Page 41 of Strangers No More
I stared at her for a long while before sighing. “Tequila.”
“You must be the shy type.”
“No, I’m just not in the talking mood.”
“Mhm. So, what type of mood are you in?” she asked, rubbing her hands up my forearm.
The front door opened, and my attention shifted to the beauty walking through the door. Addison. Her brown eyes quickly did a search around the establishment before they landed on me. She took a small step towards me but hesitated. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but then I remembered the unwanted guest sitting next to me. Addison squared her shoulders and headed towards my booth.
“Good evening, Mr. Adalyn.” Addison announced as she finally approached.
“Addison. I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to show.”
Her eyebrows pinched together before she looked down at her watch. “Uh, I’m on time.”
“To be early is to be on time and to be on time is –”
“You are not about to quote Drumline to me, Dr. Lee.” She interrupted.
I chuckled before finishing my drink and standing up from the booth. “C’mon, let’s get started.”
A scoff echoed behind me. “Really? You’re just going to ignore me for that?”
I began to open my mouth when Addison beat me to it.
“Girl, please. There are plenty of other men in this bar for you to desperately throw yourself at until Mr. Adalyn returns.”
“Desperate? Bitch, men chase after me daily. Plus, look at me. Does it look like I need to do anything to get a man’s attention?”
“Yet, you’re getting mad because the one you were just throwing yourself to is not giving you the time of day but has no problem giving it to me? Exactly! So unless you want to get your shit rocked for calling me out my name, I suggest you go pick a song to do karaoke to and calm the fuck down.”
I smirked as the woman stood up and bumped past us. “She was pissed, wasn’t she?”
“Bruh, I swear she had steam coming out of her ears like in those looney tune cartoons.”
We looked at each other before bursting into laughter. “A woman who sticks up for herself – that’s good.”
“Mr. Adalyn, I promise I’m a nice person. She was just being rude.”
I nodded before checking the time. “Well, we better get started. I don’t want your driver getting suspicious.”
I motioned for her to follow me before heading towards the back of the bar. Once we reached the back, I stopped next to Dylan, the owner’s, office. I tapped twice on the doorframe, causing the older black man to look up at me. I briefly saluted him and he dipped his chin before hitting a switch under his desk that turned the camera off near the back alley.
Dylan and I had an agreement. I paid him a monthly convenience fee for him to ‘lose’ signal in his rear camera whenever I needed it. The entrance to one ofmy underground tunnels that led me to my warehouse was nearby and I didn’t need anybody seeing what was happening. My dad taught me that with the right price, I needed to utilize all my resources. Mr. Dylan was an excellent resource. Besides, he knew the game and had plenty of clients he kept his mouth shut for.
I opened the exit door and lightly pulled Addison’s arm, indicating for her to follow me. She was hesitant but didn’t say a word. A small smile attempted to cross my lips, but I kept it suppressed. So far, she was doing good - following instructions without asking a million questions. Maybe she would be a good temporary wife?
We stepped into the alley where one flickering security light buzzed overhead, casting a singular uneven pool of yellow near the door of the bar. The rest of the alley was coated in black and tucked away from the rest of the world. I started towards the underground entrance catching whiffs of the smell of stale beer and grease from the nearby kitchen vent. As we moved deeper into the alley, the sounds of cars and chatter faded into the background. Soon, the only sounds that could be heard were our footsteps and her soft nervous breaths.
We made it to a small door that I kept hidden behind some boxes and I looked at Addison. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she shifted uneasily on her feet. I could tell that she was nervous.
“Relax yeobo. We’re about to go through my underground tunnel, but I need you to remain calm – the space is a bit tight.”
“You have an entire secret passage in the middle of a dark alley and telling me to relax.” She huffed out a humorless chuckle. “How do I know you not setting me up?”
I shrugged. “I guess you’ll have to just trust me, won’t you.”
Chapter 23
