Page 113 of Slumming It

"How do you mean?"

"You don't see it?" She deepened her voice in a mock imitation of Reese. "I'm Reese Murdock, and I don't have justoneFerrari. I havetwo."

I still didn't turn to face her. "Actually, I think they have four."

Sounding more annoyed than impressed, she said, "You're kidding."

"Not really." I searched my memory banks for all of the right details. "There are four partners total, and I think they each have one – a Ferrari, I mean."

"I don't care if they all have spaceships," she said. "It's really inconsiderate of him to show up two hours early."

I tried again. "But I really don't think it's him."

"I heard you the first time," she said. "But who else could it be?"

Just then, the driver's side door opened, and a tall blond guy with broad shoulders and long legs emerged from the vehicle wearing dark sunglasses, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket.

He shut the Ferrari's door behind him and stalked forward to open the hotel's main door. The bell gave its usual jingle asthe guy strode through it, looking cool and dangerous, like some kind of hit man in disguise.

He didn't stop until he reached the front desk, where he claimed a spot within arm's reach of where I was standing. He didn't remove his sunglasses, and he sure as heck didn't smile.

To Vivian, he said, "Reese Murdock – where is he?"

This wasn't the first time I'd seen the guy, but it was the first time I'd seen him in person. His name was Cameron Slade, and he was one of Reese's partners.

It was Vivian who recovered first, telling him in a no-nonsense tone, "If you're seeking information about our guests, we don't give that out."

The guy pushed up his sunglasses, revealing ice blue eyes that seemed to miss nothing. "Alright. What's it gonna take?"

Vivian shook her head. "What do you mean?"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. He tossed it onto the counter and said, "Reese Murdock – where is he?"

Vivian barely glanced at the money. "I heard you the first time."

I wanted to laugh, considering that she'd just said the same exact thing to me. Of course, she'd said it a lot nicer in my case.

The guy gave her a look. "Good for you." He nudged the bill closer. "You heard the question, so what's the answer?"

She nudged the hundred right back. "The informationisn'tfor sale."

With something like a sigh, he pulled out another hundred and tossed it near the first. "How about now?"

Vivian's mouth tightened. "I don't care if you pull out a diamond tiara, my answer's gonna be the same."

He leaned over the counter, all casual-like and lowered his voice to say, "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not gonna tell your boss."

I couldn’t help it. I snickered.

Slowly, he turned his piercing gaze on me. In a surprisingly friendly tone, he asked, "You've got something to say?"

I hitched a thumb toward Vivian. "The boss already knows that you're trying to bribe her."

He reached up to stroke his chin. "Oh, yeah?"

I gave him my sweetest smile. "Yes, because sheisthe boss." Technically we both were, but Vivian deserved a lot more credit, considering that this whole venture had been her idea.

The guy stepped back and looked around the small lobby, taking his sweet time, as if assessing the worth of the place. Finally, with a low scoff, he looked back to my sister. "I'm not sure that's something to brag about."