“What happened?”
Her menacing smile came back in a flash. “He was taken care of.”
I had an intrigued smile on my face that dissipated in an instant. There was no malice or threat in her voice. She’d made the statement matter-of-factly. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise me that a woman who runs a club that rakes in millions of dollars per client would have taken the employ of some protection, but just what did she mean by “taken care of?” I didn’t ask; in truth, I didn’t want to know.
“We’ll meet here,” I said.
She nodded. “Wonderful! Please arrive at seven pm sharp. You’ve learned by now, but I don’t like tardiness. A staff member will show you to a table and present your date when she’s arrived.” She smiled widely at me. “I’m sure you will be pleased with your selection, Mr. Williams.”
Does she already have someone in mind that quickly?
“For 2.5 million, I certainly hope so.”
3
Parker
“You stupid son of a bitch!”
I groaned as the sound of screaming seeped through the walls.
“I knew you were sleeping with her!”
I sat up in my bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. A glance at the clock on my nightstand proved it was just after five am. Way too early for my neighbors’ bullshit and if they kept on with their screaming, I wouldn’t be the only one they woke up. I threw back my blankets, grabbed my robe, from the back of my bedroom door and quietly tiptoed out of the room. I walked into the living room and peeked over the back of the couch and was relieved to see that Peyton, my little brother, was still snoozing away.
I opened my front door, using its brass clasp to keep it from slamming against the frame, and walked down to the next door over. I knocked gently at first, but when I didn’t get a response, I resorted to pounding.
The door flew open and one of my neighbors, Allison, looked at me. Her face was red with rage and her black hair was a mess all over her head. “We’re not being that loud!”
“He’s sleeping with your sister?” I asked plainly and she recoiled. “What I don’t understand is, if you knew, why are you still with him.”
“Mind your own fucking business, Parker!” a voice barked from inside.
Allison looked over her shoulder. “Mind your own fucking business! Keep packing, you jackass, you’re out of here! I’m sick of your shit!”
“Allison,” I said softly. Her head whipped back toward me. “I have my brother today and he still has another hour before he has to wake up. Can you at least go argue in your bathroom or something? Whatever room is furthest from my apartment.”
Her eyes averted downward. “Sorry. I’m embarrassed.”
“You should be more embarrassed that you’re still dealing with this. Let him go and I’m not just saying that because I’d love to start getting a full night’s sleep again.”
“It’s just… He pays for everything, so-”
I scoffed and walked away before she could finish her excuse. “Fuck you, Parker! Maybe if you actually tried dating, you’d understand that relationships are tricky.”
I didn’t respond in favor of just flipping her the bird as I slipped back into my apartment. The door was barely closed and their screaming had resumed and I sighed. I’d been threatening to move for months, maybe it was finally time. It was just such an affordable place and moving was a pain.
“Parks?”
My hands balled into fists briefly before relaxing. I walked over and ran a hand through Peyton’s red-orange hair. “Hey, bud. Sorry.”
“They’re at it again over there, huh?” He sat up on the couch and stretched, twisting his back and wincing as he did so. “Ugh, this couch isn’t comfortable.”
“I told you to take my bed,” I retorted.
“I don’t want to kick you out of your own bed.” He looked over at me. “It would be better if you had a two-bedroom.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start.”
Peyton was my fourteen-year-old younger brother. There were ten years between us, but even so, we were very close. The likely reason was that our parents died when he was just a couple years old. I was only twelve at the time, so my dad’s brother took us in. They only had one son, about six years older than me, so we grew up sticking very closely to one another in a household with an aunt and uncle who didn’t make many attempts to hide the fact that they were displeased with going from a household of one, nearly-graduated child to three.
I moved out the second I turned eighteen, but I was in no position to raise a kid. I could barely afford the place at the time, and was getting by on a minimum-wage, part-time job. When my aunt and uncle saw how much I was struggling just to no longer burden them, they realized they hadn’t been fair and committed themselves to treating Peyton much better. He wanted to live with me, but they were a much better choice for him. I wasn’t cut out to be a parent. After lots of begging, I finally allowed him to come and stay with me overnight a couple days a week and some weekends. It hurt, but I was careful never to create too comfortable circumstances. It was better for him with my aunt and uncle. Even if he didn’t entirely see that.
“I’m just saying. I could get a second bed and once I’m sixteen and can get a job, I can help you with bills and-”
“No, Peyton,” I told him simply. His green eyes, a reflection of my own, started to water immediately. “Why are you doing this? I told you already, I’m not a good caregiver.” His fluffy red hair and scattered freckles, features we’d both inherited from our mother, were hard to resist when he gave me the puppy dog face.
“You do fine when I come over,” he replied. “I’m happy here.”
“You’re happy because I feed you junk food and let you do whatever you want.” I turned around to head into my small kitchen and start on some semblance of breakfast.
“No!” He jumped up from the couch and rushed after me into the kitchen. “I’m happy because I get to be here with you. I love Uncle Mark and Aunt Aiko, but I miss you when we’re not together.”
I wrapped my arm around his back and pulled him into a hug. “I miss you too, bud.” I could feel emotions welling up already, but I forced them back down. “This is what’s best for you though.” I pulled away and put his cheeks in my hands. “Since we got woken up early, should we go get pancakes before school?” Peyton nodded, even though he was clearly still sad. I chose to ignore it and rubbed his head. “Okay. Get ready for school and we’ll leave in twenty minutes.”
The rest of our morning was strained, but after some pushing and an expensive stack of pancakes, I got Peyton into a lighter mood. It was necessary. He wasn’t a dumb or inattentive kid by any means, but his emotions often got the best of him. When he went to school upset or frustrated, his education suffered.
“So, okay, I think I got it.” I said as we climbed into my car again after finishing our breakfast. “Kristen?”
“Kaitlin.”
“Right, Kaitlin told Barry that she had a friend who liked a guy who was on the basketball team.”