Five o’clock slowly rolled around, and the partners headed for Nicco’s apartment with two pizzas.
“Alex?” Nicco called when they walked in. He shut the door with his foot.
“Yeah! Just a sec!” a voice called from the bathroom. Rider put the pizzas in the kitchen and got some beer out of the refrigerator while Nicco threw his keys on the table and took off his jacket and gun holster.
After a moment, Ben’s friend appeared from around the corner. Tall, lean, and muscled, he was the quintessential surfer-boy.
“Hey,” Alex extended his hand. “You must be Nicco.” He looked over at Rider, “because you don’t look a thing like Benny.”
Nicco and Rider both chuckled and shook Alex’s hand in turn.
“I really appreciate you putting me up for a couple of nights,” Alex said amicably, taking the beer R
