Page 100 of A Breath of Life
The man at the door moved, not to leave, but to pace along the length of stalls.Fuck my life.His shiny black dress shoes passed by mydoor. I avoided his line of sight by ducking one way, then the other, so he wouldn’t be able to see me through the cracks.
He paced the other way, stopping near the line of sinks.
“I’m hanging up, bitch. Call me when you’re done.”
The water ran, and I hissed, “Don’t you fucking dare.” With luck, the sound would cover my plea.
“Girl—”
“Shh.”
The water ran for a full minute, then shut off.
Memphis, thank god, knew enough to shut his mouth.
The guy moved to the bathroom door, stopped, and a second later, he was gone. The door clunked in his wake.
“Holy fuck balls,” I whispered. “That was terrifying. Give me a second for my heart to calm down. Also, I have to text my idiot boyfriend and tell him to get the fuck back here before I’m discovered. Do not hang up on me. I need you now more than ever.”
I pulled the phone from my ear and shot Diem a text.PS. You’d better be almost done. A man came into the bathroom a second ago, and it was not to pee. It could have been creepy Frank looking for a bathroom blowy, but I doubt it. Your little adventure needs to end now because I’m a sitting duck. Signed, not a princess or a damsel in distress, but definitely feeling vulnerable. PSS. I’m still mad at you.
I waited for a beat, not expecting an immediate response but hoping nonetheless. Giving up, I returned to my call with Memphis. Since my random visitor had left my skin crawling, I refused to speak above a whisper.
“Okay. I’m back. The name Ace. Why did you pause?”
Memphis huffed. “Yeah, no. First off, tell me you aren’t going to the bathroom while talking to me. If you are, our friendship is over. I’m serious.”
“I’m not. Good grief. That’s disgusting. I was acting… poorly, but I was under pressure.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“I may or may not have a guy hunting me down right now, and he may or may not decide to kill me if he finds out Diem isn’t here.”
A pause. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
I didn’t have time for this. “Memphis! I said the name Ace, and you paused. Why did you pause?”
“Because… I might have met him.”
“You what?”
“I think that was what Joshua called him, but there’s something else. The establishment’s name. It had the word ace in it. Secret Ace or Ace’s Lounge or… Fuck, I don’t—Oh! I’ve got it. The Royal Whispering Ace. It was monogrammed on the napkins and matches.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I can see it clearly now. It had a playing card wearing a crown design on it. I can’t describe it. The logo, you know?”
“And you met him?”
“You could say that.”
“But you can’t remember where they’re located?”
“No.”
“Shit.”
“I can ask Joshua, but… I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”
