Page 3 of Ready to Cash Out

“Catch? Catch what?”

“What’s the catch?”

“There’s not a catch. You just go do your thing, and I credit you six months rent.”

“Where and which thing exactly?”

“You know which damn thing.”

“Where?”

“Down at the Cannery,” she said. “You know it, yeah?”

“Yup.”

The Cannery was the sort of place where guests could purchase intimate company for the evening. In special and very desirable cases, guests would even bid on the right to enjoy said company. People wore suits and ties, the security was tight, and it was all around a pretty fancy spot.

Trev hated it.

As an entertainer who was usually placed in an auction, he knew from experience that he could only keep a small percentage of the winning bid. It also meant he would have zero control over who he would be entertaining because it was decided by whoever had the biggest wallet. In Trev’s experience, the more money a man had, the nastier they tended to be. It was one of the many reasons Trev had quit the escort service, and he was suspicious of Camille’s job offer immediately.

This didn’t make any sense.

Why would Camille be willing to give up six months worth of rent to help out her friend of a friend?

“Who do you know down there?” Trev asked. “Hmm?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Just doesn’t seem like your kinda place. Are you friends with Bob?”

“Yeah, sure.” Camille nodded earnestly. “It’s for Bob.”

“Trick question,” Trev sneered. “There is no one named Bob at the Cannery. Let’s try this again.” He slurped the last of his coffee noisily. “Who do you know down at the Cannery?”

“Smart little shit.”

“Guilty.”

“All right, look.” Camille sighed. “I can’t tell you who it is, but I can tell you they’re in trouble with the Luchesis, okay?”

Trev flinched.

That was the mafia family who ran Perry City.

“They wanna make some important member of the family real happy, and they described his type.” Camille gestured to Trev. “You’re it. They told me that you used to do your thing down there, wished you still did ’cause you were so good, blah blah blah, and what do you know? He’s telling me all this, and you live right here in my building.”

Trev narrowed his eyes. He didn’t trust a coincidence, not with this much money on the line, and he said immediately, “Six months. In writing. And that had better include sewage and trash too.”

“You got it.” Camille flashed a toothy smile. “I’ll even notarize it for you.”

“You’re serious.” Trev frowned. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Hmm. Must be some friend for you to care so much.”

“The best of friends.” Camille blew out a puff of smoke. “You’ll understand one day when you have some.”

---