TWENTY-FOUR
“What you got there?” Strike asked, coming toward her across the convenience store parking lot.
Given that he didn’t need to sleep, he’d refused to stay in another motel the previous night and instead, had driven while she slept. Not even the promise of s*x could dissuade him from getting back to town for his business.
Rora was leaning against the hood of their car, her ankles crossed, her switchblade open. She held the end of the handle between two fingertips, dangling it in front of her to let it swing left to right. She nodded past him and he turned to see the group of gangbangers on the corner.
“They bothering you?” he asked and tossed her a bag of chips. “Get in the car.”
He turned around to start toward the g**g. She threw the chips and knife onto the front seat of t
