by Shay Stone
She blew out a breath making her long bangs part. “Then I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.” She snatched the cash out of my hand tucking it into her bra and gripped me by the arms. “Look, Memphis, you’re a nice kid, but it’s over. Take care of yourself.”
Kid? She patted my face like I meant nothing to her and left me standing there. I chased after her clutching her arm, spinning her to face me.
“Over? Why? I don’t understand. I thought you loved me. What about the divorce? I’ve got the money. You can leave him now. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’ll protect you.”
Her head dropped back, cackling like I’d said something amusing. “Jesus, this is too easy. I don’t have a husband, Memphis. I was conning you. Tell Sheila we’re even for Atlantic City. Next time she can find someone else to do her dirty work. See ya around, kid.”
The smug look on her face is seared into my brain. I released her arm, too stunned to speak. Even as I watched her sashay over to Tony and plant herself on his lap again, I still couldn’t wrap my brain around it. Sheila had set this up?
This time, she’d gone too fucking far! I jumped in my car breaking every speed limit as I raced home, kicking up dust and gravel as I tore into the driveway. Sheila was already waiting on the porch, smoking a cigarette like she knew I’d be coming. I slammed the car door and flew up the porch steps taking two at a time.
“You set me up!”
“Keep your voice down. You’ll wake your father,” she’d scolded. “I take it you found out about Callie? Took you long enough.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
She smashed the butt into the ashtray, rising to her feet. “To teach you a lesson. You were getting too cocky. I needed to knock you down a notch and show you that you can’t let your guard down with anyone, even for a second. You won’t always be working with me and Mike. There’s going to come a time when you’ll be working with dangerous people. You need to learn who you can and can’t trust. In this business you’re either the one running the con or you’re the mark. And this time, you were the mark. You let yourself get conned.”
“Let myself?”
“Yeah, let yourself,” she reaffirmed, lighting another cigarette. “You overlooked things you’d normally never miss. Why did I pick Callie, Memphis?”
“How the hell should I know? Because we worked together? Easy access?”
“Wrong. Think!” she snapped, jabbing her finger into my forehead. “Didn’t you notice how much Callie resembled your mother when she was younger? I knew you would do anything to save her. That’s why I picked her. You never questioned why her husband never came around or why she never had another busted lip or black eye? Callie did exactly what I taught you to do. She created a bond, manipulated your feelings, and got you to fork over as much money as she wanted. And why? Because she had you by the dick.”
I stood there seething. Sheila was right. I let myself get played. I didn’t know who I was more pissed at—her, Callie, or myself for being so damn stupid.
“Look, I know you’re mad, but I did you a favor. Now you know love makes you vulnerable. Next time you won’t make that mistake.”
“There won’t be a next time. I’m done.”
“You’re not done. You’re just upset,” she replied, blowing out a cloud of white smoke.
“No. This isn’t the life I want. In the words of Callie, you can get someone else to do your dirty work from now on.”
“Memphis ….”
“I said, ‘I’m done!’”
That was it. Sheila knew there was nothing she could say to make me change my mind. I got a job at Nichol’s Construction and did my best to go straight. Sheila skipped town with Vito’s money, and the rest is history.
I let myself feel all of it—the pain, the embarrassment, the betrayal of the one time I got duped. I pretend I’m over it. That I’ve buried it deep down where it’s all but forgotten. But the truth is, the wound is still as fresh as the day it happened. I keep that pain just below the surface. It’s the reason for the tattoo on the inside of my wrist: Trust no one. A rash and rebellious decision by a heartbroken teenager to serve as a constant reminder to never let anyone get too close.
The next time I found myself attracted to someone, I turned it into a job. They were small scale at first—getting a woman to give me a few hundred bucks for some sob story I’d invented, then ending it the moment I’d gotten the money in hand. Eventually, they graduated to what they are now. As long as I was running a con, I was in control. I always had the upper hand. I’d managed to turn off my feelings and make love a business. Until I met Nyla.
But it’s time I stop acting like some lovesick schoolboy and see what’s right in front of me. As much as I want Nyla to be this good, innocent person, she’s not. She’s admitted as much. And Harrison alluded to it as well. Yet I keep turning a blind eye. That’s what got me into trouble the last time, and I got burned for it. It was a hard lesson, but a necessary one. And now here I am, playing the fool again.
That shit stops now. It’s time to find out exactly what she’s hiding. And I know just where to start.
TWENTY
Seize Every Opportunity
My fingers fly across the keyboard typing in the code Mike gave me that’s associated with Nyla’s computer. Every transaction is right in front of me. There’s so much information, and I don’t know what I’m looking for. What’s real? What’s a fabrication?
I clear my search and decide to start with the original purchase order Mike showed me from Baby Safe, but it’s gone. Maybe I typed it in wrong. I enter the number again and it yields the same results. I try to search by company, item, and amount, but the whole thing has disappeared like it never existed. Or like someone deleted it. I gaze down the hall towards Nyla’s office. Maybe she’s not the innocent angel I think she is. Or maybe Mike planted the document for my benefit.
I crack my neck and stretch my fingers preparing to settle in for as long as it takes to find the evidence to satisfy me. Although, I’m not sure if I’m trying to prove Nyla’s a thief or Mike’s a liar. One of them is playing me. I’m just not sure who.
Before I know it, hours have passed. The sun has set and the office is empty, with all the employees having left for the weekend. At some point, I turned on the tiny lamp at my desk without realizing it. So far, all this work has been fruitless. I haven’t found a damn thing of any use.
Everything is starting to blend. My mind is scattered and unfocused. After mistyping Caltier Logistics for the third time while trying to do a Google search, I decide I need a jolt of caffeine to keep going. I head into the breakroom to grab a quick cup of coffee and jump back about three feet when I find Edward standing there with the cupboards open.
“Whew, you scared me. I didn’t expect anyone to be here,” I say, pressing my hand to my chest.
“That makes two of us.” He’s dressed casually, abandoning his usual Prada single-breasted suit in favor of jeans and a t-shirt. You’d never guess the man was worth a quarter of a million dollars. “Well, I hope you didn’t come in here looking for something good to eat. There’s nothing in here but kale salads and protein bars. Nyla and Emily must have done the shopping. I swear, you have one minor heart attack scare and the only thing anyone will let you eat is rabbit food.”
He picks up a granola bar, frowning while reading the label and tosses it back in the basket. “What’s got you here working so late on a Friday?”
“Well, since Nyla canceled dinner, I figured it was a good time to get some auditing done. My cubicle is open. People keep stopping by playing twenty questions about what I’m doing here. Can’t imagine I’m going to make many friends once they find out.”
“No, I guess not. HR should have set you up in your own office. Let’s see what we can do to fix that. Follow me.” I trail him down the hall, making small talk about whether the Red Sox have the closers to win the World Series this year. “Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you,” he says, twisting a doorkn
ob to a vacant office with one hand while reaching into his pocket with the other. Before he can give me whatever it is, moans and some of the most disturbing dirty talk I’ve ever heard draw our attention into the room. A scantily clad woman is on her knees sucking a guy off.
“Damn it, Harrison!” Edward curses.
The woman starts to pull back, but Harrison steadies her head urging her on. He scoffs, swigging from a Tennessee Whisky bottle. “Don’t get your shorts in a bunch Eddie. She’s a pro. No sexual harassment issues this time.”
“Get her outta here!” Edward hisses. Harrison sneers, but obliges, tapping the woman on the shoulder. She releases him wiping the sides of her mouth. My god, the girl can’t be more than eighteen, if that!
She holds out her hand expectantly. “My money?” He pulls some bills from a money clip and flicks them at her sending them scattering around the room. “Asshole,” she clips, crawling across the floor to gather the bills. She scrambles to her feet holding up the cash. “Twenty-bucks? What the hell is this?”
“Half a blowjob, half a fee.”
“You son-of-a bitch! Give me the rest of my money!” she shouts, pounding Harrison’s chest with her fist. He snickers, infuriating her even more. She snatches her phone from where it’s been propped up on the desk. “You bastard! You’ll pay for this!”
She storms towards the doorway, but I step in her path blocking the exit. Edward tilts his head in question, wondering why I’m not letting her go. I pull a twenty-dollar bill from my wallet and slip it into her hand, and then I hold up another fifty. “Your phone.”
“What? No. Why?”
I sigh and pull out two more fifties. She lunges forward trying to snatch the cash, but I hold it out of her grasp.
“Your phone,” I demand, leaving no room for argument.
She hesitates, focusing her greedy eyes on the money before reluctantly handing it over. “I want it back.”
I nod, plucking it from her and allow her to take the money from me.
“Passcode?”
She rattles off the numbers while holding the bills up to the light to make sure they aren’t counterfeit. I scroll through until I find a video she took of Harrison and delete it from the memory, but not before I send it to my phone. Stupid girl. Her own greed got the best of her. She could have blackmailed him for a thousand times as much. I give her back the phone and send her on her way.
Edward nods a silent thank you. “Memphis, will you excuse us for a second.”
“Of course.”
“Memphis?” Harrison slurs, shaking a finger at me. “I know you. You’re the one that’s fucking Nyla. Or did you do the smart thing and get away from her like I told you?”
Fuck. Really? Man, I’m starting to hate this guy.
“Harrison!” Edward snaps, looking as mortified as I feel.
“I’ll leave you two to talk. Edward, I’ll be at my desk if you need me,” I say, choosing not to respond to Harrison’s comment. I pull the door closed and head to my cubicle, checking to make sure I received the video on the way. It seems Harrison has quite the freaky side. He slapped the girl around a bit while calling her degrading names before getting down to business. Not something the executive of a company that produces child safety products would want getting out. As far as blackmail material goes, this is gold.
With this footage, marrying Nyla is no longer necessary. I have everything I need to shake down Edward and Harrison. I should be happy. So why do I feel like I’m about to throw up?
Fifteen minutes later, Edward appears at my desk, frazzled and embarrassed. “My apologies, Memphis. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
He rests his hands on top of the partition. “What do you say we get outta here? I need to get some air. You hungry?”
“Yeah, I could eat.”
“Good, because I’m starving, and I’m not eating any of the crap in that breakroom. You like hotdogs? I happen to know the best spot in town.”
TWENTY-ONE
Don’t Get Attached
It turns out the best spot in town is behind home plate at Yankee stadium. We load up with hot dogs and a couple beers and settle in to watch the game. Edward takes a bite, moaning like it’s the best thing he’s ever eaten.
“If Nyla asks, these are tofu dogs.”
“She actually eats those things?” I grimace, washing down my own bite with some beer.
“No, but she expects me to.” He crinkles his nose at the thought and offers me some of his potato chips. “I hope it’s okay that I brought you here.”
“Are you kidding me? How often does a guy get to go to a Red Sox – Yankees playoff game?”
“Well, I happen to have tickets to every one, but I know what you mean.”
“Really? Every one? And you were going to miss this tonight?”
“No, actually Nyla and I were going to surprise you and bring you here after dinner. But then she had that thing come up, and I didn’t know if you’d feel comfortable with just the two of us going. But after what just happened at the office, I figured what the hell? We could both use a night out.”
“Well, I appreciate it. And for the record, I would have been fine going with just you.”
“I’m glad. And this way, we can enjoy the game without listening to Nyla talk trash about the Sox.”
“Right?” I reply, wiping my mouth with a napkin. “I can’t believe she’s a Yankees fan. How can such an intelligent woman have such terrible taste in teams?”
“It’s my biggest failure as a parent.” He laughs, flagging down the vendor to get us two more beers. He raises his glass, and we clink the plastic together sending the alcohol sloshing against the sides of the cup. “Only two people could drive me to drink like this and Nyla’s one of them.”
I chuckle. “I could see that. She’s fiery. I bet she was a handful growing up.”
“She’s a handful now,” he admits with a chuckle. “She and Harrison definitely keep me on my toes. He’s the other one in case you were wondering.”
“Yeah, I could see that too.”
He blows out a long breath. “I’m sorry you had to witness that tonight. And I hate to ask you, but I was hoping you could keep it between us. I would prefer Nyla didn’t find out. Or anyone else for that matter.”
“Of course. It never happened.”
“Thank you.” There’s relief in his voice and the worry line between his brow softens. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He draws five hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and holds them out to me. “I’m not sure how much you gave her, but I think this should cover it.”
“It’s not necessary. I was happy to help,” I reply, waving it off.
“Please, I insist.”
“I’m not taking your money, Edward. Taking me to this game is thanks enough.”
He hem-haws, but finally concedes returning the bills to his wallet. “That video could have caused the company and my family a lot of embarrassment and turned into a legal nightmare. You really saved us, Memphis. How did you know she was filming it?”
Because it’s what I would have done. It’s what I have done. So much so, part of me wonders if Mike put the girl up to it.
I cross my leg resting my ankle on my knee. “I saw the way the phone was propped on the desk. It wasn’t just thrown up there. It was placed.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you noticed it. Aww, come on, ump! What the hell was that?” Edward shouts, conveying his displeasure for a close call at the plate. He finishes off the rest of his hot dog talking around it. “I hate to think what that poor girl must have gone through to make her do such a thing.”
His statement surprises me. “Poor girl? You do realize she was going to blackmail you, right?”
“Oh, I know exactly what she was going to do.”
The crowd jumps to their feet cheering around us for two runs that just scored. I remain seated staring blankly at him. “Then how can you defend her?”
�
��She was what? Eighteen? Maybe nineteen? Let’s hope she was, anyway. Her life hasn’t even started yet and she’s already selling herself for money. Something drove her to that. Just because people do bad things, doesn’t make them bad people. There’s usually a reason behind it.”
“I guess,” I reply, digesting his words although I’m not sure I believe them.
He smiles munching on a chip. “I bet you think I’m being naïve. But I promise you, I’m not. I know there are a lot of opportunistic people in the world. And it would be easy for me to be cynical and assume everyone is out to get me or after my money. But that’s not the kind of person I want to be, and that’s definitely not the way I want my daughter to view the world. That’s why I’ve always chosen to see the good in people, and I’ve tried to teach Nyla to do the same. You never know what’s going on in people’s lives that may have pushed them to that point. Take Harrison for example. I can only imagine what you must think of him.”
From what I’ve seen, Harrison is an abrasive, alcoholic asshole that likes to throw his weight around and intimidate people. But because he’s Edward’s brother, I decide to keep my opinion to myself and go with the politically correct answer.
In other words, I lie.
“I don’t really know him, but I try not to judge.”
He scoffs. “You’re being kind because he’s my brother. He wasn’t always like this, you know. He used to be a good man. But after Katie died, he started drinking more. And who could blame him? If I lost my daughter, I’d probably dive headfirst into a bottle too. We tried to get him help, but he didn’t want it. He got lost in the anger and grief and couldn’t pull himself out. Eventually, I had to take away his position in the company or risk him ruining everything I’d built.”
It’s obvious the decision was a tough one and something he still struggles with. I try to offer him some support. “You didn’t have a choice.”
“No, I suppose I didn’t. Nyla and I were hoping by cutting off most of his funds it would help him hit rock bottom. But it didn’t. He still had his savings. And Nyla doesn’t think I know, but she still pays all his bills. She couldn’t cut him off completely. And I guess I never said anything about it because deep down, I wasn’t ready to either. So instead of helping him, we just pushed him over the edge. He accused us of abandoning him and his drinking got worse. He started gambling and visiting prostitutes and who knows what else? Which brings me back to my point. Sometimes things happen that push good people to do bad things. We all make mistakes. But you can’t keep punishing yourself for the same mistake or it will consume you.”