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Max, apparently oblivious to Brent’s assesslanced at his watch "Hell, not coffee It’s well past cocktail hour Let’s have a drink On ot my car, so we’ll head back into the Quarter, if that’s all right with you two?"

Nikki shrugged, frowning as she watched Brent She see as he looked back at her "Fine with ; Nikki did the same

Brent held back for a few seconds He touched the toia

And he noticed the flowers that soht Nikki?

"Brent?" Nikki had turned back

He sht with you"

Max’s car was a Lexus The inside was clean--a surprise, since the outside of the car looked as if he had been driving through a swaized "I had her down to the bayou country I was hed "Max, it looks as if you took the car straight into the bayou"

Nikki sat in front; Brent in the rear Max was a good driver He dexterously made a U-turn to head back to the Vieux Carré

He caught Brent’s eyes in the rearview islation to stay afloat We’re shipping in foreign-caught, frozen shrimp, and fao down if nes aren’t passed And the thing is, fresh shriht in our oaters, taste better That’s why you get soht here in New Orleans The thing is, I think folks would be furious about what’s going on and they’d change things themselves if they were a bit more educated If restaurants had to tell theht you were in Colorado," Nikki said, hted that you’re fighting for the shrimpers"

"What’s the deal with the politicians?" Brent asked

Max flashed hied "Who really knows? I’ll say this, Harold Grant has done a lot of work for the industry, but… not enough Billy Banks claiet done when he’s in office Are you a local?"

"Yes, and no," Brent told hi back They had reached the Vieux Carré

"Oh asped suddenly

"What?" both ot him?"

"He was in the ce out her cell phone Just as she did so, it rang

"Julian?" Nikki said

He and Max could vaguely hear the agitated sound of Julian’s voice Then Nikki said, "Okay, okay… okay… okay"

She clicked the phone closed and looked at Max "Can we take a run back to the cehed, and turned the car around

"We have a , because Max is back," she said

"We do?" Max asked

She frowned at him "Please?"

"Sure I’m a vicious boss, huh?"

"For today," Nikki said

"Are you two speaking another language?" Brent asked

Nikki turned, grinning "Julian got hiled too quickly His sudden roommate found him in the ce"

"Ah," Brent ates Susan had her arh his

Julian quickly introduced her to Max and Brent As soon as they reached her hotel, Julian saw her out, disentangled hiain and said, "Max, step on it"

Making a tsking sound in his throat, Max did so

Julian leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes Then they flew open again "Nikki, how could you do that to me?"

"Julian, I didn’t knohere you were"

"But you didn’t look for me"

"Honestly, Julian, I’m so sorry Max showed up, and then Brent came and nearly decked Max, and--"

"What?" Julian said, puzzled

"I didn’t knoho he was," Brent explained "I thought he was hitting on Nikki"

"I wasn’t almost decked," Max protested