Last Chance (Liar Liar #3) by C.A. Mason Page A

head on my shoulder.
    “Just rest now, baby. Close your eyes and let me hold you.”
     

Chapter Four
     
    By happy coincidence, Maura and I met in the parking lot of our building early the next morning.
    “Hey,” I said, grinning as I stopped in front of her car. “Sleep well?”
    She smiled. “Surprisingly well. You?”
    “Not as well as I would have if you’d been sleeping beside me.”
    She blushed and shook her head. “Just stop.”
    It felt good to tease her again, for our conversation to flow easily, without anger and hostility. “Busy day today?”
    “Yeah, I’m at Magna setting up for an event tonight.”
    “Hmmm, think you’ll be able to take a lunch break?”
    “Why? What did you have in mind?”
    “I’m going to meet with the guys from my old crew this morning,” I said. “I really think one of them could be behind this. I thought I could fill you in on what they had to say over a quick lunch?”
    “I think I could swing that.” She set her travel mug on the roof of her car. “Maybe around one?”
    “You got it.” I didn’t bother telling her I would rearrange my entire day to accommodate her.
    “Um, how will you explain your interest in this to those guys?” she asked. “Won’t they wonder why someone like you would get mixed up in a case like this? Maybe you should just have your private investigator question them.”
    “No way,” I said quickly. “This is personal. Besides, I know those guys. I think I’d be able to tell if they were lying.”
    “Yeah, but you’re still going to have to give them some reasonable explanation for your interest.”
    “I could tell them you’re my girlfriend.”
    She licked her lips before her gaze fell. “Why would you do that?”
    “I could tell them you’re not sure the right guy went down for it, that you’re afraid the real perpetrator might be out there, and as someone who loves you, I want to make sure you’re safe. Are you okay with that?”
    Maura nodded slowly. “I guess that’s the only explanation that would make sense.”
    “I think so.” I took her hand and brought it to my lips. “Have a good morning, angel. I’ll see you at one.”
     
    ***
     
    I’d already met with the first three guys, all of whom had agreed to meet with me for the right price. They’d said their time was valuable and they couldn’t afford to take time off work without compensation. I knew one of them was unemployed and one was off that day due to rain, but a few thousand bucks was a small price to pay for the answers I needed.
    I’d hoped to walk away from those meetings with a sense that one of them knew more than he were letting on about what had happened to Maura, but I didn’t. They all seemed as clueless as I was about that night, but I wasn’t ready to give up hope. I had one more man to see, one more chance before I hit a dead end.
    Jim was sitting on the front porch of the same old run-down house I remembered. Of all the guys in the crew, he and I had been the closest. I’d told him things I hadn’t told anyone else, and if he was the one who’d betrayed me, it would cut the deepest.
    “Hey,” he said, watching me warily.
    I’d kept it casual with faded jeans, a tight black T-shirt, and black boots, but I knew I wasn’t fooling anyone. Jim already knew who I was and what I was, so there was no point in trying to hide my wealth. If he wanted money to spill his guts, I’d give it to him. Then I’d bury him.
    “Jim.” It wasn’t a question, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
    He smirked. “It’s not like I had anywhere else to be. Work’s hard to come by these days.”
    “Sorry to hear that.” I leaned against a pillar covered with dirty, peeling paint.
    “Not that you’d know anything about that.” He raised his eyes, narrowing them slightly as though he’d seen something he hadn’t expected to. “Is it true you’re worth a couple of billion?”
    I shrugged. He wasn’t the first