what it seemed to want to do. Liquid courage sounded good right now, but what she needed was to keep her wits about her. “Tell me when you have him in custody.”

“Will do.”

She opened the door herself; he caught it and held it for her as she went in.

“Stay frosty.”

Maria headed for the bar alone. Behind the counter, the bartender wore a tank top. She had sleeves of tattoos on her arms and wiped the bar top with a towel. Her hair was dark and shaved close to the side of her head on the left.

“Hey.” Maria slid onto the stool, proud of herself for not looking up at the sky when she’d been outside. The name of the game was gonna be focus, like the missions she’d gone on as a CIA operative.

Not as a hotshot with a smokejumper boyfriend.

“Drink?”

“Soda and an order of sweet potato fries.”

“Got it.” The bartender grabbed a glass and sprayed soda into it.

Maria kept her injured hand in her lap, but no one was going to miss the bandages on her fingers. She was halfway through the fries when a guy slid onto the stool beside her. “I’m expecting Elias. Not you.”

“He sent me. That’s as good as.” A short guy with dark hair.

She slid off the stool, glancing at the militia guy. Pretty sure he was the guy Rio and his people had identified as the person who had stolen the canister the day the senator had been arrested. If he was here, then he probably didn’t know where it was now.

But the cops spread all through the room were probably on edge just waiting to grab this guy.

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