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 gypsy should you end up a slab of meat at the morgue.”
“I’m thirsty. I need a beer. You? What’s your poison, amant?”
“Call the gypsy and warn him off. Tell him—”
“His name is Saber Lazie, and Cookie will be fine as long as she doesn’t do anything stupid. It takes a lot to piss Lazie off.”
Mama would be too afraid to do something stupid, Casmir thought. Still…
“He better not lay a finger on her or he’ll be wearing another piercing. Only this hole will be bigger. Straight through his chest.”
“Somehow I believe you would do it.”
“The first intelligent thought you’ve had all day. You don’t have to fight Parnel. We could leave now, and—”
“We? You’ve changed your mind about calling Polax and bailing?”
She hadn’t, but he didn’t need to know that. “Maybe. It all depends on you and how quickly we can get out of here. Shall we go?”
“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t fight for my amant? If I ran like a tcheue?”
“No one here would think you’re a chicken, Fourtier. You look more like a snake. And you’re not my boyfriend. I only said that to get Parnel to back off.”
“And did he…get off your back?”
“Not right away. He needed a bit more persuasion. But in the end—”
“So you shoved your gun up his nose and told him to eat it, didn’t you?”
“Stomach, and only after he insulted me. I wouldn’t have had to get nasty if he’d known when to walk away. Why does every man think that a woman is just supposed to roll over and drool when he snaps his fingers?”
“Not every man. I like my women moaning, not drooling. Not as messy, and better for the ego.”
“A bodyguard with a sense of humor. Who would have thought a snake would have a funny side? They’re so one-dimensional.”
“This snake is a barrel of fun once you get to know me.”
“No, thanks.”
Grinning, he headed for the bar. Over his shoulder, he said, “Coming?”
Scowling at him, Casmir followed and slid onto a bar stool. She had expected him to do the same, but he stepped behind the bar and slapped the man tending customers on the back.
“How’s it going, Lute?”
“I never expected to see you back here, Pierce. You come to visit Lazie?”
“Something like that. I’ll wait on the lady.”
The bartender nodded. “Sure, mon ami. You know your way around. Nuttin’s changed.”
“Sometimes that’s a good thing.”
“Oui. Like a steady paycheck and sex twice a week with my old lady. Always look forward to Tuesdays and Fridays. A man’s routine is his best friend.”
The man named Lute gave Casmir a sweet grin before he moved to the end of the bar to wait on another thirsty customer. She dismissed the short little man with shaggy brown hair, and focused on Pierce Fourtier.
“Now then, tite chatte, you want a real drink, or something pretty?”
“I don’t think I should be drinking.”
“Does that mean you can’t handle your liquor?”
“I can handle whatever you throw my way. I could drink you under the table if necessary.”
His reaction to her boast was another healthy chuckle. She noticed straight white teeth, and mentally listed them under fit body, nice nose and clear complexion. Okay, so she’d noticed his nice skin, along with a pair of soul-deep brown eyes.
“We’ll have to settle that one of these nights. See
