Page 67 of Mile High Baby

"He wasn't arrested. But I really do need to talk to you. Alone." I looked at her two friends. “You don't mind, do you?"

Aimee nodded. "I’ll catch up with you guys later."

The friends seemed reluctant to leave but finally scooted out of the booth.

I slipped in across from her. "You don't seem particularly concerned that your husband didn’t come home last night."

Her hands shook as she took a sip of water. She clearly wasn't finding George Pitney’s world sexy now.

"He was working."

"As a salesman in the middle of the night?”

She shook her head. "I don't know what he was doing, but I knew he was doing it for someone."

She was nervous about telling me who he'd been working for. "Your uncle doesn't like your husband very much, does he? It’s the only thing that makes sense about why he would send Tommy out like a sacrificial lamb."

Her eyes rounded. "Sacrifice? Is he...?"

I waved my hand. "Your husband is fine. He's with me and my team. We work for Saint Security."

Recognition showed in her eyes.

"You've heard of us, then?"

She nodded. "Everyone knows about you. I think my parents worked with you when they took a trip to someplace that was dangerous." The fact that she didn't know where parents went told me that she liked living in wealth but wasn't too interested in the details on how it occurred.

"I can see why George might not care what happens to your husband, but surely, you knew the risk. You thought your husband was too boring. Does it excite you to live like a mobster like your uncle?"

Her eyes cast downward, suggesting regret or maybe shame. "I was mad at Tommy. I didn’t want him to go, but we were supposed to be taking a trip to Paris, and he told me we couldn't go because he needed to work. He said he needed to make more money. I know I don’t look smart...” She paused, and I realized she wanted to know my name.

"Sterling." It was the name I used with people I didn’t think I’d see again. It was the name I'd used on the plane with Victoria.Dammit. I pushed thoughts of her way.

"As I said, Sterling, I might not be the brightest bulb in the toolshed, but I know that if we don't have money, it's going somewhere. And I know the type of group that Tommy and his friends are in. He’s either gambling or whoring it away. So I told him to grow up and be a real man."

And Tommy took that to mean joining her uncle's illegal operations. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, either.

She leaned forward, looking side to side as if she wanted to make sure no one could hear us. "My uncle isn’t a good man. If he finds out about this—”

"As I said, Mrs. Langhorne, I'm pretty sure your uncle knew exactly what was going to happen."

She sat back. "Why would he do that? He would risk Tommy talking."

"Because Tommy doesn't know that much, does he? And my guess is before long, he's going to summon you and tell you to cut ties with Tommy. And I imagine if you don't..." I let the sentence hang.

By the way her breath hitched, I knew she knew what I meant. Tears started down her cheeks, and I began to feel bad. Talking with people like this had never bothered me that much before. It was a means to an end. But Amiee and Tommy were definitely in over their heads. It was another reason to get rid of George.

I reached my hand across the table, putting it over her forearm. "We can protect you and Tommy. That is, if you love Tommy and want to stay married to him."

She took my hand, gripping it in both of hers, holding it like it was a lifeline. "You could do that for us?"

I placed my other hand over our linked hands. "We can."

"But we don't know very much. In order to get your protection, we need to know stuff, right?"

"You probably know more than you think. Every little bit we learn, we can use."

"To get my uncle?"