“Can’t take you anywhere!” She swung her right fist at Chino, following it with a left hook that caught him flush in the mouth. Merrill got the gun free. Amy kicked Chino in the shin and pushed him back and punched him again. He went down hard against the gunwale. One-handed, Merrill struggled with the safety. Amy slapped his wrist to get his attention as Chino got to his feet behind her. Merrill gave her the gun and she turned and got the safety off. Chino was staring at her as if hypnotized. “You wanted to see this in my eyes! Take a good look, motherfucker!” Amy pulled the trigger five times. Chino fell backward. With her tip of her toe she pushed him into the water and watched him sink. She threw the gun in after him and turned to Merrill as his arm went around her.

“What the hell was he staring at? What was that you said to him?”

“I told you. He wanted me to give up my innocence. He wanted to see it happen. He did. Now I want to go home.”

“It’s going to be worse there. Everything I said, and Scott says the press is already calling.”

“No White House. Absolutely not. The way I’m going, if somebody looks at you crossways even by accident, I’m liable to pop her in the chops.”

“Nifty left there. Your father would be proud of his Turbocharger Blond.”

“He’s going to be grateful to you.”

“I could go for one of your father’s steaks right now.”

“Don’t mention food. Don’t even think about it.”

“No, really. I hope the cutter is making out okay. I’m hungry enough to eat a —”

“Stop! She pushed him away. “One more word and I’m going to take off this nightgown and throw it overboard. You can explain it any way you want to those guys on the cutter.”

The cutter’s air horn whooped twice. It was heading toward them. He looked at her. “You want me to cheer you up? Make you laugh? In this condition?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, babe. You’re so busted up —”

“If I can’t have a steak, I want a medium rare bacon double cheeseburger with a side of smothered onions —”

The nightgown flew up in the air.

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Roderick Thorp is the author of The Detective, Rainbow Drive, and Nothing Lasts Forever, which was made into the movie Die Hard. He has worked as a private detective and done extensive crime reporting, including a twenty-one-part series on cocaine traffic in southern California, which was published in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.

Thorp’s other novels include Into the Forest, Dionysus, Slaves, The Circle of Love, Westfield, Jenny and Barnum, Devlin, and River.

RODERICK THORP

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