Paint It Black by Michelle Perry Page B

turned around in a bank parking lot and headed toward the office.
    “Hey, kiddo. I need to run by the office a sec. That okay with you?”
    She smiled at me in the rearview mirror. “Will Uncle Bill be there?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe.”
    It was snowing again by the time we reached the DEA headquarters. Abby raced up the sidewalk with her head tilted back, catching snowflakes on her tongue. Ubi strode out the door, but caught it on the backswing and held it open for us.
    He stooped to peer at Abby. “Necie, you’ve shrunk!”
    She giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.
    He winked up at me. “Oh, there you are. This must be Abby.” He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    She yanked his arm violently up and down.
    He laughed. “Hey, hey! You’re a rough little thing like your mother, huh?”
    “Learned from the best,” I said. “I didn’t realize you two hadn’t met.”
    Ubi was the most recent addition to our team, but he’d fit right in. Sometimes I forgot he hadn’t always been around.
    “I would’ve known her anywhere.” He ruffled her hair. “I’m Ubi.”
    Abby giggled again. “Scooby?”
    He pretended to be offended. “Do I look like a Great Dane to you? Ubi.”
    Abby caught the teasing in his voice and said, “Hey, Scooby. Is my Uncle Bill up there?”
    Ubi rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah. He and Cougar are hashing it out.”
    I snagged the back of Abby’s coat to keep her from rushing inside without me. “Hashing what out?”
    “I don’t know, and I don’t wanna know. I took one look at Cougar’s face and headed in the other direction, you know what I mean?”
    “Yeah,” I said, thinking of the argument I’d be facing when I went home.
    When we reached the fifth floor, Bill’s office door was closed. I hustled Abby past it and down the hall to the locker room. I extracted the forty bucks from my locker and stuffed it in my pocket.
    “I want to see Uncle Bill,” Abby protested when I herded her past his office again.
    “Honey, I think he’s busy—”
    Bill’s door swung open, and Cougar collided with me when he charged out of the office. He grabbed my shoulders to steady me. His face was red, his brow furrowed.
    “Hey!” I said. “You okay?”
    “No, I’m not okay. I’m piss-tachio!” he said, when he saw Abby behind me.
    Abby lifted an eyebrow and I laughed. “He’s from Texas, honey. They talk funny there.”
    “Watch it!” he reprimanded, and knelt beside her. “Hey, Princess Abby. How’s it going? Long time, no see.”
    “Hi,” she said. Then she spied Bill through the doorway and darted around Cougar. “Uncle Bill! Uncle Bill!”
    “Abby!” he said, and held out his arms. She launched herself at him.
    “I’ve been dumped,” Cougar said, and stood.
    While Abby chattered at Bill, I elbowed Cougar and said, “So what are you pistachioed about?”
    The corner of his mouth quirked, then he shook his head. “Not here. What are you guys doing?”
    “Now? We were going out to dinner.”
    “Just you and Abby?”
    “Yeah.”
    Cougar glanced around the office and then back at me. “Mind if I tag along? I need to talk to you aboutsomething.”
    “Um, sure. I’ll give you fair warning, though. I already told Abby she could pick where we ate, and I can tell you right now it won’t be Subway.”
    Cougar scoffed. “Can’t be worse than any of the places you and Angel drag me into.”
    Half an hour later, he changed his tune.
    “Fat Daddy’s?” He squinted up at the neon sign. “You actually eat at a place called Fat Daddy’s?”
    I grinned and pocketed my keys. “You were warned.”
    A giant eagle in a green jersey greeted us at the door. Cougar winced, from the bright lights or the booming pop music, I wasn’t sure.
    “How many?” the eagle yelled.
    “Three,” I yelled back, and he motioned us forward with a giant wing. Children bounced around like popcorn in a popper. As we wandered deeper inside, the whiny boy-band voices were replaced