BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“Right, but I mean, if I met a man there, you’re telling me there’s no difference between him and some random guy I meet in a bar in Wichita on a Saturday night?”

“Look at it this way,” Lance said. “Someone from Wichita can get on a plane and be in Raqqa in less than a day. Does that make him more dangerous when he steps off the plane? Or someone in Raqqa can be in Wichita. All it takes is a plane ride.”

“And a visa, thankfully.”

“And a visa,” Lance said.

It was Laurel’s turn to shrug. “So you’re saying …”.

“I don’t know. I’m just drunk.”

“No, you’re making some sense.”

“Well, that’s something I don’t hear every day.”

“It’s interesting.”

Lance shrugged. “Maybe I’m smarter than I look,” he said.

Laurel laughed.

“Smarts aren’t even my best skill,” he added.

“Oh, really?” she said. “And you say men aren’t dangerous.”

He shrugged. “Present company excluded.”

“I’d like to see some proof of that.”

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

She had him. It was too easy. Like taking candy from a baby. And she knew he’d be a monster in the bedroom. She could tell by the way he held himself. She was in for a wild night.

But there was no hurry.

The longer it took, the sweeter the prize.

“So just for the record,” she said playfully, “you don’t think men anywhere are dangerous?”

Lance smiled. “What is with this chick?” he said to the bartender.

“I’m sure I wouldn’t know,” the bartender said.

Lance missed the attitude. “People think the world is full of dangerous men,” he said.

“But not you?”

“Men aren’t so dangerous. They’re predictable. They follow orders. If you give them a weapon and tell them to fire, they’ll fire.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It isn’t.”

It was time for her to move in for the kill. The poor sucker. There he was, talking about men, when the real danger, as always, was coming from a woman.

She put her hand next to his on the bar. He turned to her and let his knee touch hers.

Contact.

All she had to do now was reel him in.

She was about to lean in and whisper something in his ear. Something naughty. She’d brush her lips on his ear as she whispered it. Something truly dangerous.

But just then, the door of the bar burst open.

Some blonde dressed like a prostitute burst in. She was crying.

13

Lance looked wistfully at Laurel. The resemblance was uncanny. It was almost unfair of Roth.

Where had he found this woman?

“Lance,” Sam cried from across the bar.

He sighed. It almost hurt to pull his attention from Laurel.

Sam’s mascara was all over her face. Her shirt was torn. Her lip was bleeding.