Shadow Of Suspicion (Margot Harris 3)

“I do?”

“You should.”

“What do you want?”

“I need your help.”

“What makes you think I want to help you?”

“I figured since you totally fucked up my hiding place, you owe me.”

“I don’t owe you a damn thing.”

“I also figured since you didn’t kill me when you had the chance…”

“I have a chance now and you’re trying my patience.”

“You haven’t shot me yet. Where else am I going to go? No one else who might help me wants to get on the cartel’s bad side. You, however, are already there.”

“Does it occur to yo

u that makes me the last person you want to be hanging around? The same people looking for you probably have me on their shit list as well.”

“Probably nothing. You messed up two of their operations and left three hitmen dead in the process. It might seem like they grow on trees, but trust me, even for the cartel, legit hitters are hard to find.”

“I only killed two of them.”

“Yeah, but they prefer not to go after American homicide detectives, so that guy Detective Ames shot is on you too as far as they’re concerned.”

“Are you saying they’re going to run out soon?”

“No, I’m saying they’re pissed off. It’s all bottom line to those assholes and losing an asset cuts into that bottom line. The other thing that cuts into the bottom line is looking weak, so they’re going to keep coming.”

“You’re not painting a very rosy picture.”

“You want me to lie? I know that’s not a big gun, but your arm has to be getting tired. Put it down and have a drink with me. Let me tell you how we all get out of this.”

“It’s not even eight in the morning.”

“Yeah, but you just rolled in wearing the same thing you were yesterday. I figured you might just want to keep it rolling.”

“I’ve got places to go and things to do today.”

“I get it, but if you want to keep having ‘todays’ we need to fix this.”

“Fix this how?”

“If we’re going to be working together, can you quit pointing the gun at me?”

Margot lowered the gun.

“Thank you.”

“Start talking, I wasn’t kidding when I said I have things to do today.”

“Okay, there were people here glad to see me go so they can move up a notch and it’s no different on the other side of the border.”

“I think we can file that information under ‘no shit.’”