Finding a Shusher was the worst decision Remy’d made in some time. Sure, he had all the pieces that Frank’s plan required, but they came with whole host of other problems.

  The Vascs had come at a steep price. In exchange, he’d made an enemy of the most dangerous man in the business, bumbled back into Josie’s life, and lost his favorite hat. It was a poor trade on all accounts. He’d spent much of the first night plucking glass from his face and arms while making sure Josie didn’t die in her sleep. In the morning, he dropped her off at New Madison General where she spent another night sedated. A delivery car from the hospital released her to his front door bright and early on the following morning and she was his problem now.

  A problem that refused to leave.

  Josie had convinced herself that the Inspector was going to bide his time and wait for her to come home to take her. Remy rubbed his temples over the bandage wrapped around his still bruised face. Like the Inspector would sit around a shabby pawn shop waiting like a spurned lover. Revenge was hardly a waste of time, but the Inspector was a busy man. Did a couple dim thieves really warrant the attention of a man like that? After all, business was business and their business was finished. Finally, after two days of her sleeping on his couch, he convinced Josie to go back home.

  For a few changes of clothes, he groaned.

  The shop looked just like they left it, windows barricaded and security turrets rotating along the walls and roof. The neon “Josie’s Pawn” hummed loudly.

  Remy slowly took in the entire street before nodding.

  “Looks pretty safe to me. Sure you don’t want to just stay? You’ll be more comfortable at home than on my old couch.” He asked for hundredth time. It might have only been two days but in an apartment the size of his that might as well have been two years. She shook her head, firm as before.

  “I’m just grabbing a few things then I’ll be back. Don’t you think about leaving me, Remy St. Claire. I know where you sleep.” She shot him a glare that equal parts amused and annoyed. He shook his own head and leaned back onto his skiff.

  “I’ll be here.” He sighed and lit a cigarette. Remy spent the time thinking about how he could leave her. It wouldn’t be so hard. His skiff was right there. He’d be back across the city in just a few minutes and could to work on what had started all of this. Stefanie’s case was growing colder by the day and he hadn’t made much progress since being tossed from the Sapphire Lounge a week back.

  “Remy, just want to talk. Haven’t heard from you. The Square, tomorrow at noon?” Stefanie had left him a message just this morning. She was agitated, and Remy couldn’t blame her. Maybe Josie was right. Maybe he was a better thief than a detective. Still, that voice was honey and he had to see Stefanie again. A bad detective with her was a sight better than a decent thief being thrown from skyscrapers.

  Before he could muster the courage to fly away and leave Josie, she exited the front of her shop with a worn green duffel bag and a backpack held together by duct tape. She chomped on a fresh piece of gum and had even found the time to retouch her lipstick. He sighed. Josie’s brand was every bit as strong as it was different from Stefanie’s.

  Back in the skiff, Remy started talking before they had turned off her street.

  “Hey, look, Josie. I’m happy you’re doing okay now and it’s been a treat having you around, but I got to get back to my case. You can crash at my place until you find something else but this is what pays my bills and if I’m going to keep paying them, including what you’re asking for the Vascs, I need to get moving.”

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  She didn’t reply right away. Josie watched the buildings blur by, chewing her gum with loud flourishing pops. The cherry smelled good. Finally, she turned back to him with a familiar glint in her eye. Remy’s heart sank.

  “What if I could help you with that case, Rem? Taking a Reverb and Shusher off your plate has to help the bottom line, eh? We could be partners. Strictly business, of course.”

  No. No, no, no.

  The last thing he needed was Josie O’Malley coming into his business - his life - and making a scene of things.

  “You know, I don’t mean to keep bringing this up but, you almost got me killed the other night. Stealing from the Inspector and dragging me into it by making me your, your what? Accomplice? Lover? Come on, Josie. How can I work with someone like that? I have enough problems of my own, I don’t need yours too.” Remy was sure that he would have to use Stefanie’s money from the case to move from New Madison. It would only be a matter of time before the Inspector paid him a visit otherwise. He was a gentleman thief, if you could call anyone that, but a gentlemen might still leave you dead in an alley same as another man.

  Josie crossed her arms and returned her stare to the window.

  “You don’t have anything to say? You? You always have something to say, Jose, believe me.” He scoffed, accelerating up and over a low rise of buildings built around a hill. Remy hoped she would say something about how the Inspector deserved it, or that she was set up, or that she was really doing Remy a favor. Really, anything so that he could argue against it. Instead, she sat silent, and his rage fizzled without the friction.

  They were almost back to his apartment before she spoke again.

  “I can’t go home, Remy. I did something stupid and I know its my fault but I can’t really change that now. If I’m going to be on your couch, I’d like to help if I can. Earn my place, so to speak.”

  He wanted to yell, but her posture caught his tongue. Something about her was different. Remy hadn’t heard Josie speak like this since their first day in that cargo container out east. Open. Honest. Like someone who wasn’t lying through their teeth simply to stay alive. He was going to regret this.

  “Okay.” He mumbled. Josie nodded with a tight smile and rested her head against the window. Remy just stared blankly forward.

  They landed in front of Remy’s apartment complex and the apartment’s artificial intelligence assumed control of the skiff. They hopped out onto the stoop and the skiff flew off to the garage. Remy tossed Josie the key card to his place.

  “Go up. I’m going to go grab a few things from the store. Want anything in particular?”

  She shook her head and tried to lift her duffel bag. Josie staggered under the weight and Remy grabbed it from her. God, she looked frail. Had she always looked like this? It was like she had spent the last of her strength riding back with him.

  “Here, go on up. I’ll take this.”

  He followed her up the steps one at a time, with a hand outstretched ready to catch her at a moment’s notice. He didn’t even know what kind of groceries to get with a woman in the house. Yogurt? Should I ask her if she likes yogurt? No, that would be weird right now. Don’t worry about it. Fly casual.

  She fumbled with the card but managed to open the door and sloughed off her backpack onto a waiting chair already piled with unopened mail and clothes. He handed her the duffel bag.

  “Anything you need?” he repeated. A walk to the store would do him some good. Couple minutes to clear his head, and pick up a new pack of smokes. At least bring back a semblance of normalcy to his life.

  She shook her head.

  “Whatever you’d like. I just don’t want you to be mad, Rem. I’m going to be here anyway and you could use a someone like me.” Josie’s eyes left little room to argue, both fierce and hurt at the same time.

  What would Stefanie think of him working with a woman like Josie? Let alone living with a woman like Josie. Was she the jealous type? Remy scoffed at that. A woman like that had nothing to be jealous of. Besides, she already had a husband. A dead husband, though. Maybe…

  He srugged. Foolish thoughts of a foolish man.

  “Yeah, well, I suppose that’s true. Let’s plan on doing a walk about later then and talk about it.” Remy wanted to puke. He had sworn off working with Josie. Sworn it off like cheap tequila. She smiled back at him, smacking that fucking cherry gum.

  “You know, on second thought, grab some beers. We should catch up.” She shut his own apartment door in his face and Remy trundled down the stairs, regretting the path his life was careening down.