Page 12 of Medusa's Revenge

“Now, care to explain that this guy came to the shop today?” I pull out a gun, another knife, a piece of paper with my code, and a picture of what I look like.

“Three guys came to me to give me the same spiel as usual. Sell to us now while you still have customers and a name before we run you out of town. It sounded so stupid and old school gangster.”

“Do you think Noah had anything to do with it? He started today, and this is the first time they have shown up.”

“This isn’t the first and won’t be the last. I’m not giving in. Noah had my back if I needed it. He stood in the doorway to the garage, hidden, but I saw him. He’s not a bad guy. He helped me out and stayed about two hours later to get a car I had trouble with.” I stare at the paper with the handwriting.

“Does this look familiar?” I ask him. He nods, then turns the phone to me. Michelle’s name. “Is this Lucas?”

“I don’t know, but do you think Lucas is part of the DeMarcos organization?” I stand quickly, getting dizzy. I put my hand on my head.

“Got up too fast,” I tell TJ as he reaches for me. “If Lucas is a part of the DeMarcos, did he choose her for a reason, or did he not know until later?” He shrugs. I hear a couple of car doors slamming and motorcycles in the distance. What surprises me the most is Noah walking in with Arthur.

Chapter Ten

Noah

After trying to talk to Sally, I saw a knock on my door. I open it to see Arthur standing there with his hands in his pocket with an annoyed look on his face.

“Can I come in?” He sighs as he looks back to Sally’s place. She complained about me. I open the door and walk into the living room. “Thanks. This shouldn’t take too long.”

“Did Sally complain to you?” Arthur nods. “There was arguing between her and two male voices. I got concerned. I won’t promise it won’t happen again. I’m not built that way.”

“I understand that, and I’m like that too, but you can’t help someone who doesn’t want it.” His phone buzzes. He pulls it out and curses. “I need to go. Amelia had some trouble tonight.”

“Give me a minute, and I’ll go with you,” I tell him as I throw on my sneakers. After the run-in with Sally, I put on some sweats because I knew I couldn’t fall asleep yet. I kept going over it in my head. Was there something I should’ve done differently? Did I come on too strong? Should I have stayed quiet? So many thoughts.

“Why?” Arthur’s question stops me as I stand straight up.

“She’s my boss’s sister, for one, and for two, something about her intrigues me. I need to know more. I can’t explain it.” He looks me over before nodding. I follow him to his car and slide into the front. ”Do you know what kind of trouble we’re looking at?”

“Knowing her, it’s probably a dead body.” I turn to him to stare at him. “Hey, I’m sure TJ told you about the motorcycle club. It’s not just a bunch of women riding bikes. There’s lots of guns, booze, sex, and fighting. Sometimes that comes with dead bodies. If you can’t handle that, I can let you out now.”

“It’s a good thing I’m a lawyer. Lawyer, client confidentiality.” I smirk. “Besides, I like TJ. He’s a good guy. Amelia is his sister, so she needs to be protected too.” We drive in silence as I take in the difference of neighborhoods. We went from downtown to a community where many houses were boarded up. We pass through there quickly and get to a more affluent neighborhood. It’s not precisely screaming rich like I grew up in, but it is compared to the homes we just drove through. Arthur rolls his window down and punches in the code. Once he’s finished, the gate opens, and when there’s enough room for the old Oldsmobile, he moves forward. I whistle at the house.

“Amelia had a dream house when she was growing up. She drove the architect crazy with every detail. It had to be right.” He chuckles. He speaks of her with such fondness, almost fatherly.

“How long have you known Amelia and TJ?” I ask as we are getting out of the car.

“Over twenty years. We all grew up on the same block.” I followed him into the house. I looked around and loved the feeling of home when I first walked in.

“What the fuck is he doing here, Smitty?” I hear Amelia’s voice go hard.

“I was with him when I got your text, and he was concerned. I wasn’t going to say no. He’s also a lawyer, so all that confidentiality bullshit applies.” TJ comes over and shakes my hand. I see the guy’s face then look at my boss.

“He’s from earlier today. He’s the one who was in your face.” TJ nods. My eyes finally connect with Amelia’s, and I see red. “Did he hit you, Merida?” I step over to her, taking my hands to cup her face. “Did this fucker hurt you?”

“It’s just a little bruise. It’s better than being dead. I’m fine.” Her voice shakes.

“I’m assuming you called your girls.” She nods. “Let’s get some ice for your cheek and get you out of the center of attention for a few. You’re shaking, which is adrenaline or shock.” Amelia stares into my eyes and nods. “Lead the way.”

“Thanks, man.” TJ claps my shoulder. “I’ll bring Smitty up on things here.” She leads me to the kitchen. I stop, grab her by the waist, and put her on the counter.

“You stay there and let me do the work,” I smirk at her.

“Why are you here?” She crosses her arms, pushing her boobs up, and I can’t take my eyes off them until she clears her throat. “Really?” I chuckle.

“Sorry, I get easily distracted with your body. You can’t blame me.” I search her freezer for an ice pack. But all I can find arefrozen veggies, pizza, and something freezer-burned. I grab the peas. I place it on her cheek. “Arthur was in my apartment when he got the text from you. I was concerned. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

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