double, hands on knees, panting loudly. “We were taking a walk and Felicity stopped to tie her shoe. When we turned around she was gone. She must have taken a wrong turn.”
Carter’s jaw tightened. “You expect me to believe you three were taking a leisurely stroll through the woods along the bayou behind my house in the dark?”
Ida Belle shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t really matter if you believe it. It is the truth.”
Behind Carter, Fortune grinned, her hand covering her lips as she shoved her smile back. “Um, Carter, don’t you think you should get hold of the dog. We don’t want him to hurt anybody.”
Carter eyed Mannie. “I’m not sure about that. What about you? What are you doing here? Where’s your firearm?”
Mannie’s eyes looked like golf balls. There was so much white showing in them as he stared down about a thousand shiny white canine teeth that they all but glowed in the dark. “I’ll tell you anything you want. Just get this thing off me.”
Carter reached down and grasped the dog’s collar, snapping the leash I hadn’t noticed he was carrying onto it. “Down, boy.” He pulled the big Rottweiler back and then stepped forward, placing a foot on Mannie’s arm. “Where’s the gun?”
Mannie jerked his head toward the spot where I’d seen the gun disappear. “Over there.”
“Fortune, will you collect the gun for me, please?”
“Sure.”
She widened her eyes at me as she walked past. A minute later she came up with it draped over her finger by the trigger guard.
Carter eyed her and the professional way she held it and she shrugged. “I once read a book on preserving fingerprints at a crime scene.”
“Mm-hm.” Carter took the gun and pointed it at Mannie. “Stand up slowly.”
I groaned with relief when Mannie’s weight left my legs. Gertie hurried over and helped me stand. “You okay?”
I felt the large tender spot over my ribs and nodded. “I’m gonna have a bruise the size of my head but I’m fine.”
Carter quickly patted Mannie down and came up with a small revolver that he’d had strapped to his leg. “This is a lot of firepower for a walk along the bayou. Why were you skulking around behind my house?”
Mannie clamped his lips shut, glaring at Fortune.
She stared back, saying nothing.
I almost felt bad for the big guy, but then again, we’d left him safe and sound in Gertie’s house. It had been his idea to come looking for us.
Carter reached back and felt his pocket as if looking for his cuffs and then frowned, obviously remembering he’d been on a date.
Unfortunately he hadn’t needed cuffs on his date with Fortune.
I grinned as I caught her looking at me and she shared my smile, apparently sharing my train of thought.
“Here.” Gertie shoved her hand into her purse and dug around for a minute, coming out with a pair of handcuffs.
Carter didn’t even ask her why she had handcuffs in her purse, he just shook his head and clapped them over Mannie’s wrists. He jerked the gun toward his house. “Let’s go. And don’t try anything funny. If you try to run I’m letting go of this leash. “
“I’ll catch a ride home with them,” Fortune said, glancing toward us.
Carter slid her a look filled with regret and nodded, his sexy mouth tightening. “See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
I was clutched in the comforting arms of Morpheus when the geriatric 007s stormed my room and invaded a truly spectacular dream having to do with the intrepid Cal Amity and a large tub of Cool Whip. There may or may not have been strawberries. I would never know because Gertie jerked the curtains open and Ida Belle breathed on my face until I cranked my eyes open.
It was an ugly business…getting my eyes open…I think somebody might have glued them shut while I was sleeping and they cranked upward on a slant, my eyeballs trying to retreat from the early morning Louisiana sunshine.
“Are you awake?” Ida Belle
Carter’s jaw tightened. “You expect me to believe you three were taking a leisurely stroll through the woods along the bayou behind my house in the dark?”
Ida Belle shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t really matter if you believe it. It is the truth.”
Behind Carter, Fortune grinned, her hand covering her lips as she shoved her smile back. “Um, Carter, don’t you think you should get hold of the dog. We don’t want him to hurt anybody.”
Carter eyed Mannie. “I’m not sure about that. What about you? What are you doing here? Where’s your firearm?”
Mannie’s eyes looked like golf balls. There was so much white showing in them as he stared down about a thousand shiny white canine teeth that they all but glowed in the dark. “I’ll tell you anything you want. Just get this thing off me.”
Carter reached down and grasped the dog’s collar, snapping the leash I hadn’t noticed he was carrying onto it. “Down, boy.” He pulled the big Rottweiler back and then stepped forward, placing a foot on Mannie’s arm. “Where’s the gun?”
Mannie jerked his head toward the spot where I’d seen the gun disappear. “Over there.”
“Fortune, will you collect the gun for me, please?”
“Sure.”
She widened her eyes at me as she walked past. A minute later she came up with it draped over her finger by the trigger guard.
Carter eyed her and the professional way she held it and she shrugged. “I once read a book on preserving fingerprints at a crime scene.”
“Mm-hm.” Carter took the gun and pointed it at Mannie. “Stand up slowly.”
I groaned with relief when Mannie’s weight left my legs. Gertie hurried over and helped me stand. “You okay?”
I felt the large tender spot over my ribs and nodded. “I’m gonna have a bruise the size of my head but I’m fine.”
Carter quickly patted Mannie down and came up with a small revolver that he’d had strapped to his leg. “This is a lot of firepower for a walk along the bayou. Why were you skulking around behind my house?”
Mannie clamped his lips shut, glaring at Fortune.
She stared back, saying nothing.
I almost felt bad for the big guy, but then again, we’d left him safe and sound in Gertie’s house. It had been his idea to come looking for us.
Carter reached back and felt his pocket as if looking for his cuffs and then frowned, obviously remembering he’d been on a date.
Unfortunately he hadn’t needed cuffs on his date with Fortune.
I grinned as I caught her looking at me and she shared my smile, apparently sharing my train of thought.
“Here.” Gertie shoved her hand into her purse and dug around for a minute, coming out with a pair of handcuffs.
Carter didn’t even ask her why she had handcuffs in her purse, he just shook his head and clapped them over Mannie’s wrists. He jerked the gun toward his house. “Let’s go. And don’t try anything funny. If you try to run I’m letting go of this leash. “
“I’ll catch a ride home with them,” Fortune said, glancing toward us.
Carter slid her a look filled with regret and nodded, his sexy mouth tightening. “See you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
I was clutched in the comforting arms of Morpheus when the geriatric 007s stormed my room and invaded a truly spectacular dream having to do with the intrepid Cal Amity and a large tub of Cool Whip. There may or may not have been strawberries. I would never know because Gertie jerked the curtains open and Ida Belle breathed on my face until I cranked my eyes open.
It was an ugly business…getting my eyes open…I think somebody might have glued them shut while I was sleeping and they cranked upward on a slant, my eyeballs trying to retreat from the early morning Louisiana sunshine.
“Are you awake?” Ida Belle
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