Page 46 of Tastes Like Misery

I nodded and turned to put my drink on the counter, “Pump two.”

The man stared at me, squinting his eyes, and I knew it was bad. Finn must have noticed because I could see his hand moving to his waist where his gun rested, “Dane Barrow,” my name came across his lips like a prayer and I stiffened. “Well, I’ll be. I’m a huge fan. You got that guy good,” he mimicked punching the air, the most movement he probably had in a long time.

“You must be mistaken,” I replied in a bored tone.

He slapped his hands on the counter, “I may be out here, but I’d know those tattoos anywhere.”

This guy wasn’t going to let it go, so I played nice, “You got me. I just don’t want anyone to know I’m here. Peaceful retreat and all that.”

He zipped his lips, “I get it. You don’t need fans swarming you when they get wind. I can’t believe Dane Barrow is in my gas station in the middle of Arkansas. I’ll be damned.”

His hand darted out, and I shook it, keeping the look of disgust off my face. I hated this part of my prior status as champ, shaking hands and playing nice with fans. There was no way for me to backtrack him recognizing me and as nice as he was, he didn’t seem the sort who would keep his mouth shut if the cops came looking. Hell, he’d have it spread all over this county as soon as we left.

I used the handshake to pull him on top of the counter, pinning his face to the tattered wood. He protested, shock hitting him as he tried to fight my hold. “I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but I’m not, so don’t take this personally. I just can’t have anyone knowing my location. You understand, right?”

His head moved slightly, and he gasped out, “I won’t tell anyone. I swear.”

“We both know that’s a lie,” I hissed as I looked up at the TV to see my name and face flashing across it, a rolling banner that seemed to be on repeat. This fucker knew and was going to turn me in. Collect on that reward. He wasn’t a fan.

“Vivian, be a doll and grab the cash out of the register,” my voice was sickly sweet as she looked from my face to the man pressed against the counter.

“Finn, a little boost, please.” Finn picked her up, placing her feet on the counter. Her heels clacked on the surface as she stepped over the man and jumped to the area beyond. How she seemed to move better in those things, I had no idea, but she was sexy as fuck in those short shorts and high heels.

It only took her a moment to figure out the old register and how to open the drawer. “Well, it seems this unassuming little place has more than we imagined,” she laughed as she pulled out the cash and handed it to Finn, the swell of her breasts peeking out from the low cut of her shirt.

Turning, she picked up a shotgun in the corner and whistled, “This is one nice antique. Packs a hell of a punch, too.” Handing it over to Ollie, she seemed to find a nice little collection of ten, including some handguns. “With all the ballistic technology nowadays, new ones will throw them off.”

“I need one of them.” Adjusting the man so my arm wrapped around his neck, I held out my hand as he struggled before passing out. Vivian looked at me curiously before passing me one. “Move back, baby girl.”

As soon as she stepped away, I let go of the man’s neck and pushed him over the counter. He landed with a thud at her feet, and she just shrugged. “Up you go,” I placed my hands on her hips and set her on the wood where Finn waited to help her down on the other side.

Once she was safely out of the way, I heaved the man onto his stool and found a dirty rag to wipe the prints off the gun. Using it as a glove, I angled it and pulled the trigger before placing it on the floor to look as if it just fell from his grasp. With one last look at the TV, I smiled at my face across the screen, glad they chose a good one to project.

“Alright, we’ve had our fun. Let’s get out of here before anyone shows up,” Ollie took control. “You’ve got a little blood on your face.”

“Damn, I have to go back to that bathroom,” I muttered as I quickly jumped over the counter and ran to the nasty restroom, washing the splatters off my face and arms. My shirt was toast, so I just ripped it off and used the clean parts as a towel to dry myself. I’d dump it along the road just as Vivian had with that ugly wig.

While in there, Vivian pulled our big beast SUV up to the door and it hung open for me to climb in. As soon as the door shut, the tires squealed as she took off. With no one around, I breathed a sigh of relief. No one would come for us, but now I had to change my own appearance. “Vivian, do you have anything in your arsenal to cover tattoos?”

“Of course. I have everything. You might want to think about changing your hair too. I bet you could pull off the silver fox look,” she licked her lips as she looked over her shoulder at me quickly.

I groaned, “No. I’m not going gray before my time. I’ll wear hats, grow a beard, or whatever else it takes. I’m not dying my hair.”

“Suit yourself,” she shrugged. “You all should probably make some changes. I’ll get supplies at the next stop. Ollie, do you have any plans?”

“Yes. The next one will be a hit and run. Easy in and out. We won’t stay around long enough for anyone to catch our trail. We’re heading north.”

“Are we going to talk about taking a break? Now that they know your face, it won’t be long before they have all of us. Everyone in Vegas knows our connection and will figure out me and Ollie aren’t there,” Finn let the question in everyone’s mind hang in the air as if I hadn’t just killed a man in cold blood.

I didn’t know if it was good or bad that I didn’t carry an ounce of regret. The man would have called the cops and collected the reward with no guilt. I did what I had to do in order to survive and keep Vivian safe. “I think we should do two more. The next one and then we’ll regroup to figure out one last big job. Go out with a bang and disappear to the tropics.”

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to sit on a white sandy beach and look out at the blue ocean,” Vivian’s excitement was contagious and soon we were talking about all the different islands we could enjoy. With our names plastered on the wanted lists, there wasn’t any way to fly out, but I trusted Ollie to figure it out. Despite his control issues with his carefully laid plan, he loved the woman as much as I did and would do anything to make sure she remained happy.

Chapter 28

Special Agent Leanne Bailey

Murfreesboro wasn’t the place I wanted to be. The hometown I’d rather forget. Still, I had a job to do, and this is where it led me, the place where my decision to become an agent started.

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