Sweethearts Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton

Author:Connie Shelton
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: female private investigator, cozy mystery series, cozy mystery dog, charlie parker series, female sleuths series, con artist mysteries, missing person suspense
Publisher: Columbine Publishing Group, LLC

Chapter 24

Then

The deal had gone well. Better than that—great. The guy had bought the baggie Ricky brought with him, and he’d even offered a hit from it. Ricky’s downer mood instantly soared. Now, all he had to do was reach Jenny and talk his way into the house. He wondered if those two cops were gone by now. And why had they been there, anyway?

If he could just get her on the phone, he’d play like he was all concerned and get her to talk to him. That was always the secret with Jenny—flash her a smile, compliment her hair or her clothes or something, run his fingertip across her cheek—she’d melt. Just like she always did. He’d get into the house, maybe get lucky and get her into bed. It’d been too long since the last band gig and the groupies that hung around for a little fun afterward.

He stood at the end of an alley off Third Street and pulled his phone from his pocket. A strange male voice answered and Ricky immediately hung up. What the hell? But the thought died the moment a dark shadow crossed in front of him.

“Ricky Blake … hey hombre.” The guttural voice was unmistakable. Serpiente—the snake. His real name was Raul, but that was almost as scary.

Ricky shoved the phone into his pocket and put on a smile but he felt it waver.

“Man, you owe the boss something.” The wiry guy, who was rumored to be able to kill a person with a two-finger pinch, stepped in closer. “You know what I’m talkin’ about.”

“Sure.”

“Payment for product—he trusted you. Tiburon extended you credit. The loan came due a long time ago.” Another step closer. Ricky found himself edging backward but he was already against a cinderblock wall.

“Yeah, sure, man. Got part of it right here.” He patted his pocket but didn’t reach for the cash.

“Ah, hombre, you see? Part of it … that isn’t good enough. Tiburon wants it all. He’s—what would you say?—calling in the loan.”

“I, uh, well, see that’s the thing. I don’t exactly have it with me.”

His mind raced. He pictured the alley behind him. Could he outrun the whippy little guy? But before he could think of a way to glance over his shoulder subtly, he heard a sound behind him. A footstep. He spun to look and nearly crashed into a human wall. El Toro, the silent but deadly muscle Tiburon sent after someone who needed to learn a lesson. Oh shit.

Double shit. A black SUV with dark-tinted windows screeched to a halt at the curb, less than ten feet away. Ricky wanted to run, make a dash for the open street, but his legs had turned to water. Before he knew it, the two thugs had shoved him into the back seat of the dark vehicle and they were on the move.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.