Paradise By The Rifle Sights (Greatest Hits romantic mysteries book #5) (Greatest Hits Mysteries) by Leslie Langtry

that.
    " Your grandmother is a friend of that pig?" Teri looked appalled.
    A normal person would 've defended his grandmother's honor. But my grandmother once killed a room full of Yakuza by herself using only a nail file and a jar of mayonnaise. She could defend herself.
    " I guess so." I feigned ignorance. "Why do you call him a pig?"
    Teri shook her head. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."
    " So, have you seen him around? I'd heard he likes to visit the set, but I haven't seen him."
    " I heard from Mel that Chuck had gone to his house in Bora Bora." She shrugged. "I really don't miss him. He was an asshole to the staff." She gave me a little smile, and I felt drawn to her. This woman didn't mince words. She called them as she saw them. It was intriguing. Why couldn't these contestants be more like her?
    Then I realized she 'd said Chuck was in Bora Bora. I really was stuck on this stupid program.
    " So," she said, filling in the silence, "what do you think of the ladies you have here?" Why did her questions put me on the spot? It was like going through a human lie detector. I felt vulnerable, and yet, I liked it. Teri could hold her own and call me out.
    " This isn't what I expected. Some of these women come on so strong. I don't want a woman to shove her tongue down my throat the first time she meets me."
    Teri snorted. "Yeah, right. They all say that. Every single one of the Bachelors. They all say they want to find something meaningful—then they sleep with half these bimbos and wonder why it never works out in the end."
    Well that hurt. "I don't know about the other guys, but I really mean it. How can you honestly pick out a soul mate from a random group of women?"
    Teri narrowed her eyes. "I'm trying to figure out if you really believe that."
    I stood up straight. "Of course I really mean it!" And I did too. So why didn't she see that?
    " Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes. "Look, I've got a lot of work to do before I go home and show up again tomorrow." Teri turned her back to me. "See you later."
    And that was it. This conversation was over. And it hadn't gone well.

CHAPTER TWELVE
     
    " Who shot him?" I asked.
    The grey man scratched the back of his neck and said: "Somebody with a gun."
    ~ Dashiell Hammett
     
     
    " Rise and shine, Paris!" Roberto's voice spoke somewhere above me.
    I opened my eyes to see my valet standing over me. "Everything hurts," I said. My whole body ached from the yoga session yesterday. In the background on the TV, Forrest Tucker was yelling at someone. Oh right. I was still in hell.
    The housekeeper brought in more boiled goat meat and pureed flowers. As soon as he left, Roberto produced a sausage and egg biscuit from his very expensive messenger bag. I devoured it, dumped the goat out the window, and somehow he managed to coax me to the yoga room.
    If yesterday was an experiment in the impossible, today was an experiment in pain. Just moving my limbs a fraction of an inch caused searing agony. And Dushyant not only didn't understand English, he also didn't understand my screams. Or he thought they were part of my breathing. All I know is I spent an hour begging for mercy from someone who didn't understand me.
    Roberto helped me up the stairs when we were through and somehow got my knees to bend to get into my mud bath. It helped, like the day before. But this time, he refused to give me any painkillers. I don't even remember getting out, showering, or dressing. If I hadn't woken up on the floor, soaking wet, I'd swear I drowned in the mud.
    We met Mel in the pool area. The women weren't there.
    " Today," he started, "you are going to take another group of three on a day date."
    I hoped I didn 't look too disappointed. I really wanted to try to find Teri and convince her I wasn't on the make. The idea that she felt that way had kept me up most of the night. All I saw in my mind, over and over, was her disapproval, and maybe a hint of disappointment. I went over lines I could've said that