her lips, which was as close as she came to expressing her
opinion of bodyguards who let their principal come to Perv
unescorted, then she continued with the subject at hand.
“Good. That means you already know the basic drill.
The way I work, I go where you go and sleep where you
sleep. I go through any door ahead of you unless I’m cov-
ering your exit, and I taste everything before you put it in
your mouth. Clear?”
“I don’t think you have to worry about poison on this
one,” Edvick said, “just muggers and …”
She cut him off with a glance.
“If he pays for the full treatment, he gets the full treat-
ment. Clear, Skeeve?”
“On covering my exit . . . how do we handle it if we
don’t know what’s on the other side of the door?”
I was thinking of how I got mousetrapped sneaking out
of the last bar I was in.
“I cover you as far as the door, then you stand beside
me while I check the exit. If there’s trouble, I’ll tell you
which way to move . . . in or out.”
“Clear.”
“Any other questions?”
“Just if you’ll be available for anywhere from a few days
to a week, “I said. “If so, I’d like to retain your services.”
“Don’t you want to know what I charge?”
I shrugged. “Why? I’m impressed. I’m ready to pay
whatever it costs.” I paused, then smiled. “Besides, you
don’t strike me as the type to either up the cost for a well-
heeled client or to haggle over prices.”
That earned me a brief, flat stare.
“I’ll take the job,” she said finally. “And you’re right. I
don’t haggle or pad the bill. Those are two of my more
endearing traits.”