It was supposed to be simple. All struggling actor Carlo Baresi had to do was pick a man up, drive him to the location he specified, then report where he’d taken him. The only problem is, the man isn’t who he says he is ... and they both know it. Bookstore owner Joe Donnelly has a reputation for helping those in need, but this plan has been a bad one from the second he stepped in. Discovering someone has switched out the driver is one more complication he doesn’t want, especially since Carlo is the kind of distraction that can get a man in serious trouble if he’s not careful. But they have something in common. They’re both loose ends, struggling to find out what is really going on. And murder is always complicated, even when you’re on the same side.

The Low Between

Mentally, Joe cursed. He didn’t have time to be coddling Carlo, but if he didn’t give him blow-by-blow instructions, the kid would probably find some way to muck it all up. “Find a way to get back to my store and wait for me.” It was better than sending the kid home. Until Joe understood how far this Stout reached, he needed to keep Carlo’s family safe, too. Men like Stout didn’t care who they hurt when they were double-crossed.


He left the door open for Carlo to get back behind the wheel, grateful when he took care shutting it once Joe started down the alley. It might be an unnecessary precaution. The building could be as deserted as it looked.


Chapter 7