Flirtinis with Flappers Read Online Free Page B

very best…assassins," Man in Black #2 quipped back wryly. The other two men turned to stare at him, evidently unappreciative of his attempt at humor. "Uh, anyway, Bugs and his men were supposed to meet a truck on Clark Street, to obtain a shipment of bootleg whiskey from Canada. McGurn's men dressed as police, made like it was a bust, then killed seven men. But Bugs overslept, and so they missed their real target."
    "Before this, the Time Warriors have simply been time tourists," Man in Black #3 spoke up. "Sure, they interfered in a few things here and there, but they never changed big historical events." He cleared his throat.   "This time is different. This time we believe Nick Fitzgerald is planning on waking Bugs up on time so that he'll get whacked as well. And since something like that could completely wreak havoc on history, we need someone to stop him."
    "Right. And you think that 'someone' should be me," I concluded.
    The four men nodded in perfect unison.
    "No." I shook my head.
    "No?"
    "Is that word not part of your FBI vocabulary?" I asked. "First of all, even if what you're saying is true and I'm not in some weirdo reality show, I am way too busy to go back in time. I've got a story on the air tonight, and I haven't found anyone to interview for it. The rest of my week—" I fished in my purse for my phone and opened my calendar app. "—is completely booked. As is the rest of my month. So I have absolutely no time to play your little reindeer time-travel games." I stuffed the phone back in my purse. "Secondly, what makes you think I could stop Nick Fitzgerald from doing this anyway? Even when we were dating, he'd never ever listen to a word I said. It's safe to assume he's not going to start now."
    "Ms. Duncan—"
    I rose from my seat, nodding to each man in turn. "Thank you for inviting me and telling me about your little time machine. It's fascinating stuff, really, and when you're ready to release it to the media, definitely fax me a press release. But for now, I must be on my way. Unless—" I smiled sweetly. "—any of you would like to tell me how you're too stressed for sex?"
    Two of the men shot each other uncomfortable looks, leading me to believe that perhaps I wasn't too far off the mark with my question. But neither seemed too interested in confessing, which was really fine, considering I didn't have a camera with me to record it all anyway.
    "Ms. Duncan," Man in Black #1 said, "we understand your busy schedule and that this request might be seen as a bit inconvenient. But I don't think you grasp the severe implications of this scenario."
    Against my better judgment, I paused at the door.
    "If Nick Fitzgerald is not stopped, he will alter history forever. The world as we know it will cease to exist, and we will spiral off into some parallel universe. Quite simply, the future of the world rests in your hands."
    My shoulders slumped. Sheesh, talk about laying on the guilt! These guys were better than my Catholic grandmother. And she was the master. "I'm sorry. I'm not really the save-the-world type," I argued, my defenses already crumbling. "Not anymore."
    "Look, Ms. Duncan, we know what Nick did to you back in Iraq. And we understand why facing him would be a somewhat…undesirable situation. But think about the damage he could do. Not just to you this time but to the entire world."
    I turned around slowly. What else could I do? Even though this whole thing seemed so ridiculous, I couldn't exactly refuse to save the world—could I? Especially from Nick the Prick.
    I drew in a breath. "Fine. What is it you need me to do?"
    "Sit down, Ms. Duncan," Man in Black #2 said with a wide smile, looking far too smug for my liking. "We'll brief you on your mission."
    They blabbed on forever, but here's the gist: they could send me back in time but not as myself. Not as Dora. No, instead I had to basically body snatch someone who already existed in 1929. For this mission, they had chosen Louise Rolfe,