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Although Paradise and Novo got a lot of attention

And yup, that et their weapons back out

The maître d’ rushed forward to Peyton and started in with the welco area had been reserved, and Axe took a pass on the ass-kissing session, walking away froency exit was

Novo sat doith him and he ordered two Scotches, one for each of them, as the others filed in and deep-seated in the stuffed chairs There was a low table in h, there were various cocktails and then plates of tapas filling the surface up

"… gun range tomorrow"

Axe rubbed his face "What?"

"I said," Novo repeated, "you ht want to chill on that club before sessions You’re out of it right now, and you don’t want to look bad on the gun range to ht" He swirled the liquor in his glass, coating the ice cubes with a wash of Scotch "Hell, maybe I’d have done better if I had stayed at The Keys awhile longer"

"You going to bring lass and eased back "I want to see what it’s all about"

His eyes traveled up and down her body "Yeah, I think you can handle it Wouldn’t say that about most females"

"Sexist much?"

"Females have better standards than males But you’re one of us"

Novo threw her head back and laughed "I can’t decide whether to be offended or not"

"If I order you another Scotch, will that help you--"

It was like a car accident in his head One second, he was cruising along the deserted highway of his noruilt-whore … and the next, all his thoughts, every ounce of cognition, even on his subconscious level, slammed into a five-foot-ten-inch blond feht out of heaven, and the unusual coed in iron

Axe straightened in his seat like so went tunnel with her the light at the end, the glow around her created by his reaction to her presence--

Peyton got in the way

That miserable reet whoever it ith a hug And then he talked to her, hisan excellent target for a bullet or the claw of a ha piano as far as Axe was concerned

"FYI," Novo said softly, "shooting hietto call the police on you before he gets rowled

Except then he looked down, and--well, hello there, Mr Shiny--his gun was in his hand and ready to go