Chapter Five

Carson

 

Music was blaring from the bar as I walked up, shoving my hands in my pockets and looking around. Even after a careful search, I didn’t see her anywhere.

 

“Yo, you lookin’ for someone?” Tommy had to practically shout in my ear to be heard over the music.

 

I thought about telling him for a moment, then shook my head. For some reason, I thought it was a better idea to stay quiet.

 

“Diane!” I called. “I haven’t seen her and I want a fuckin’ drink!”

 

Tommy laughed and clapped me on the back. “All in good time, brother,” he told me. “We have a pitcher. Come over.” He pointed towards the corner of the back where I saw Steel sitting at a table. I nodded

 

“Be there in a sec,” I told him. “I’m getting a shot first.”

 

Tommy let out a burst of laughter, then sauntered back to the table and slid down. I could tell that he was pleasantly drunk; no surprise, but I would have liked to have caught up. After the day I’d had, it only seemed fair.

 

When I told the other guys about the Aztecs, no one took it seriously. Even Josh, our president, gave me a sidelong glance. “They just wanna scare you,” he told me, cuffing me lightly on the shoulder. “They just wanna think they’re in charge.”

 

I hadn’t fought back; going against the prez wasn’t something that most of us did lightly. But I wondered if Tommy had any answers. After all, Josh was his father.

 

I didn’t recognize the bartender. She was a cute petite girl with a crop of black hair and tattoos all over her arms. She flashed me a smile and I saw that she was adorable, but seemed too high-maintenance. I envisioned the two of us in bed, her clutching the Kama Sutra and barking out commands like a mistress.

 

“Hey, baby,” she called in a friendly tone. “Can I get you somethin’?”

 

I shook my head. “Is Caroline around?”

 

The girl frowned. “Who?”

 

“Caroline,” I called in a louder voice. I mimed big curves as I talked. “She was built like a brick house,” I said in a joking tone. The girl frowned at me. “Sorry,” I said. “Anyway, red hair. Green eyes. Kind of feisty-looking.”

 

The girl nodded. Her demeanor towards me had cooled noticeably. “Oh, her,” she said. “Yeah, she got laid off a few days back. Budget cuts and all that.”

 

That was when I realized the girl was familiar. “Wait, you’re Eddie’s older daughter,” I said, feeling like an ass. “I didn’t recognize you.” The only reason I could recognize her was from the faded photos clipped to the back of the bar. In them, she gallivanted around, six years younger and with pigtails.

 

“Yeah,” she said, her face darkening. “That’s me.”

 

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the crowd. Laid off? Then what the fuck was she doing in a jewelry store?

 

Something wasn’t right here. I scratched my head as I tried to figure it out. She didn’t seem like the type to stage a grand burglary of a chichi jewelry store. It just didn’t add up.

 

The next morning, I woke up alone, thankfully, and took a long shower before heading over to Tinder’s. I wasn’t working that day, but I wanted to hang out for a while and see if she’d show up. Sure enough, I’d only been waiting on my bike for about half an hour when she waltzed up, dressed to the nines, and carrying a designer bag.

 

Frowning, I followed her inside. The guard on duty nodded to me. “Hey, man, what’re you up to? You’re off today, right?”

 

I nodded. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a good idea to tell anyone else about my suspicions. “Yeah,” I said. “I just wanted to see if my paycheck came in.”

 

The guard started laughing. “Carson, you’re dumb as a post,” he told me. “You know payday is Friday, right?”

 

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, whatever,” I said. There was a large crowd of people inspecting engagement rings, and Caroline breezed right past them onto the more expensive sets. She was wearing this killer fuchsia silk dress that ended with a slit in the back. I found myself tracing the slit up her back, imagining how delectable her ass would be. Stop it, I thought to myself. This chick might be trouble.

 

From a distance, I watched as she leaned over the glass counter and started flirting with one of our clerks. He grinned at her and happily reached inside the case, pulling out a black velvet display glinting with diamonds and emeralds. Stepping close, I pretended to be interested in a watch so I could listen to their conversation.

 

“This is gorgeous,” Caroline gushed. She looked up at the clerk and fanned herself a little. “I think it’s getting hot in here,” she teased. “Or maybe it’s just the diamonds!”

 

He laughed politely and removed the necklace from the display backing. “This would be beautiful on you,” he told her. “You want to see?”

 

Caroline grinned. “Oh, I couldn’t,” she simpered. I rolled my eyes. “But I really want to,” she said in a breathy tone. I practically saw the clerk’s boner rise from where I was standing. “Can you fasten it for me?”

 

“Sure,” the clerk said with a wolfish smile. I watched as Caroline lifted her hair up in a voluptuous pile on top of her head. She leaned over and winked at the clerk, making him blush. After their little display was over, I walked over and looked down into the case.

 

“That’s beautiful,” I told Caroline. “But don’t you think emeralds would set off your dress?”

 

When she recognized me, a hot flush spread over her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. Her voice faltered once and I smiled evenly, like I hadn’t even noticed. “This is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen,” she said, trailing her hand over the diamonds. “Just like something my mother used to have.” She looked up at me, and it was clear that she wasn’t going to reference the other night. I sighed.

 

“Are you shopping for your mother?” I smiled at her. “That’s so sweet of you.”

 

She blushed again and stammered when she opened her mouth. “No, no. I’m just looking today.”

 

The clerk behind the counter looked thoroughly confused. “Ma’am, is there something else you’d like to see? Can I show you any of our other pieces?”

 

Caroline shook her head more emphatically than she needed to. “No,” she chirped. “I’m fine.”

 

“Can I walk you out?” I turned to her.

 

She bit her lip. “Sure,” she said carefully, a touch of her old confidence coming back. “Of course you can.”

 

I extended my arm and she looped hers through, resting her pale fingers on my skin. When she touched me, a bolt of desire shot through my loins. It was tempting to just hike up her skirt and take her right then and there, fogging up the glass display cases with the heat from our bodies.

 

Caroline tilted her head up towards mine. Her green eyes sparkled in the sun. “What are you doing here today?” she asked pleasantly. “It’s your day off,” she added.

 

I nodded. “It is, but sometimes I like to stop in and make sure everything’s going well. You know. Old habit.”

 

She bit her lip. “Sure,” she said. “Well, I have to be going.” She mimed a yawn and stretched her arms high over her head. Her breasts pushed at the front of her silk dress like melons and I felt my cock twitch as I thought about burying my face in her cleavage. “I have a long shift ahead of me tonight.”

 

I looked at her. Her face gave no indication she was lying; was it possible that they hadn’t told her about laying her off yet? But even if they hadn’t, it didn’t seem likely that a girl like her would be haunting a jewelry store for two days in a row. It wasn’t as though she’d shown up and asked for an application.

 

“I bet,” I said carefully. “So you like tending bar?”

 

She wrinkled her nose. Damn, she’s a good liar, I thought. I was almost awed. “It’s okay,” she said, pursing her plump lips. “It’s not really ideal.”

 

I looked down at her. “No, I wouldn’t think so,” I said. There was a beat of silent awkwardness between us. “Well, I have to get going. Bye, Caroline.”

 

She nodded. “Bye,” she called out.

 

I was going to offer her a ride, but first I wanted to see what she’d do. She walked away and then turned around about fifty feet later. When she saw that I was watching her, she waved again. The next time she looked around, I saw that she was checking the street to cross. She snuck one final glance back in my direction. She was far enough away that I couldn’t read her face, but it looked like irritation and panic.

 

Caroline walked up to the bus station and sat down on the bench. Shaking my head, I got on my bike and drove off. Something very weird was going on here, and I was starting to think that maybe she really was involved in something bad.