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“Joe!” Her eyes sprang up to his and saw they were heated and amused

“You ready?” he said without a hint of impatience

She nodded Joe kissed the tip of her nose “That’sher into the dark alley

Chapter 10

Joe didn’t like their situation one bit The alley was only wide enough for thele file Joe put Julia in front of hiht up the rear One look at Ed and he saw his friend was on the sa the hich put the women firmly between the men, where they could best protect them

Joe kept one hand on Julia’s shoulder as he scanned their surroundings There were no other access points in the alley, only straight walls on either side of them This meant no one could come at them from the side, but it also meant that there were no clear escape routes if they needed one

At the end of the long, dark corridor, the alley opened out into a tiny courtyard And at the rear of the courtyard was a shop The interior was black and unwelco, the wares spilled out into the space around it, with displays attached to the walls Baskets filled with assorted dead things sat on the ground at the bottom of the three steps that led up and into the crooked little building

“Will you let me pass?” Patricia demanded as she smacked Ed’s shoulder

He looked back at her, his face stony “No Not until we knoe’re walking into here”

“And what are you going to do if we’re walking into trouble? Sue somebody?”

Ed’s eyes hardened, taking years off hi Joe back to the first time they’d met—on a naval vessel off the coast of Yemen Joe had just started his career and Ed was on the flipside He’d had a reputation as a set the job done—no matter what it took

“Before I was ever a lawyer, I was a marine,” Ed said “Believe me when I tell you there’s a whole lot I can do if need be”

“God save us from Neanderthal men,” Patricia said “I know Juan Pablo Move out the way so I can talk to him”

“No” Ed shut the conversation doith one word as he strode forward, clearly on alert

As they approached the front of the store, three figures eed from the doorway Two of the ainst the walls, but clearly acting as sentries for Juan Pablo