Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 154735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 619(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 619(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
“Cash,” Ad said as he parked it as well. “I’ll give you fifteen.”
Well, if that didn’t shut Bud up. But he recovered quickly, jacking the waistband of his Rodney Dangerfields up over his paunch. “Well, now. You’re a good customer, I can tell. But I don’t think I can go that low. I gotta keep my lights on—”
“Fifteen thousand.” Ad outed a wad from the pocket of his leather jacket. “And you’ll take care of the tax.”
As the counting began, orderly piles of ten hundred-dollar bills lined up in front of Bud and the man got really quiet. When the last dole-out finished, and Ad sat back and smiled, it was clear that the asking price was going to be adjusted downward. Nothing like a little liquidity to tilt the course of negotiations.
“It’s Stephanie Kowalski’s deal,” Eddie said in a low voice. “She sold us the car.”
Bud’s eyes shot over. “I’m sorry?”
“You’re giving her the credit for the sale.”
“Are we redoing history, son?” When Eddie just stared at the man, Bud cleared his throat. “I don’t like people telling me my business.”
Eddie stepped up to the desk and swept the money into his hand. “Come on, Adrian. CarMax has fifty of these online—”
“Now, hold on there.” Bud jumped to his feet. “Let’s not be rash.”
“Call Stephanie in. Tell her the good news and I’ll give you the cash.”
When Bud looked at Ad, as if he expected some backup, the fallen angel just shrugged. “What my boy says.”
Bud muttered under his breath as he went to the open door and leaned around the jamb. “Steph. Get in here.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Adrian was having his picture taken standing between Real Bud and Cutout Bud, the Mini Cooper was out front in the open air, and Eddie was holding the key while petting the Charger’s hood. As he tried on for size what it would be like to get behind the muscle car’s wheel and drive off, he eyed the plate glass window that ran down the facade of the showroom. He imagined that the shower of shards would fall like diamonds, gleaming and sparkling as they hit the checkerboard floor and scattered in their liberation.
“Well, you get your friend to c’mon back for that Charger!” Bud exclaimed as he clapped his hands. “Mabel over there needs her exercise, doncha, Mabel.”
Over at her desk, Mabel nodded and pumped an elderly grip like she was honking the horn of a mobility scooter.
Bud leaned in and lowered his voice. “She’s an important member of the team.”
“For sure,” Ad said as he stuck his palm out. “Thanks, Bud.”
“No, thank you.”
Adrian started for the door like he was a politician, raising a wave to the plaid salesmen, nodding at Mabel, pounding his pec and flashing the peace sign to an oil-smudged mechanic in the corner. Eddie just walked out the side door and shook his head at the Mini Cooper. The thing had tires the size of bagels and a back hatch with all the room of a carry-on bag—
“Thank you so much.”
Eddie glanced over his shoulder. Stephanie Anne Kowalski—thirty-four, married, two kids, husband up on drunk driving charges, mother in a nursing home after a stroke, primary residence teetering on the verge of foreclosure—had come out of the dealership, and as she approached him, her hands came together at her sternum, as if she were praying.
“I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate…” Her words trailed off as her brown eyes focused on something just over his head. As her stare grew wondrous, she made the sign of the cross over her heart. “You’re an angel.”
He smiled at her gently and ignored the adoration. “You were the one who approached us. It’s only fair—”
“You have a halo.”
Eddie frowned. “No, I don’t.”
Her head slowly turned to Adrian, who had paused with one leg in the Mini. With a shaking forefinger, she pointed in his direction.
“He’s an angel, too,” she breathed, an expression of awe rejuvenating her.
Eddie glanced in the direction of his best friend. Nothing was showing anywhere around the guy—but in any event, a human shouldn’t have sensed it even if Ad wasn’t camo’ing his essence.
Time to get out of here. “Goodbye, Stephanie, you take care now—”
The grip on his forearm wasn’t strong, but the contact arrested him, a strange sizzle shooting into his bones and coursing throughout his body.
As he looked at the woman… the features of her face disappeared, the broken glasses, the eyes, nose, and mouth, smudging out, nothing but a flesh-colored, oval void left where they had been. And then came the voice.
It was nothing that Eddie had ever heard before, a sweet singing soprano as well as a deep resonant alto, the syllables weaving in and out of a harmony that struck him in the chest.
Great Bear Mountain.