Today’s excerpt is from Assassin
I Am, a standalone book featuring new hero Fred Dupree. After his plane is blown up, Fred brings his
new friend, Rosemary, home with him to his hideout near Sedona, Arizona. Since her clothing was lost when the plane
was attacked, Fred offers to take her to town for some shopping. Enjoy and have a great day.
m.j.
On the drive
back to the highway, Fred gave Rosemary careful instructions and pointed out
landmarks she could use to find her way.
She just followed his instructions, not telling him she could find her
way already. When they reached Sedona,
Fred directed her to a place to park that was convenient for most of the
shopping she would do. They went into a
small store selling mostly women’s clothing.
The sales clerk offered to help, as Rosemary explained her luggage had
been ‘lost’ and she would need several items.
When the clerk offered a few suggestions and took a blouse off a rack,
Fred crinkled up his face in obvious disapproval.
On the flight
from Scott Air Force Base, Fred had asked the airman for an ice pack Rosemary
could use on her swelling lip and darkening eye, but both still showed signs of
damage—especially the eye, which was becoming “a full and proper black eye”, as
Fred had put it during idle conversation over breakfast.
Rosemary and the
clerk had both noticed Fred’s distain at the item shown to Rosemary. While Rosemary didn’t much care for it
either, she looked it over and muttered to the sales girl, “I sorta like this,
even if the guy who gave me the fat lip and black eye doesn’t much
approve. But not wanting further damage
to my body, I guess I’ll pass.”
Fred sighed,
grunted, and growled, “I get the message.
About four doors down is a bar and restaurant. I’m going for a drink…or three, since I have
a chauffeur. See you later.”
As he started to
walk off, he stopped, took out his wallet, and extracted a credit card. He handed it to Rosemary. “Since I’m such a brute, I may was well pay. See ya.”
Rosemary was
laughing as he walked away and, after he was out of the building, she explained
to the salesgirl that Fred hadn’t been the one who hit her, before she added,
“Actually he saved me from the guy who did.
He was…is…a rapist and murderer, and was in the process of kidnapping me
when Fred arrived on the scene and saved my bacon. How I come to have no clothes is another
story—one best left alone for now, I guess.
Anyhow, I only said that about Fred hitting me to get rid of him, so I
could shop in peace.”
Both women were
laughing about that when Fred walked back in and summoned Rosemary by wagging
his finger. She walked over to him and
he whispered his pin number into her ear, then added, “The card is a
debit/credit card. Use it either
way…doesn’t matter. But if you use it as
a credit card, just sign my name.” As he
turned to leave, he stopped and told her how to spell Dupree. Having done that, he sighed and left after
telling her the pin number to the card.
While Rosemary
went about her shopping, from time to time she would stop and load up the SUV
with her purchases. When she finally
walked into the restaurant and up to Fred, he was about halfway through a steak
lunch he had ordered—and had just ordered his third drink. He glanced up at her and asked, “You want a
steak?”
“Yes—but I’m not
finished shopping yet.”
“Of course you
aren’t…you’re a woman. A beautiful,
well-put-together woman—but still a woman.”
“Thanks for the
‘beautiful’. How about ordering me a
steak and drink? I’ll be right back…I
gotta pee.”
“How elegant—but
your steak and drink will be ordered by the time you get back.”
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