Page 41 of The Pretender
Balt chuckles. “I’m up for a shower.”
Before I can get out of bed, he pulls my arm until I’m pressed against his chest.
“Thank you again. For all of this. I don’t take your hospitality for granted.”
“You’re welcome, and it’s not exactly a hardship. My family likes you and I’m getting railed. Win-win.”
He laughs again, kissing my neck before pulling us both upright. “Shower and then maybe some late-night trash TV before bed?”
“Perfect.”
THIRTEEN
balthazar
“Feels like old times,doesn’t it?” Brogan is behind the wheel, driving like no one else is on the road.
The three of us are crammed onto the front bench seat of their old but well cared for SUV. Deo seems to take Brogan’s breakneck driving with ease, while I glance out the window as we head through downtown to get to Johnson Street, where Brogan wants to shop. I know the street name because Brogan has been going on about it nonstop for at least five minutes.
“It does,” Deo says, patting Brogan’s thigh. “I see time hasn’t softened that lead foot of yours.”
Brogan cackles, finally slowing at a stop sign and looking both ways before continuing. “The store we’re going to is so cool. It’s legit vintage. Last time I went I found a blouse from the sixties.”
Madison is a charming place, unexpectedly reminding me of some of the New England towns I’ve spent time in. I was expecting something much more quaint, but it’s a good sized city.
Brogan navigates the streets with ease, finding a parking spot in front of a shop with interesting rocks in the window. Never seen a rock store before.
The three of us exit the car and Brogan waves in the direction they want us to go, stopping in front of a store with clothes in the window. Brogan is already bolting through the door when Deo turns to face me, pressing his chest to mine.
“Sorry. This probably isn’t what you had in mind for shopping, but we’ll go to a store we’ll both like after this.”
“I’m in no rush.” I gently pinch his chin. “Enjoy the time with your cousin.”
Deo’s smile is almost shy, but the heat in his eyes is anything but. His tongue darts out to wet his lips as he nods. “Cool.”
Deo and Brogan enter the small vintage shop while I linger on the sidewalk, glancing around. It’s midday and pretty damn cold, so it’s no surprise that not very many people are out and about. Glancing over my shoulder, I check to make sure Deo is still occupied before pulling my work phone from my pocket to check on the situation back home.
I turn on the phone, waiting as it powers up, not at all shocked to see a notification for new text messages. With a deep breath, I swipe the icon to read the waiting message.
It’s not from Vin this time. Instead, he’s switched tactics and now his little brother, Tony, is texting. The little brother who is two hundred pounds of muscle and rage and goes by the lovingly bestowed nickname Bloody Knuckles. Super.
Tony: Yo, Money Man. We have a shipment coming in and no one to process the invoices. Where the fuck are you?
I almost laugh out loud. How gullible do they think I am? I don’t settle the books until the last
week of the month, which is still a week and a half away. Vin always said he liked me because I kept a clear head and knew my shit, but apparently he didn’t believe that if he thinks I’m going to fall for this stunt.
There’s a second text, this time from Joey Biggs, the guy Vin sends out when he needs to heavily negotiate with someone who pissed him off. Getting a text from Joey is never ideal.
Joey: Hey, Money Mannnnn. Vin is running out of patience with your little games. Check in or else we’ll find you and you won’t like that much.
A shiver runs down my back. I clearly need a better plan than ignoring them. Thinking quickly, I check to make sure my location services are off, then I type out a quick response to Tony first.
Me: Hey Tony. Sorry man. I had a family emergency in California. Dead aunt I didn’t know about. As soon as the funeral is over, I’ll be back.
I send off a quick text to Joey telling him I’m in California for family and that I let Tony know, then I shut off my phone before they can respond or try any methods to locate me. Luckily, Vin is still pretty old-school when it comes to tech, but he’s got some younger guys on the crew who might know tricks.
My ears are freezing, so I tuck the phone away and step inside the shop. Deo is standing near what I think are dressing rooms at the back. He looks bored already as he stares at the floor.
