name?”
“Name’s Parnel, sweet thin’.”
“Well, Parnel, I’m surprised that someone hasn’t shut you up permanently by now. If this is your routine every time a woman comes through the front door, I’m amazed that your throat hasn’t been slit, or your kneecaps blown off.”
Pierce chuckled, and Parnel gave her boyfriend a narrow-eyed glare. “You tough enough to slit my throat, badass?”
“It could happen, mon ami, if you’re not out of my face in five seconds.”
“You think you’ve got big enough balls to send me to hell?” Parnel grabbed his crotch. “I guarantee mine are bigger. I can back up what I say in an alley or in the bedroom.”
His friend stepped up and gave Parnel an elbow. “You’ve made a mistake. This guy is—”
“Shut up, Frog.”
“You should listen to your friend. He knows something you don’t. Something you don’t want to find out the hard way.”
Casmir glanced at Pierce, then Parnel’s muscle-bound friend, who had just been given the name Frog. An interesting nickname, but Big Burly fit him better.
Pierce and Frog exchanged that look. The look of recognition. Parnel never saw it: he was too busy puffing up his chest.
“I doan like you. I’m not so sure I like your girlfriend anymore neither, but no one tells me ta get lost. What’s it gonna be, fists or knives?”
“Parnel, I’m tellin’ you, this guy isn’t someone you want to piss off.”
“Stuff it, Frog. He’s da one who should be worried ’bout pissin’ me off.”
“But you don’t want to fight him. He’s—”
“I said, shut up. We can do dis outside, or right here. Winner goes home with blondie.”
“Ha!” Casmir laughed, knowing full well that Pierce Fourtier would never agree to such a ridiculous wager.
She watched him stand. Now she would get to see just how tough Pierce really was.
She studied his stance. She had to admit that he really did come off as a hard case. He had attitude, as well as a lean and fit body—the best in the bar from what she’d seen so far.
Okay, so he wasn’t bad looking, either, but that didn’t mean she’d changed her mind about his growing list of faults. He was still out of a job, because she was never going to call Polax and go willingly to Le Mystère.
With his expression composed, and his dark eyes giving nothing away—she remembered that about him in Austria—he said, “Your five seconds are up. I choose knives. Location, downstairs. Frog, set it up. By the way, it’s good to see you again, mon ami. It looks like Lazie’s been treating you well.”
Casmir leapt to her feet. “Are you crazy? No one bets me in a wager. I’m not some—”
Pierce slipped his arm around her and pulled her against him. “Have faith in your boyfriend, amant. If I lose, what is one night with Parnel?” He gestured to the man, who was now grinning like an idiot. “Look, he has all his teeth, and he’s guaranteed you a pair of big balls. What more can a woman want in a man?”
Parnel’s grin grew while Casmir’s anger doubled. She tried to pry his hand off her hip. When that didn’t work, she finally found her voice and hissed in his ear, “Let go of me or your balls are going to be in your throat a second before I kill you.”
Her threat didn’t seem to worry him, or budge his hand. He said, “I’ll join you in an hour.” When the two men walked off, he looked at Casmir. “You want to see Mama, oui? Killing me won’t make that happen, but it will give Lazie a chance to be alone with Cookie overnight.”
“More blackmail.”
“Blackmail? Fact? You make the call.”
“What’s downstairs?”
“A game room.”
“What kind of game room, and how do you know about it?”
He let go of her. “I used to work here.”
Curious now, seeing that he was serious, she asked, “How good are you with a knife? Do you think you can win?”
“Worried about me?”
“I’m worried about finding Le Mystère after dark to rescue my mother from the
“Name’s Parnel, sweet thin’.”
“Well, Parnel, I’m surprised that someone hasn’t shut you up permanently by now. If this is your routine every time a woman comes through the front door, I’m amazed that your throat hasn’t been slit, or your kneecaps blown off.”
Pierce chuckled, and Parnel gave her boyfriend a narrow-eyed glare. “You tough enough to slit my throat, badass?”
“It could happen, mon ami, if you’re not out of my face in five seconds.”
“You think you’ve got big enough balls to send me to hell?” Parnel grabbed his crotch. “I guarantee mine are bigger. I can back up what I say in an alley or in the bedroom.”
His friend stepped up and gave Parnel an elbow. “You’ve made a mistake. This guy is—”
“Shut up, Frog.”
“You should listen to your friend. He knows something you don’t. Something you don’t want to find out the hard way.”
Casmir glanced at Pierce, then Parnel’s muscle-bound friend, who had just been given the name Frog. An interesting nickname, but Big Burly fit him better.
Pierce and Frog exchanged that look. The look of recognition. Parnel never saw it: he was too busy puffing up his chest.
“I doan like you. I’m not so sure I like your girlfriend anymore neither, but no one tells me ta get lost. What’s it gonna be, fists or knives?”
“Parnel, I’m tellin’ you, this guy isn’t someone you want to piss off.”
“Stuff it, Frog. He’s da one who should be worried ’bout pissin’ me off.”
“But you don’t want to fight him. He’s—”
“I said, shut up. We can do dis outside, or right here. Winner goes home with blondie.”
“Ha!” Casmir laughed, knowing full well that Pierce Fourtier would never agree to such a ridiculous wager.
She watched him stand. Now she would get to see just how tough Pierce really was.
She studied his stance. She had to admit that he really did come off as a hard case. He had attitude, as well as a lean and fit body—the best in the bar from what she’d seen so far.
Okay, so he wasn’t bad looking, either, but that didn’t mean she’d changed her mind about his growing list of faults. He was still out of a job, because she was never going to call Polax and go willingly to Le Mystère.
With his expression composed, and his dark eyes giving nothing away—she remembered that about him in Austria—he said, “Your five seconds are up. I choose knives. Location, downstairs. Frog, set it up. By the way, it’s good to see you again, mon ami. It looks like Lazie’s been treating you well.”
Casmir leapt to her feet. “Are you crazy? No one bets me in a wager. I’m not some—”
Pierce slipped his arm around her and pulled her against him. “Have faith in your boyfriend, amant. If I lose, what is one night with Parnel?” He gestured to the man, who was now grinning like an idiot. “Look, he has all his teeth, and he’s guaranteed you a pair of big balls. What more can a woman want in a man?”
Parnel’s grin grew while Casmir’s anger doubled. She tried to pry his hand off her hip. When that didn’t work, she finally found her voice and hissed in his ear, “Let go of me or your balls are going to be in your throat a second before I kill you.”
Her threat didn’t seem to worry him, or budge his hand. He said, “I’ll join you in an hour.” When the two men walked off, he looked at Casmir. “You want to see Mama, oui? Killing me won’t make that happen, but it will give Lazie a chance to be alone with Cookie overnight.”
“More blackmail.”
“Blackmail? Fact? You make the call.”
“What’s downstairs?”
“A game room.”
“What kind of game room, and how do you know about it?”
He let go of her. “I used to work here.”
Curious now, seeing that he was serious, she asked, “How good are you with a knife? Do you think you can win?”
“Worried about me?”
“I’m worried about finding Le Mystère after dark to rescue my mother from the
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