Chapter 63

 

Jayce

 

 

I’D BEEN PLANNING on staying relatively sober, but my friends kept buying me drinks.

“So, tell us again about finding the body in the freezer?” Len said after buying me another rum and Coke.

I repeated the story.

“Smelled pretty fucking bad I bet?” he said.

“Fuck yeah. The worst smell ever. Even worse than when you take your boots off,” I replied.

The other guys laughed.

“Ha-ha. Funny,” he said with a growl, taking a drink of his beer.

I patted him on the back. “I’m just giving you shit.”

“You know what I’ve noticed? That you only fuck with people when you’re tense.” He leered at the buxom stripper standing in front of us on the stage. “You need to get your dick waxed. That’ll take the edge off.”

“Tell me about,” I said, thinking about Ava. I was already counting down the hours until I’d get to do exactly what he said. It made me hard just thinking about it.

“That one will blow you for a fifty,” Len said, nodding toward the stripper.

“Maybe you,” I teased. “She pays me twice that amount to blow my dick.”

He chuckled and then his face went serious. “Really?”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Len, man. You’ve got to quit smoking so much ganja. It’s making you about as gullible as a five-year-old.”

We bantered back and forth until Tarot entered the club and walked over to us. He put a hand on my shoulder. “Can I talk to you alone?”

“Yeah,” I said, wondering what was going on now. From his expression, I could tell whatever it was he had to say, was important.

We walked out of the club and stood outside together. It was just past seven and still light out.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Tank wanted me to tell you that the Judge talked to Hunter Calloway and set him straight.”

My eyes widened. “No fucking way.” I’d forgotten all about the call I’d made to Tank after returning from Miami. He’d told me that he couldn’t make any promises, but would see what he could do. Apparently, he did something.

Tarot grinned. “Yeah. In fact, there’s a new movie being filmed in Minneapolis soon. Ava Rhodes is going to be offered a stunt job, apparently paying pretty well, too. Complements of douchebag Calloway.”

“How did he get him to bend?”

“From what I hear, he dug up some major shit on Calloway and threatened to expose it if he didn’t stop fucking with Ava. It must have been pretty bad if Calloway is willing to try and get her hired for this movie, which is supposed to be a high-dollar production.”

“No shit. That’s great. I need to call Tank and thank him.”

“You can do it next weekend. We’re all riding down to Jensen for a barbecue he’s having.”

I groaned. “Next weekend?”

“Yeah, why?”

I told him about the plans I had to meet up with Ava.

“Invite her to the barbecue.”

“She’s been caring for her mother, and is afraid to leave her. I doubt she’ll be able to go.”

“Well, she’s going to have to when they offer her that job in Minneapolis.”

“Unless, she refuses it,” I replied. Remembering the disgust on her face when she’d talked about Calloway, I wasn’t sure if Ava would want to work with him, no matter what the pay was.

“I guess there’s always that. Look, if you want to see her so badly, talk to Phoenix. He might be able to give you this week off instead of next. I overheard him talking about how the weather was supposed to be shitty for the next few days anyway.”

“Good idea,” I said, relieved that I’d still get to see her.

“Just get your ass back in time for Tank’s barbecue in Jensen.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”