Edge of Midnight (McClouds & Friends #4)(72)

“Forget it.” Miles’s scowl deepened. “I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend right now. In any case, I’m not doing favors for him.”

“Javier is twelve!” she snapped. “He’s one of my students. I want to make him a decent audition tape. He’s applying to the All-Star Young Artists Jazz Program, and he needs a scholarship to—”

“Bring out the violins.” Miles clapped the towel over his face, giving her another chance to ogle his awesome body. Those biceps were to die for. She wanted to palpate them so bad, her fingers twitched.

“I’m out of the business of doing sound for free,” Miles went on. “I spend all my time doing favors for my musician friends. That’s why I’m broke. I’ve got to draw the line somewhere, so here it is. Don’t cross it.”

“Please?” she wheedled. “I know you think I’m pond scum, but this isn’t about me at all. Javier’s a great kid. His uncle Bolivar is the janitor up at the Colfax building, and I’ve been giving him lessons for free for almost a year now. His dad’s in jail, and his mother—”

“I don’t want to hear about his mother,” Miles cut in. “I don’t want to hear about her working double shifts in the factory to put food on the table, and poor Tiny Tim with his crutch in the corner. I do not care.”

“It’ll take you a half an hour,” Cindy coaxed. “We’ll come to your house any time it’s convenient—as long as it’s before the post office closes tomorrow. Javier’s a really great kid. He deserves a break.”

“Who’s going to give me a break?” Miles’s voice was plaintive.

“Well. Since you mention it.” Cindy crossed her arms over her belly, pressing down on her nervous flutter. “That brings me to another thing. What do you intend to do when Mindmeld wants to meet Mina?”

Miles’s face darkened. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. And it’s none of your damn business, anyway.”

Cindy rocked back, unnerved by the anger blazing out of Miles’s brown eyes. “Well, I got to thinking last night about how the physical profile sounds, um, a lot like me.”

“Goddamnit, Cin, I told you—”

“Shh! Just hear me out!” She held up both hands. “I thought that if you needed to set up a real meeting, you could use me.”

Miles blinked at her. “Use you,” he repeated.

“Yeah!” She gave him a bright, encouraging smile. “As bait, you know? It’s, like, perfect. I’d be more than willing to help.”

He was dead silent for almost a minute, his blood streaked mouth dangling open. “Are you f*cking nuts?” he finally exploded.

Cindy jerked, startled at his vehemence. “Ah…”

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be? Did it occur to you that we’re talking about a serial killer?”

“Uh, yes,” she said cautiously. “So? People take risks to catch guys like that, right? Why not me? I just thought—”

“Don’t think, Cin,” he snarled. “We’d all be better off.”

“I still think it’s a good idea,” she muttered, defensive.

“It’s not a good idea. It sucks. And I don’t know any polite way to tell you this, but I’ve been making like a physics whiz. Dazzling this guy with Mina’s brain. That’s what this * gets hot for. Understand?”

She put her hands over the hot red spots flaring in her face. “So what you’re saying is that I’m not smart enough?”

Miles looked pained. “You said it, Cin. Not me. You play a mean saxophone. I talk shop about acoustic physics. We all have our gifts.”

“Oh, shut up,” she said, through the snot bubbling in her nose. “Don’t condescend to me. How smart can these geeks be? They’re dumb enough to get nabbed, aren’t they? And when it comes to getting mixed up with the wrong kind of guy, I’m, like, unbeatable.”

“Do not mention this to anybody.” Miles’s voice had a steely tone.

“Oh, no. Don’t worry. I understand,” she babbled, through her tears. “God forbid that Connor and his brothers should find out that you talked about their big manly business to a fluff like me.”

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Cin. It’s a really bad habit.”

“Don’t lecture me!” she shot back. “You’re not my friend anymore, so you no longer have the right.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, sniffing angrily. “OK, never mind me and my dumb ideas. I’ll just hire you to do Javier’s tape. How much do you want?”

Miles groaned, beneath his breath. “Cut it out, Cin.”

“No, really. I’ve got some money saved. Quote me your hourly rate. Just don’t tell Javier, because he’d be really embarrassed.”

“I’m not going to let you jerk me around,” Miles said.

“I’m not jerking you around!” she yelled. “God, what do I have to do to persuade you? What do you want from me, a blow job?”

The next fraction of a second was very weird. One moment she was standing there blubbering. The next, her back was flat against the wall, with Miles’s surprisingly hard body holding her there.