Barney’s twentysomething son, Ashton, sat at a battered metal desk, his focus on his phone. Peeling her hand free with an inner shudder, Molly let the door close behind her. When Ashton didn’t look up from the small screen, she pulled the door open again a few inches and closed it with a loud bang.

Reluctantly, he tore his gaze from his phone and let it flick over her. Immediately, he lost his disinterested expression as he gave her another more thorough visual examination. “Whoa. You’re one of the hot Mexican bounty-hunter sisters. Which one are you again?”

It became harder for her to hold back her ick face, but she somehow managed to cling to her coolly polite smile. “I’m Molly Pax. Is your dad here?” She didn’t bother correcting him about her nationality. After all, if it hadn’t sunk in after Ashton’s previous four encounters with her, then he was never going to get it.

“Yeah.” He didn’t take his gaze off her as he raised his voice to a yell. “Dad! There’s a hottie here for you!”

“Thanks,” she said dryly.

“No problem.” Ashton leaned back, ignoring his chair’s protesting squeal. “So…Mel. Whatcha doing later?”

“A lot of things.” She started to correct him on her name, but stopped herself before she could. It’d probably be a good thing if he couldn’t remember it.

Ashton opened his mouth again, and she braced to firmly shut him down. Luckily, the inner office door opened before he could say another word.

Barney peered into the reception area. When he spotted Molly, his scowl disappeared and his mouth curved up in a small grin. The smugness in his expression was almost enough to make her turn right around and leave his office, but then she reminded herself that he had information she needed. First, she’d learn more about what happened with Jane, and then she’d tell him—and his son—to shove it.

“Molly Pax.” He looked like he was resisting the desire to rub his hands together, evil-villain style. A tall man with a broad frame, he might have been considered moderately handsome if a stranger saw him in a picture, but his personality had completely warped her perception to the point that just the sight of his florid, square-jawed face made her gag a little. “What a surprise to see you here.” His almost giddy tone made it clear that he wasn’t surprised at all.

“Molly?” Ashton repeated, frowning, before she could get her bubbling temper under control enough to respond. “Why’d you tell me your name was Mel?”

Ignoring the son, she focused on Barney, clinging to her mantra that she only had to deal with these two for a short time before she could leave them to their dingy, depressing office with its mysteriously sticky doorknobs. “Barney. It’s been a while.” She almost told him that it was nice to see him again, but she couldn’t force out such a whopping lie.

“Too long. Too long.” He made a flourishing gesture, extending his arm toward the inner office. “Come in, and we’ll discuss business.”