Page 21 of Average Joe

“Ly. This is perfect. Thank you.” The woman had earned herself a killer tip.

“You my favorite customer,” she reminded me. “Maybe you take Trudy on date?” Every week with the same question.

Trudy, who up until that point had remained silent, made a pained sound. Frank chuckled.

I glanced at the blushing girl. She was beautiful.

She was not, however, the one woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. That emotional real estate belonged to my feisty neighbor for reasons I’d yet to figure out.

Trudy mumbled something to her mother in Vietnamese. Ly responded, tipping here head in my direction.

Trudy, who rarely spoke, cleared her throat and then stated, “Last week, I was here late. I saw two men lead a woman inside Dirty Dreamz. I was curious, so I stayed and watched.” She shot a nervous glance at her mother, who nodded for her to continue. “Maybe an hour later, they dragged her back out. It was dark, so I couldn’t see very well, but her hair was messy, and she could barely walk.”

Frank sat straight, no longer relaxed. “You call the police?”

Ly huffed, rolling her eyes. Trudy shook her head no, gaze dropping to the floor. They were scared.

Frank didn’t push but shot an icy glare my way.

Guilt raked jagged claws over my ticker. I never should have gotten these women involved.

I’d stumbled upon Emerald Glow Nails when I had followed my jackass uncle and needed to keep an eye on him while staying outta sight. Ly’s nail salon had the perfect vantage point. But then I’d discovered the wonders of pedicures and decided weekly visits were in order. Besides, Ly and her daughter were great ladies, stimulating conversationalists, and also happened to be as sharp as fucking whips.

Frank ripped the receipt from my hand. “Don’t need this. Everyone knows Johan Harper drives that silver Escalade and pulls the strings behind Dirty Dreamz.” He waited, glaring at me, thick brows pinched. “You’re clear of their shit. Stay that way.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. I would never be free of the Kaine legacy. “Larry was sniffing around Alice’s wake. He’s up to something.”

“Joe.” Frank shifted his ass and leaned in my direction, his voice lowering to a gnarly growl. “You know I’ve got your back, always.”

I nodded.

“The devil’s gonna get his due.”

“He’s in his sixties. That fucker’s never paid for shit.”

“Let the law handle Larry Kaine. Hell, let karma handle that crusty old bastard. Don’t get involved.” He pointed a finger my way, his dark eyes narrowing. “I’m telling you, I will not stand by again and watch you take the heat for that fucked-up gene pool of yours. Never again.”

“Understood.” Thick emotion clogged my throat.

Frank and Con had backed my story and stayed quiet while I’d served time for Bill’s death. Not that they’d had a choice after witnessing the state of affairs that god-awful night. But still, they’d been reluctant accomplices, and I was forever indebted.

“Good,” Frank huffed, scratching at his clean-shaven jaw. “Can we enjoy ourselves now?”

“Yeah. Sure.” I leaned back, tried to settle.

A hard thump hit my shoulder before Frank warned, “You tell a soul about this”—he pointed to his hairy legs—“I’ll gut you.”

“But it’s fucking awesome, am I right?”

Frank responded by closing his eyes and relaxing back into his chair.

I did the same and tried to ignore the knot in my gut.

Growing up, I’d done my damnedest to steer clear of the Kaine legacy. That family tree bore nothing but dirty, rotten fruit. The dark side had tempted me more than once, but between Mom, Alice, and my two buddies, I’d managed to keep my head on straight and my ass outta trouble.

Until that night, anyway.

Those ghosts would haunt me forever.

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