Read Off the Edge (The Associates) for Free Online Page B

of wrappers, that’s nothing, don’t you think?”
    She felt like bursting into laughter. It was as if she’d put a message into a bottle and cast it into the ocean, thinking that was the end of the conversation.
    “I go by there all the time,” she said. “If there was a dragon there I would know about it.”
    “It’s not obvious.”
    “I would’ve seen it. You’re getting your streets mixed up.”
    And then he put out his hand, strong and golden like him. “A thousand bhat.”
    Around thirty bucks.
    She could touch him now. She very much wanted to touch him. It was the craziest thing.
    His lips formed a hint of a smile and he watched her with those blue-gray eyes so full of knowing and humor; the way he looked at her, it made her feel special. It made her feel seen . “Are you frightened, little dragon?”
    Heat rushed to her face.
    Little dragon. She fought to keep her expression neutral. So he had gotten it all—even that she felt lost and walled in like the dragons. It was sexy and scary, and she wanted him to say more things like that to her, and suddenly she felt less lost, less walled in.
    Less alone.
    And suddenly she was putting out her hand. “An easy thousand bhat.”
    He took it and squeezed. A shiver of excitement flowed clear through her.
    “We’re not just betting that it’s a dragon,” she said. “It has to be the best ruined dragon.”
    “I understand.”
    “Meaning I’ve got to be able to see it from the street and admit it’s the best.”
    He let her hand go with a nod. “Full surrender or nothing.”
    Twinges curled through her belly. Had he meant that sexy? Because she sure heard it sexy. Her whole body heard it sexy. She swallowed. “How do we prove it?”
    “I tend to go with visual confirmation in circumstances like these.”
    “Meaning go look? Like right now?”
    He tilted his head, all playful confidence, and something in her longed to rise up and meet him there. She didn’t know the first thing about him, but he got the dragon thing. He’d connected . It made him feel familiar from the inside out. You didn’t need a man’s name when you had a feel for the inside of him.
    He said, “You can buy yourself something if you win. You won’t win, of course, but you can tell yourself that for now.”
    “You are so full of it.” She smiled, full of such a crazy, good feeling. Maybe she could trust this good feeling. And what the hell, the all-night market was a safe place. She’d wear her hat. She’d bring her Ruger. She needed to go anyway—to pick up a backpack. If she was going to be mobile, she needed to have a backpack with essentials ready to go. She’d be less noticeable shopping with this guy alongside.
    She narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”
    “We’ll take a tuk-tuk. I’ll carry your things—they look heavy.”
    She slid her gaze over to see Dok Shinsurin, who was watching her from behind the courtyard bar. Crap . “Let me put it in my room.”
    “You stay here? At the hotel?” He sounded surprised.
    “Yeah,” she said.
    He took hold of her computer bag. “May I help?”
    “No, please.” She took it from him. “Meet me out in front in five minutes. Outside the doors.” Her stuff felt light as she picked it up. She felt light. He seemed to not want her to go.
    “Five minutes.” With that she walked off.
    Niwat Shinsurin, the most rational of the Shinsurin brothers, had joined hothead Dok by the bar. She walked over and gave the formal Thai greeting of a woman, “ Sawadee Kha .” She loved saying it, loved the music of it. “Did Rajini mention about my passport?” she asked Niwat. “I’m getting itchy without one. I know you have a lot on your plate, but I’m feeling like it’s reckless that I don’t have one. I should be prepared for anything, you know?”
    “ Passpoto! Pom Khortot Khap, ” Niwat apologized. “You asked for that months ago.”
    Yes, she had. The Shinsurin brothers were usually more up on things. “And you have my hotel