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If she was a tea kettle she'd have been whistling by the time they heard the door handle rattle. Matt mumbled a few curses against her lips and broke away when she giggled. He dropped his forehead to hers. “We're not finished. Not by a long shot.”
“Are you going to let me off the couch?”
“Nope. I should have hung out the Do Not Disturb sign.”
“We would have come in, anyway. It's our suite, remember?” CJ interrupted as she looked over the back of the couch. “Harry, did you bring the shotgun?” Harry looked as well, then he laughed.
“Mind your own business, CJ. We're still clothed,” Matt told her. “Why are you even here? I thought you had a victim to hunt.”
“Done, and I didn't even have to get rough. She took one look at Harry and started babbling. She quit her job because she was afraid we'd track her down. Now quit molesting Sady, or I'll have to call Morrow. Go take a cold shower so we can get to work. We need you focused on the job, not on Sady.”
“I can do both,” he assured them, rolling off and landing on the floor with a thump. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed with rumpled clothes and messy hair. Harry reached down and hauled Sady to her feet with a wink.
“Do I need that shotgun?” he teased. “Or would you rather I let your uncle bring it?”
“Which would you prefer, Matt?” Sady pretended to consider the matter thoughtfully.
“I'd prefer whichever one has the most accurate aim and can just put me out of my misery.”
“You're no fun,” she said.
“That's because the adults took away my toys,” he replied shamelessly.
“Oh? What happened to hypnosis therapy?” Sady asked.
“Toys can be therapeutic.”
CJ placed her fingers on a pressure point in his neck. “How do you feel about cold baths and rubber duckies?”
“If I didn't know I'd end up on the raw end of this deal I'd have a snappy comeback, CJ. But out of respect for you, and your lethal fingers, I'm now in favor of whatever you suggest.”
“I already made a suggestion,” she reminded him.
“And I agree completely. Boss.” He jumped to his feet.
CJ got them gathered around the table. She opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a shriek from the other room. “What did you do to Amanda?” she asked Matt.
“Nothing, I promise. Did I, Sady?” Sady nodded in agreement.
They all turned at the sound of crashing as Amanda made her way into the room, using her hands to feel the way. “I've been assaulted,” she yelled. Her swelled eyes resembled boiled eggs. “They used some kind of foreign cucumbers down at that spa, didn't they? Because I've never had my eyes swell this much from a treatment! Call the police and have them arrested. I want them sued!”
“Amanda, remember that little piece of paper you filled out and signed before your treatment? The one where you were to write down any allergies you have? The one that releases the spa from liability for any allergic reactions?” Sady reminded her.
“Oh," Amanda sounded disappointed. “Well, call them and tell them to fix it.”
Matt laughed at Amanda as she felt the air with her hands, and Sady poked him. “What? She can't see me, so I can get away with it,” he said.
Sady called the spa to appease Amanda, but reached into her purse for allergy antihistamine pills. She hung up and handed Amanda two pills with a bottle of water. “There is no fix, Amanda. Take these and go back to bed because they'll make you sleep.” She helped Amanda find her way back to the room and got her settled.
CJ was hopping like an impatient leprechaun when Sady reappeared. Sady looked at Harry and asked, “You want to slip her two these?”
“I don't mind knocking out women if need be,” CJ told her. Sady saluted and dropped into her chair with a smile.
“Finally!” CJ huffed. “Now, let's talk about the reason we're all here. Little Miss Muffet doesn't know the name of the guy who hired her to pose for the pictures. But she says she'd recognize him if she saw him again. She described him as a military type, no sense of humor, and no patience. But she agreed to help us find him in exchange for the return of her necklace.” She gave them a saintly look. “The pawn broker agreed to let me have the necklace for a very good price.” Harry looked at the ceiling and shook his head.
CJ continued, “He approached Dawn, or Starr, while she was working at the club, so that's where we start. She'd seen him on several previous occasions, so I'm hoping he's a regular. We're all going tonight except Amanda. I don't think we'll get tossed if we stick together.”
Harry shook his head again and mumbled, “You mean if we all behave ourselves.”
Sady snickered and poked Matt. “What's wrong, Matt? You're not afraid to go back to the club, are you?”
“If you had a theme song, it would be Evil Woman,” he glared.
“And yours would be Trashy Women,” she teased. “Oh, wait! Better yet is Aerosmith’s Dude Looks...” Matt slapped his hand over her mouth.
'Did we miss something?” Harry asked, looking back and forth between them.
“That's a loaded question,” Matt replied. “And one that's not getting answered.”
Sady reached over and patted Harry's hand. “I'll explain it all later,” she said in an overly loud whisper. “Matt's afraid of the local wildlife.”
“Can't you exchange her for a model without a big mouth?” Matt asked CJ. “Doesn't Morrow have any other nieces?”
Sady batted her lashes. “I'm the one... and only.”
“And you'd be wise to remember that,” CJ told him.
“Give it up, Matt,” Harry advised. “You're wasting your time and your breath. Life's a lot easier when you quit fighting it.”
“Again, I defer to my esteemed boss with the trigger-like fingers, and I will let that comment pass without the worthy comeback it deserves.”
“You're just trying to get on CJ's good side so you can weasel out of going to the club tonight,” Sady accused.
“Is it working?” Matt asked CJ hopefully. She shook her head. “No sense of humor,” Matt muttered to Sady.
Sady wasn't paying attention. She had a calculating look in her eyes. Matt waved his hand in front of her face. “Anyone home?”
Sady grinned and stood. “You don't mind if I borrow him for a few minutes, do you?” She grabbed Matt by the hand and pulled him out of his chair.
“Am I going to need the gun?” Harry yelled after them.
“No, that won't be necessary for what I have in mind,” Sady assured him. They could hear Matt saying, “Darn!”
Harry looked at CJ. “Do you think he'll ever learn?”
“Not at the rate he's going. But they're such fun to watch. I only wish Amanda could join the fun tonight.”