Page 9 of Lawton

The friend was still laughing. "Hey,I'ddo him."

"Oh shut up," Chloe said. "You're not a groupie any more than I am. I mean, seriously, you heard about that actress, right?"

"Which one?"

"You know which one," Chloe said. "The one he left naked in that bathroom."

The friend paused. "You mean in that Beverly Hills restaurant? Oh yeah. I remember."

I felt my jaw clench. I remembered, too.

The friend was still talking. "He beat the crap out of some bouncer too, right?"

"No," Chloe corrected. "Notsomebouncer. Three bouncers."

I shook my head. Bouncers? Hardly. Mostly, they were hired thugs, courtesy of the actress in question – some publicity-hungry skank who'd played me like a video game.

"Three?" the friend said, sounding impressed. "Nice."

"Nice?" Chloe repeated. "Seriously? The guy's an animal. I don't know why people put up with him."

"Iknow why. He's a total bad-ass."

"Likethatmatters," Chloe said. "In five years, you know where they'll find him?"

The friend gave another laugh. "In my bedroom?"

"No," Chloe said. "On somenewreality show. Except this time, he won't be the hot newcomer. He'll be the washed-up has-been." She hesitated. "Trying to kick some coke or cupcake addiction."

"Hey, with abs like his," the friend said, "he can bemycupcake any day."

"I'm serious," Chloe insisted. "And intenyears, you know where he'll be?"

"Where?"

"Six feet under."

Listening, I felt my eyebrows furrow. Me? Dead in a decade? I did the math. At thirty-six? I shook my head. Not if I had anything to say about it.

"Or," Chloe continued, "he'll be working as a security guard or something." She made a scoffing sound. "Probably at a low-rent shopping mall."

"No way," the friend said. "He's like a billionaire. You can't go throughthatmuch money."

"You just watch," Chloe said. "And eventhatgig? It won't last. He'll be canned for sure."

"Oh please," the friend said. "Canned for what?"

"I don't know," Chloe said. "For snorting coke in the bathroom?"

The friend gave another burst of laughter. "What?"

"Or," Chloe continued, "for beating up a customer."

"NowthisI've got to hear. Why?"

"Well, um, maybe the customer wants to take his picture."

Standing there, I shook my head. What customer?