Page 26 of Montana Mystery

We needed it to end this.

So I smiled. I softened my body and looked him up and down the way he wanted me to. “I could probably do a party. Is there a dress code?”

Noah was talking in my ear so fast I could barely hear him.

“No official dress code, but the place is warm and we like our women to look nice. I’ll come pick you up.”

Nice, in his mind, clearly meant provocative or worse.

“Kate. Please don’t do this,” Noah begged. “Get out.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “You don’t need to do that. If I’m going to a party, I want to make an entrance. What fun would it be if you spoiled the surprise?”

That excuse was flimsy as hell, but I was not about to get into a car with this man. I might not be doing what Noah said, but I wasn’t going that far.

He looked at me for so long my lungs froze. Would he go for it? Had I just screwed myself entirely?

Finally he looked me up and down one more time, not disguising the kind of interest he had in me, and thankfully not calling out my complete changing in attitude. “Fine. But there are conditions.”

“Oh?”

“Give me your number,” he said, pulling out his phone. I didn’t want to give it to him, but I was in this now. Slowly, I let him put my number in. “Okay, Kate.”

“You know my name,” I said. “But I don’t know yours.”

“Max.”

“Max,” I repeated, and he grinned.

“I like it when you say it. Maybe I’ll hear it at a much louder volume later.”

I didn’t respond.

“The conditions. I’m going to text you an hour before you have to be at the party. That’s enough time to get there from Missoula.”

“That’s... specific.”

He stepped into my space, and I froze. I didn’t want to show fear, but he was probably three times my size and if he chose to grab me again, there wasn’t much I could do.

“If you walk into the party even a minute after that hour is up, Kate, there will be consequences. You’ve already seen what we do to people who break their promises to us, right?”

“It’s just a party,” I said. “What’s the big deal?”

“For you, it’s not a party. It’s a business transaction to see if we can change the terms of your brother’s debt. One hour, or you won’t like what happens both to you and to him.”

He did grab my arm again, and this time, there was no way for me to pull away. “If you even think about bringing the cops with you, I know where you live. And I know exactly where your brother is.”

“You don’t have to threaten me,” I said. “I’ll be there.”

He released me, and I stumbled back. “You’d better.” Turning, he started to walk away before stopping. “I suppose if you did bring the cops, there would be one upside.”

I kept silent, waiting.

“You wouldn’t have to worry about the money anymore.” He twisted his body so his jacket fell open to reveal his gun. More boldly than the first time. A threat I wouldn’t forget.

“I’ll be waiting for your message,” I said.

He kept walking. The van that held Noah and the others pulled out, ready to follow him.

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