Page 32 of Devil's Marker

“And I’m not sayin’ I’m sorry about the door thing again.”

He cocked his head. “You said you were sorry? I missed that.”

“If you didn’t hear it the first time, that’s too damn bad.”

He smiled. “Okay, then. I believe you.”

They walked across the street to the taco place, which wasn’t busy because it was eleven thirty on Sunday and a preponderance of Waco citizens were doing their duty in a church pew. They ordered at the cash register, Win’s treat as promised, got a number and two bottled waters, then sat down at a table by the front window.

“What’s your real name?” Win asked.

Her eyes widened slightly. “What makes you think R.C. is not my real name?”

“Carla,” Win said with a lopsided smile.

“Fucking Carla. What else did she blurt out without thinking about whether it was her business or somebody else’s?”

“What R.C. stands for.”

“Okay. So you know. Ha. Ha. Nothing to see here. Move along.”

“So you don’t want to tell me your real name.”

“If you knew my real name, you’d understand. Leave it at that. Besides. I like the way you say R.C.” She immediately wanted to slap a hand over her mouth, having no idea why she would say such a thing out loud.

He responded with the exact smug smile she would have expected. “All right. So you don’t live here?” Win asked.

“I live and work in Austin.”

“’Cause you like it better?”

“Well, yes. I went to college there. Kinda fell in love I guess.”

“You don’t stay at the club when you’re here visiting?”

She laughed. “Stay at the club? You must be joking. He gave me a condo so I’d visit more often. It’s not impressive, but it’s fine for weekends. Whatever. So you’re from California?”

“No. Beaumont. I’ve been in Santa Clarita for a long time though. Guess I lost my drawl?”

“I don’t know. I don’t pick up accents if they’re the same as mine. Why’d you pick Waco?”

“Wanted to be back in Texas. Home is too hot and humid. The metroplex is too crowded and the air quality is even worse than L.A. San Antonio’s out because I just don’t have an ear for Spanish. Same with Corpus. El Paso wasn’t even a consideration. Don’t like the desert.”

“And you don’t have an ear for Spanish.”

“That, too.”

“What about Austin?”

He felt a catch in his solar plexus when he realized he was about to tell a lie. For some reason, he didn’t want to lie to R.C. Couldn’t be helped though.

“Thought about it. Real seriously. But Marauders are affiliated with the club I left. Seemed like it could be a good fit. Me in the land of Baptists.” He grinned.

She laughed. “Yeah. It’s alright, I guess.”

“What was it about Austin you fell in love with?”

“The politics. The culture. The live music. And everybody doesn’t have to be Baptist.”