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"Likewise," I repeated He releasedthewhatever it was The world crashed in, loud, boisterous I took an onion ring and ate it, but the taste was now unpleasant, ulped beer The odd taste washed aith the yeasty, peaty ale

"Co his eyes They see , sometime"

"Spills out in the street," Rick said "If you like to dance"

I liked to dance But rippedHe placed a bucket, like a gardening bucket, on the bar between Rick and me Beer- and sea-flavored steam curled up, hot with pepper and spices Rick reached, drew out a crawfish, its red shell curled I was pretty sure the crustacean had been tossed alive into boiling beer

I looked at Antoine, seeing nothing of the power that had tried to search throughlike that before, and thehad happened If he could play innocent, I could certainly play stupid But I wondered what he had picked up about Beast as he held ht me here He had wanted Antoine to read me I tried to decide if that tickedup a four-inch-long crawfish as if in dehter and a warmth that claimed he was interested in me, if it was real It had been some time since I’d seen that particular look in a man’s eyes Maybe since I met Jack when I went into the security business Not irl who could toss them into a corner and sto and men seemed to sense that It bothered a lot of them

Andwhile I hadn’t been a nun, I hadn’t taken the dating world by storled several men, in and out of bed, at a time, but I was a one- ti Not just yet, anyway

To get the proper crawfish-eating protocol, I watched Rick as he broke the shell apart across the body, just above the tail, and pulled out the flesh He ate the mouthful of seafood and then salutedshell "Suck de head," he said, like soht have said, "Cheers," and he sucked the head part I heard a liquid slurping Rick sed and broke apart the shellfish as he had, ate the arlic, and onion, and beery Good Really good Then I sucked the head as Rick had, and the spices exploded in my mouth

He laughed at whatever was on ot to tell you The spices seeed, half strangling on the potent stuff "You forgot"

Antoine laughed with Rick "Dis boy been coet"

CHAPTER 4

You scare the pants offa me

After lunch, my belly distended and our the river on a concrete boardwalk Ain the heat, swayed slowly in a patch of shade, playing a baritone saxophone The jazz notes were low and rolling as the nearby Mississippi, the tune soulful and plaintive I tossed a five in the open sax case at his feet and we stood to listen After theus a nod and starting another tune, the deep notes following us down the walk

The air was hot and wet and lued on,feeling, like a pelt after a swiood at social interaction; in fact, I totally sucked at it, but the presence of Rick ood-looking guy, a good ured it was an appropriate ti to be helpful in ation, or just a distraction I wanted to use his local knowledge and contacts, and that superseded any interest in hiht tone, I said, "So, bad boy, blight on the family name Want to tell me why you came to uessing it wasn’t because you saw ht"

He glanced at h the dark lenses once, and I could alh When he stuck his thuured he had come to a conclusion He slanted a look at lasses, his head tilted down, eyes tilted up, considering It was a well-rehearsed gesture and it set off my play dar The Joe was a player The realization was surprisingly disappointing