Page 23 of Love Bank
9
Bain
I was speechless.
So many veiled threats left and right in this conversation I wasn’t sure which way was up. All I knew was I wanted out.
After a not-so-friendly whack on the back, the mayor wandered off to spread more false cheer and Lucille stormed off in a surprisingly sexy march. Between the stomping, the heels, and the wool skirt, her hips got a rhythm that drew my eyes despite myself. Then I got to watch it all from the front when she reversed directions and walked past me to the coffee shop again. The woman made absolutely no sense.
And staring at her ass like that? Completely fucking psycho.
I needed to get the hell out of there before my day got any worse.
The same old lady from the other day walked right in front of me as I went to take a step toward my truck, nearly cutting me off and making me spill my coffee again. More little hairs flew up in the air between us, making me wonder what she did in her free time to attract so much animal hair to litter it about as she walked.
“Hmm.” She drew the “m” out, much to my irritation and confusion. Her eyes twinkled, making my stomach drop for the third time that morning. That look always meant trouble, especially aimed at me.
“Ma’am.” I nodded politely and skirted around her. I couldn’t handle another crazy woman this morning. I wasn’t too proud to nearly run full out, just to get to the safety of my truck.
The engine roared to life as I slammed the door closed. I wished I could roar right along with it. Might get a few concerned looks from my fellow Auburn Hill citizens, though, so I held it in. At this rate, all this pent-up frustration without a healthy outlet might cause a hernia or a burst blood vessel. Maybe I should take up running. I pulled out into the lane carefully and headed to work, pondering the likelihood of a decent gym here in town.
There’d been other dares my brother and I had given each other that led to some trouble. Some skated the line of the law, some involved other people who didn’t appreciate the involvement, but mostly they were just good fun meant to stretch the limits of our comfort zone. But this latest one? Pain in my goddamn ass.
I just wanted a peaceful Saturday to get some work done at the prison after grabbing the bagel and coffee I’d become addicted to. They must be putting some gold flakes left over from the Gold Rush in the coffee or something. Tasted ten thousand times better than that chain who shall not be named on every corner in the Bay Area.
But then Miss Priss had to come along in her ruffled, high-neck, collared blouse and get in my face. And spill my precious coffee. You know, if she couldn’t walk properly in those heels, she should stick to flats and keep the rest of us safe from second-degree burns. I hoped her footwear choices gave her bunions like my grandma.
The mayor was breathing down my neck like I didn’t grasp the serious nature of the situation when an inmate escaped. Trust me. Every freaking prison cell now locked like we were Fort Knox and had Hitler himself as our guest. I wasn’t given my first position as warden to screw things up.
The only thing I screwed up was ever visiting Miss Eureka’s clinic. The woman was devious. She’d boldly asked if I’d gotten her blackmail email, hinted at things I’d rather keep quiet about in front of the mayor, and just assumed I would fall in line.
Oh, hell no. I hadn’t responded to her email because she was like a bee. Annoying, but basically harmless if you just left it alone.
Apparently I’d read her wrong.
I’d have to ramp up my defense. Simply ignoring her wasn’t going to work.
Time for war.
* * *
I made a quick pit stop on the outskirts of town, grabbing a bag of ammunition and a few other items in my newly fledged war. It was just what I needed to turn my morning around. I had a plan. A dang good one. Smiling and whistling a tune, I headed back to my truck and drove out to the prison.
I needed to call my brother shortly. He’d be expecting a dare and I needed to get to thinking of a good one. Based on how much trouble his dare gave me, it would have to be a doozy. If I wasn’t driving, I would have rubbed my hands together in devilish glee. Nothing I liked better than stirring up mayhem and Miss Eureka had just given me the reason to unleash some shenanigans. Hoped she was prepared for it.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered, seeing a situation I couldn’t ignore. “Really, Universe? What did I ever do to you?”
Just shy of the prison, I saw Miss Eureka standing outside her shop, hands on her hips while she lit into two men. Her feet were planted wide and her face was turning an interesting shade of red. I wanted to look at her longer just to see the fire in her eyes and what shade they turned when she was angered, but I had bigger problems.
The two guys on her doorstep?
One was the inmate scheduled to be released this morning.
She told me inmates kept stopping in to give a sample and I hadn’t really listened. I mean, come on. One guy stopping by did not a problem make.
But two in the span of a couple days?
That was definitely the start of a problem.
