Hard Case VI: The Killer Inside (John Harding Book 6) Read Free Page B

another assistant.”
    “You say that like it’s a bad thing. So she decided to attend college with Dannie, huh?”
    “Yeah. She knows the score, and she’s okay with it. It’s not like I can recruit from the college bulletin board. I have another photo shoot down in LA soon with an interesting Red Dragon Security thread. Dannie and Amara have been studying all the movie tech angles to help in my directing. Plus, I get to travel everywhere with Clint Jr. I’m not real sure how Clint feels about my adding another assistant though. I’ve been avoiding the subject when he brings it up.”
    “I see. Ramming it through as osmosis, huh?”
    “Huh? Oh… yeah… I guess you could think of it like that. It’s the ideal way, so slowly put into effect, Clint never realizes what’s happening until it’s a fact of life. One day, Amara is looking for another state to live in, and then she’s gradually absorbed into the family ever so slowly. Besides, Tonto is Clint’s people barometer. Tonto loves Amara almost as much as Dannie.”
    “Good deal. Grab Clint and hit the road. We’ll handle final details. The Mob has already taken their living casualties to the hospital. Jeron is bagged for shark disposal, and we hosed the blood. I’ll see you at the game tomorrow.”
    “Until then, Cheese,” Lynn replied with a wave. “I hope you can stay off the couch.”
    “That makes two of us.”
    I saw Tommy glancing my way in between listening to Gus Denova reciting and explaining terms of the Mob’s surrender to the remaining members in the street. Lucas remained in his nest atop the house while Casey, Quays, and Silvio stayed with Gus and Tommy. I would get a chance to talk with Tommy in the car. We drove here together. Lucas joined me on the street watch a few minutes later.
    “Crue sure threw you a knuckler pitch tonight, Recon.”
    “She did indeed. I knew once she committed me though I had to see it through or listen to you rag me for the next two months.”
    Lucas enjoyed my synopsis. “You’re damn right I would have. There wasn’t any danger. I would have blown that prick’s hand off if they grabbed you.”
    “Yep. That’s how I had it figured, Pappy. Jess’s Mom will be safe. I know Gus already told the Mob if Flo even gets the flu, we’ll be looking for them.”
    “I saw Crue grab Clint for an early getaway. She doesn’t even clean her crime scene,” Lucas complained, referring to the fact Lynn never cleaned anything. “You hosed Jeron off Flo’s sidewalk. That’s disgusting. She holds the damn ‘banger so he sprays blood everywhere, and then she won’t even use a garden hose to spray him off the sidewalk.”
    I shrugged. “Your Godson is probably the only thing in her life Crue’s ever kept clean.”
    Lucas chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right about that. Man, Jeron never had a prayer. She’s faster than before she was pregnant. Are you and Crue assisting at the soccer game tomorrow?”
    “It starts at one if you feel like coming. I know soccer’s not your game. Al likes it, and I’m finally beginning to understand what the heck they’re doing.”
    “Just in time for the season to end.”
    “Her small league at that age only plays six games. I’ll remember for next year. The parents are just as crazy in soccer as they were in softball.”
    “Al’s playing with the boys. Parents are always nuts with the boys’ sports. Are we going to have politician and cop trouble about tonight? I know that shit-ball Jeron had the weeping relatives wailing the boy made a simple mistake by beating the clerk into a coma. You can bet they hadn’t seen the asshole since his first convenience store robbery at ten when he started bangin’. If not for Flo being black, they would have burned the city down, claiming the whole thing was a racist plot.”
    “This was never going to end well for any of us, Lucas. We’ve given the politicos cover. I won’t rule out doing our own intimidation stunts if the relatives