Blue Smoke

herself. Looked at the readout.
    She let it ring a second time as she drew herself in. Though she knew the phone was tapped, and there was a cop somewhere with recording and tracking equipment, she engaged her own recorder before she answered.
    “Hello, Joey.”
    “Hey, Reena. Took you long enough.”
    “Oh, I don’t know, I think I did pretty well considering I haven’t given you a thought in twenty years.”
    “Thinking of me now, aren’t you?”
    “Sure. I’m remembering what a little asshole you were when you lived on the row. Looks like you’re a big asshole these days.”
    “Always had a mouth on you. I’m going to make use of that mouth, real soon.”
    “What’s the matter, Joey? Can’t you get a woman? Is your method still knock them around and rape them?”
    “You’ll find out. We’ve got a lot to settle, you and me. Got another surprise coming. It’s all picked out for you.”
    “Why don’t we ditch the crap, Joey? Why don’t we hook up? Give me the when, give me the where, and we’ll get down to business.”
    “You always thought I was stupid, always thought I was less than you, and your holy family. Who’s still living in the neighborhood, slinging greasy pizzas?”
    “Oh now, Joey, there’s nothing greasy about a Sirico’s. Come on, meet me there—I’ll buy you a large.”

    “Too bad the guy banging you now wasn’t in that truck when it blew.” His breath came quicker now, puffing out the words.
    Getting under his skin, Reena thought. Poking at a cobra with a stick.
    “Maybe next time. Or maybe he’ll have an accident at home, in bed. Shit happens, right? He smelled like pig cooking. The first one. Remember him, Reena? I could smell you where you’d come on the sheets I used to fire him up.”
    “You son of a bitch.” She doubled over when the pain hit her belly. “You son of a bitch.”
    He laughed, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Someone’s going to burn tonight.”
    I t took Bo closer to two hours than one to pull away from Sirico’s. The job was going to be an interesting one, to say the least. In addition, he’d fielded a half dozen other inquiries about repair, remodeling, cabinetry from people who’d wandered out while he was measuring the site. He’d given out twice that many cards before he’d gotten the takeout chicken Parmesan.
    If even a third of those turned into actual work, he was going to have to seriously consider hiring a full-time laborer.
    Big step, he decided. Big, giant step from taking on a part-time helper, or just shanghaiing Brad when a job was too big for one man or he was in a time crunch.
    This would be commitment time for a man who’d been perfectly content to work alone. He’d be cutting someone a regular paycheck—someone who’d depend on him for that paycheck. Every week.
    Definitely needed to think about it.
    He ran a hand over the hood of the truck as he skirted it. A nice piece of machinery, he admitted. And he’d gotten it for a better price than anyone could expect. Bianca had all but stolen it for him.
    But damn, he was going to miss his old horse.
    He reached for his keys, glanced across the street, up the block a little when he heard a quick, signaling whistle.

    He saw the man standing with his thumbs in his front pockets. Ball cap, jeans, sunglasses, hard grin. Something about him was familiar enough to have Bo lifting his hand, keys in it.
    Then it clicked. Flower guy, buying supermarket roses to get out of the doghouse.
    “Hey,” he called out, opening the door of the truck. “How’s it going?”
    With that tooth-baring grin still in place, the man walked to a car, got in. He rolled down the window, leaned out. He mimed shooting a gun with his index finger. Bo heard him say bang as he drove by.
    “Weird.” With a shake of his head, Bo slid the takeout bag onto the seat, climbed in behind the wheel. He glanced up the street, down, then pulled out, making a quick U-turn to drive to Reena’s.
    He let himself in, called out to let her know he was back, then took the bag into the kitchen. Because he caught a whiff of something other than the chicken, he decided a nice, cool shower was the first thing on his agenda.
    So he’d bop home and get one, and grab the sketches and designs he’d drawn up for Reena. Going over those would keep both their minds off more serious matters for a few hours.
    He headed back out of the kitchen, up the stairs, calling out again. “Hey, I hunted and gathered. Just