Honey House by Laura Harner

Author:Laura Harner [Harner, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hot Corner Press
Published: 2014-01-07T07:00:00+00:00

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With Gabrielle taking the next few days off, I would have to leave the front door unlocked during the day in case anyone wanted a room. I could feel the House, and knew it wasn’t bringing any more guests in for now. I left a “Be right back” sign taped to the antique bar that served as one of our counters, just in case. David and Edwin were our only guests, which was a good thing.

I left a message on Quinn’s cell phone that I’d gotten the information he was looking for, and I would give it to him when he dropped by or in the morning. I was bone-weary and needed to be clean after talking with Melissa. I might be a better con than she was, but I felt dirty after playing her. Even if it was to help catch a murderer.

What I needed was to run, but I just wasn’t up to all that time alone in my head, so I cranked up the music and did a quick set of hundreds: one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, and one hundred squat thrusts. After ten minutes of fast rope work, I was feeling almost human again. Sweaty, but human.

I stripped my clothes off where I stood and then went upstairs to take a steaming shower. I let the water wash away the dirt that filled my head after what I’d done this morning. Sure, I’d been scamming someone who was taking money from people, that wasn’t what bothered me.

It pissed me off that I’d enjoyed it. I’d enjoyed seeing it play out in my head, enjoyed it when Melissa had made the move, as I knew she would. And I’d enjoyed getting the final bit of information from her about Jason, even if it had been hard to listen to.

As the last of the crème rinse washed down the drain, the bathroom door banged open with a crash.

“Katie? Are you all right?”

I opened the glass door and looked through the steam that poured out. “Quinn? What’s wrong?” I asked, an edge of panic to my voice. “What’s happened?”

“Fuck,” Quinn said, and looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I’ll wait for you in the living room.”

I didn’t hurry through the rest of my shower. I needed this time. I wrapped a giant white towel around my hair and threw on a short robe before I finally came downstairs to see what had upset Quinn.

He was staring out the back door, drinking a Corona that I had bought for my dinner tonight with the guys. I sliced a lime and got a bottle for myself.

“Do you want another beer and a slice of lime?” I asked.

He finished his bottle, followed me to the little kitchen area, and helped himself. “Sorry about that,” he said and nodded toward the ceiling. I took that to mean he was sorry he’d barged into my bathroom.

“No problem,” I said casually. “Mind telling me what it was about?” I asked.

With a sigh, he said, “I guess I was nervous about sending you to Rapture.

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