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stare she turned on was ample answer.
    “You got a reference?” He looked uneasy now. Uncertain whether to provide the requested service, not quite sure he wanted to risk turning her down. California gun laws were some of the strictest in the nation, including a ten-day waiting period to buy a firearm. His guardedness was understandable.
    She plopped her handbag on the counter. “You see this Louis Vuitton? Three grand.” She held up her right hand. “You don’t even want to know what this Rolex set me back.”
    He didn’t look impressed or convinced.
    “I have money to spend, my friend, a lot of money. Now, are we going to do business or do I need to go to the next block?”
    He sent an anxious look at the door. “You could be a cop.”
    “Please.” She grabbed her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder. “I don’t have time for this shit. Show me what you’ve got.”
    Another glance at the door. “I’ll have to lock up and you’ll have to go in the back with me.”
    “No way. Give me a description of your inventory. Better yet, I’ll tell you what I want. You can bring it out to me in this bag.” She reached into her handbag and retrieved the carefully folded shopping bag.
    The owner made a choking sound that might have been a laugh. “You want me to fill your Neiman Marcus bag with guns?”
    “Do you have a problem with that?”
    All signs of amusement disappeared. “How do I know you have cash?”
    She took the wad of cash she had in the right pocket of her jeans and smacked it onto the counter. “I need ammo for my 9mm Beretta. Binoculars, a hunting knife and maybe a .32 for backup. Oh, and I’ll need some metal handcuffs if you have them.”
    He nodded, still a little uncomfortable with the transaction. “Need any night vision?”
    Her spirits lifted. Definitely. “How much?”
    “Three more on top of what’s on the counter and I’ll set you up with everything you’ve asked for.”
    Left-pocket contents as well as what was in her handbag joined the twenties on the counter. “That’s as good as it gets.” She’d just dropped nearly four grand on his battered counter. He’d have to be happy with that.
    All signs of uneasiness were gone now, replaced by greed and hunger. He reached for the cash as well as her shopping bag. “Three minutes is all I’ll need.”
    She held on to the bag a moment before letting it go. “Three minutes is all you’ll have if you try to fuck with me.” The tone was all Sheara…one she hadn’t used in a very long time.
    The owner nodded and rushed to the back of his shop, the Neiman Marcus bag in hand.
    Olivia moved to the door and checked on Jeffrey. No one appeared to have approached the SUV.
    Once they were out of this town she would breathe a lot easier.
    In less time than he’d proposed, the shop owner returned from his pilgrimage to the back of the store. He’d hardly made a sound, but she’d heard him. Her old instincts weren’t gone for good.
    “Everything you asked for.” Careful to support the bottom of the bag, he settled it onto the counter. “You should take your stuff and go. Now. ”
    She approached the counter. “As soon as I’ve inspected everything.”
    The muscles of his throat worked as he struggled to swallow. “Suit yourself.”
    The .32 was brand-new. Plenty of ammo. Binoculars, good ones. The handcuffs jingled as she picked them up. “Keys?”
    He nodded. “In the bag. Seriously, lady, you gotta get outta here.”
    “In a minute.” She dropped the cuffs into the sack and reached for the coup de grâce, the night vision. Military. Seriously illegal but the best on the market.
    “Excellent.” She hefted the bag into her arms.
    Neither of them spoke as she exited the shop. No “come again” or “thanks for shopping with us” followed her out the door. But she hadn’t expected either.
    She hit the remote unlock button and deposited her purchases on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat.
    “I was beginning to get