Metro Girl (Alex Barnaby 1)

Hooker looked at the Dumpster and the window. “Wouldn’t that be breaking and entering?”

“Yeah, so?”

“What if someone’s in there?”

“Then we run like hell. Unless they’re race fans, and then you can stay to sign autographs.”

“I guess I’d look like a hero if I found Maria. And since I’m doing this for your brother, you’d be real grateful,” Hooker said to me.

Felicia shook her finger at him. “Shame on you. I know what you’re thinking.”

“I’d be grateful,” Rosa said.

“Something to remember,” Hooker said.

Hooker dragged a crate over to the Dumpster and used it as a step. He stood on the Dumpster and tried the window.

“It’s locked,” he said. “And it’s too high. I can’t see in.”

“And?” Felicia said.

“And I can’t get in.”

“Break it.”

“I’m not going to break it! You can’t just go around breaking windows.”

Rosa climbed onto the crate and then onto the Dumpster.

“Hand me the crate,” she said to Felicia.

Felicia passed the crate up to Rosa, Rosa swung the crate in an arc and smashed the window. There weren’t any alarms. No one came running.

“I’m gonna look in,” Rosa said to Hooker. “Give me a boost.”

And Rosa started climbing up Hooker. She had her heel on his thigh and her big boobs in his face. Hooker had a grip on her leg. Rosa got her foot on Hooker’s shoulder and Hooker got his hand under her ass and pushed her up to the window.

“What do you see?” Felicia asked.

“Nothing. It’s just a big empty warehouse. There’s nothing in it. It’s three stories high, but it’s all space. There’s no other doors in it, so it doesn’t even have a bathroom.” She looked at Hooker. “You can put me down now.”

Hooker was braced against the building. “Be careful where you put the heels.”

Rosa had one heel snagged into Hooker’s waistband and her other leg crooked around his neck. She grabbed his shirt and swung her leg free, and Hooker lost his balance.

“Oh shit!” Hooker said. He was flailing his arms, looking for a handhold, and Rosa was hanging on for all she was worth, wrapped on him monkey style.

Hooker hit the Dumpster flat on his back with Rosa on top of him.

“This isn’t so bad,” Rosa said.

“Call 911,” Hooker said.

I was on tiptoes, peeking over the Dumpster at Hooker. “Are you hurt?”

“No. I’m going to kill Rosa.”

ELEVEN