Tall, Dark And Texan. Jane Sullivan

is the guy. He jumped bail on a burglary charge.”

      Wendy took the photo. “Are you sure he’ll be at the bar this early?”

      “My informant told me that he’s coming back today around noon for a game of pool. Grudge match. High stakes. He’ll be there.”

      “So why don’t the cops just pick him up?”

      “Too many bail jumpers, not enough time. That’s where I come in. Once a guy misses his court date, the bondsman can send somebody after him. I’m that somebody.”

      “So if this guy is wanted by the police, why is he hanging out in a public place?”

      “It’s what guys like him always do. They’ll change addresses, they’ll change jobs, but they’ll rarely change their routines. I’ve picked up guys everywhere from bowling alleys to pizza parlors to whorehouses. Anything they’ve done in the past few years, they’ll continue to do.”

      “That’s kinda stupid, isn’t it?”

      “Most criminals are.”

      “Why don’t you just go in there and grab him? You’ve got to be bigger than this guy. I mean, like, way bigger.”

      “Because that bar is friendly territory for him, enemy territory for me. I’ve found a lot of guys in this area. If I show my face inside, somebody might recognize me, and all hell is liable to break loose.”

      “Do you really think anyone is going to mess with you?”

      “Drunk lowlife? Yep. In a heartbeat. That’s chaos. I don’t like chaos. I like nice, calm apprehensions where nobody gets mad, nobody gets hurt, and nobody even realizes what’s going on except the guy who’s getting apprehended.”

      Wendy smiled. “Gee, that sounds kinda boring.”

      “Why? Because nobody’s hauling out weapons and firing at anything that moves? Fine, then. It’s boring. And I live to work another day.”

      “But what if somebody does pull a gun? You’re not even armed.”

      “Don’t bet on that.”

      She looked at his heavy coat, sweatshirt, jeans, boots. “I give up. Where’s the weapon?”

      “None of your business.”

      “Just wondering how lively this job is likely to get.”

      “Listen to me,” he said. “I’m always armed. Always. But in thirteen years I’ve never once fired a weapon and I’ve never been fired on. Do you know why that is?”

      “Why?”

      “Because I don’t take chances. And you’re not going to, either. You’re going to go into that bar, tell him you’ll take him to heaven for a hundred bucks, and get him out the door.”

      Her eyebrows shot up with surprise. “A hundred bucks? Is that all I’m worth?”

      Wolfe couldn’t resist. “I don’t know. Is it?”

      She leaned closer to him, her face easing into a smoldering expression, her voice becoming a deep, throaty purr. “No way, baby. I’m priceless.”

      She continued to stare at him, her dark brown eyes so hot and provocative that he felt a shot of pure lust. In the span of a few seconds, he saw himself ripping that tiny little skirt right off her, then digging through that hideous pile of toilet tissue to get to the really nice stuff underneath. And then—