by T. K. Leigh
Their eyes met and Cam saw that they were nothing like hers. They were vibrant, the deep blue almost out of place with the rest of her features. Or maybe he thought so because he wanted them to be brown. He looked deeper and immediately saw what Benny was talking about. He saw the pain. It was etched plain as day on her face. She wore it on her body.
“Please stay,” he said, his chest beginning to rise and fall in a quicker pattern. “I’ll feel incredibly guilty if you leave and something happens to you. I normally am a good guy. I just… I was an ass.”
“You’ve got that right,” she replied with venom in her voice as she scanned the beach and considered her options for several long moments. “Fine,” she hissed, straightening her back, her age-old defense mechanism kicking in. Show no emotion, Jolene, she reminded herself. “I’ll stay in your house, but not because you want me to. I’m staying because Benny wants me to. Unlike you, he’d actually feel bad if I went to a shitty motel and something happened to me.”
Cam opened his mouth to protest, not wanting her to think the worst of him, but he knew he didn’t really give her an alternative with the way he had behaved.
“And he’s my friend,” she said, not allowing him to say anything in response. “So thank you for your hospitality.” She spun on her heels. “Fucking dick,” she spat, making her way back up the block to the beach house, smiling at Benny as she walked past him.
Cam stared at her hips swaying back and forth, his mouth dropping. She certainly had a resemblance to her, but he began to get a strong feeling that the similarities would end there. She was feisty and spirited. He should hate that she called him a dick, but it made him chuckle a little. It made his soul feel alive for the first time in years.
Approaching him, Benny nudged him in the ribs, waking him from his thoughts. “You better apologize to her, man,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Fine,” Cam replied quietly, snapping out of his inappropriate intentions regarding the mystery girl’s amazing long legs. He raised his voice. “I’m sorry!”
“You should be!” Jolene hissed, refusing to face him.
“Do you have a name?!” he asked loudly as she climbed the stairs to the deck.
She turned around just as she was about to unlock the front door. “My friends call me Tomorrow!” she replied, smiling at Benny before returning her attention to Cam. “So I’m not quite sure what you’ll be calling me.” She smirked at him before entering the comfort of her temporary new home, those blazing silver eyes permanently ingrained in her mind.
CHAPTER FIVE
JEKYLL AND HYDE
JOLENE SPENT THE REMAINDER of the morning trying to figure out what to think about Benny’s friend. She felt uneasy staying in the house that he owned when it was readily apparent that he didn’t want her there. But where else could she go? Any decent hotel would probably require a license and a credit card. She didn’t have either of those so she was essentially stuck for the time being.
After hours of anxiety about her predicament, she needed to clear her mind. Grabbing her bag with the only belongings she owned, she left the beach house, unsure of whether she would actually return.
“Where are you going, Tomorrow?” a soft voice called out as she headed south along the sandy road.
She spun around, shocked to see Benny’s friend smiling at her. It was such a different look from the harsh glare he had given her when they met. Even when he had softened his expression, it was still relatively stern. This look was something completely at odds with the man she met earlier this morning. It was warm and tender.
Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, she crossed her arms in front of her body. “Why the sudden change of heart? And didn’t I say that only my friends call me Tomorrow, surfer boy?”
He took a step closer, lowering his voice. “First, I plan on calling you Tomorrow because I want to be your friend, despite what my behavior earlier today may have led you to believe. Second, I do have a name. It’s Cameron. Cameron Bowen, but everyone calls me Cam. Unlike some people, I actually don’t mind everyone knowing what my name is.”
She pulled her lip nervously between her teeth and stared out at the ocean. “It’s not that.”
“Then humor me,” he retorted with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“I’d rather not.” She quickly turned around and continued walking in the same direction.
“Hey!” Cam shouted after her. “Where are you going?”
“I’m hungry!” she yelled over her shoulder. “I’m going to find something to eat. I highly doubt that you fucking care where I’m going anyway, surfer boy.”
Cam chuckled. She had a spunk to her that brought forward feelings he hadn’t experienced the past few years. “Wait up! Let me take you to lunch.”
Jolene paused, facing him. “Why? You don’t even like me. And I’m not so sure I want to have a perfectly quiet lunch ruined by the company of a complete dick, pardon my French.”
A sly smile crept across Cam’s mouth. The anger in her eyes contrasted with her delicate, soft features. Her chest heaved in frustration and it was taking all of his resolve to keep his eyes trained on her face and not the rest of her body.
“I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. It was immature and completely unacceptable for a man of my age.”
Jolene took a step closer, her obvious annoyance with him fading. “Which is?” She raised her eyebrows at him in a joking and somewhat flirtatious manner.
“Oh, now who wants more information?”
She blushed. “Fine. Don’t tell me.” She began walking away again, smiling to herself.
“I’m thirty-eight!” he called out.
Halting in her tracks, her smile widened as she spun around. “Well, Cam, if you don’t mind me calling you that.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Maybe you should consider acting your age.” Her voice was rather light before her expression turned intense. “Thanks for the lunch offer, but I don’t associate with assholes. I’ve had more than my fair share, and now that I’m in control of my own destiny…” She took a deep breath, wanting to finish her thought without letting him see the tears that she had been able to hide so well for years. “I will not waste my time on someone who treats people the way that you treated me earlier today.”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked softly, taking several deliberate steps toward her. “What are you running from?”
“Like you care,” she answered, rolling her eyes. “Listen, let’s just go about our own little lives. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your beach house. I won’t stay long. I’ll get a place of my own as soon as I find a job that can pay me under the table…”
“What?” Cam interrupted. “Why?”
“I’ll just let you think the worst of me. I’m sure that’s what you want to do anyway.”
“Fine,” he said sadly. “I’ll let you go.”
“Thank you.” Jolene walked away once more. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed the defeated look on his face, a strange feeling of guilt washing over her.
“If you keep heading in that direction for about ten or fifteen minutes, you’ll run into a little place called Slider’s. Great food and cold beer. Benny’s girlfriend works there. Her name’s Elsie. She could probably get you a job there, too.”
Jolene reeled around again, her eyes on fire. “What’s your motive here? What’s with the Jekyll and Hyde personality? Are you on medication or something?”
Cam laughed hard, unable to control his response as she glared at him with an annoyed look on her face, her expression severe.
“Sorry. Didn’t realize that my question would be so amusing to you. I’ll just be on my way then.”
“Wait. No. I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. More at the irony of it all. Let’s just say that I’m trying to make amends for acting like a dick earlier.”
Jolene stared long and hard at him, torn about whether she could put any faith in what he said. “Fine. I’ll let you try to fix the hol
e your attitude dug you into this morning. But you’re still not invited to lunch with me. See you later, Cam.”
He chuckled as he watched her walk away from him again, thinking to himself that he would never tire of that view. “I look forward to it, Tomorrow,” he muttered under his breath.
~~~~~~~~~~
“YOU MUST BE THE new girl in town,” a cheery raven-haired woman said just as Jolene walked through the front doors of a decent-sized restaurant set right on the beach.
“How do you know…?”
“I’m Elsie,” she said. “Cam called me. And Benny already said you don’t want anyone to know your name. I love that he calls you Tomorrow. He’s come up with much worse nicknames in the past, believe me. Come on. We’ll go talk at the bar and get you fed. We need to put some meat on your bones. You’re too skinny.”
In surprise and amusement, Jolene followed the spunky woman through a dining room toward a relatively empty bar. Elsie was tall and had a few extra pounds. She wasn’t overweight, but she wasn’t rail thin, either. In a word, she was stunning.
Jolene took a seat at the bar while Elsie made her way behind the counter and opened the beer cooler. “Red Stripe okay? Or do you want something else?” She pulled back her dark hair that contrasted nicely with her creamy skin.
Nodding, Jolene said, “I still don’t know how you knew it was me.”
Elsie slid the beer in front of her, her lips turning up in the corners. The bright red color seemed to match her personality. “You didn’t hear this from me, but Benny said you looked like this girl that Cam was madly in love with. I definitely see the similarity, except for the eyes. Your eyes are amazing. I love that shade of blue. Do you like grouper? We have a really good grouper sandwich.”
“Sure,” Jolene responded, laughing at how quickly Elsie could switch from one topic to another. She seemed so open and full of spirit. In another life, Jolene could see herself becoming good friends with her, but she couldn’t do that. She needed to protect everyone around her from the threat that could come after her at any moment. For all she knew, he was already on his way to find her. The fewer people who knew about who she really was, the better. And that meant remaining distant, even though she wanted a friend more than anything.
“So, Tomorrow. Talk to me,” Elsie said several minutes later, after checking on her tables and making her way back behind the bar. “Cam says you need a job, but don’t want any paperwork filed. You want to get paid under the table. Benny seems to think you’re running from something and he wants to help you. I’m sure Cam wants to help you, too, although by the way he’s been acting lately, you wouldn’t know it.” She rolled her eyes before returning her gaze to Jolene, giving her a sincere look and lowering her voice. “But, most importantly, I want to help you. You need a friend looking out for you. Let me be that friend.”
“I know it’s not exactly legal,” she responded quietly. “But I’m happy to just work for tips. I don’t even want to get paid hourly or anything.”
Elsie grinned, glancing toward the back of the bar stocked with liquor bottles. “Do you know how to mix a drink?” She raised her eyebrows.
Jolene flashed back to her years at the hotel. She knew how to make more drinks than she cared to think about. That’s what he liked. He liked all of his girls to know how to mix a good drink. They had to. It was expected. Offer the men in the poker room a drink. Smile when they served it and don’t brush away any wandering hands because hands that wandered would eventually want you for the night, and that made him money.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “I can make drinks.”
“Well, good,” Elsie responded. “This place gets pretty busy on the weekends and it becomes a cash only bar, meaning all tips will be cash only, too, so it’ll be the perfect job for you.”
“Do you own this place?” Jolene asked, wondering how Elsie could make a deal for her to work there for tips only. She looked too young to own what appeared to be a popular beach-side bar and restaurant.
“Nah. My dad does, but I pretty much run the show these days. He’s getting older and wants to see the place stay in the family. Plus, I love people too much to want to do anything else. So what do you say, Tomorrow?” She leaned against the bar. “Want a job bartending? It’ll be Thursday through Saturday nights to start, plus some holidays. But the tips alone are pretty good. The further into the summer season we get, you’ll probably be needed on a few other nights, too. For now, we’ll give you the busiest nights.” She winked.
A wide smile crossed Jolene’s face. “That’s perfect.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“RALPH, WHAT THE FUCK happened the other night?” Anthony Falconi asked his nervous-looking associate as he paced his office. “How could she possibly get out? Where were Frank and Lenny? They were supposed to be keeping watch outside of the suite!”
The longer he talked, the more upset he became. There were so many security protocols in place, but his Jolene made it through every single one. It was almost as if the entire hotel staff was in on it. He didn’t see how that could happen. His employees had no knowledge of the girls. Falconi felt as if he was losing control of everything. The carefully structured system that he built up over the years was beginning to crumble around him.
“I’m on it, boss. Apparently, a few of the girls had clients who left early and, well…I don’t think I need to spell it out for you,” Ralph explained, raising his eyebrows.
“Have they been dealt with?” He crossed his arms in front of his stomach, his muscles flexing, making his polo shirt tighten around his biceps. For a man pushing sixty, he prided himself on his physique.
“Yes. They have. I sent…”
“I don’t want to know the details,” Falconi interrupted. “You know, the whole plausible deniability thing my lawyer keeps saying has been saving my ass.” He winked.
Ralph chuckled. “Got it, boss.”
Falconi sat down, drinking his bourbon, wondering who was behind it all. It had been years since one of the girls had gotten out. But Jolene… She was his girl and had even tighter security around her.
“We may have some idea about who could have helped the girl escape,” Ralph said once it was apparent his boss had calmed down a bit.
Falconi raised his head. “And who would that be?” he asked, his irritation showing. “Didn’t you think that maybe you should lead with that piece of information instead of it being a fucking footnote?” he fumed.
“Well…” Ralph nervously fidgeted with his belt buckle and adjusted his pants around his rotund waist. “I saw that head of housekeeping taking a laundry cart down the same night. I stopped her, thinking it was odd that she was just getting to it so late at night, but the bitch said they were short-staffed that day.” Ralph eyed his boss, his heart beginning to race when he saw the angry expression return to his face.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Falconi. I should have stopped and searched the damn cart, but it was a conceivable explanation,” he said frantically.
“Ralph, stop using words you don’t know the meaning of.”
He nodded his head nervously. “You got it, Mr. Falconi. I had heard all the maids complaining about a few of the other girls calling out sick so it made sense. I tried to stop her from getting in the elevator when I heard her talking to the cart. I’m sorry, boss. I fucked up.” He glanced at Falconi, worried that he would meet the same fate as Frank and Lenny. His entire body trembled as he silently waited, staring at his boss.
Falconi took a deep breath, the room remaining eerily silent. Ralph was his right-hand man. He had been with him since the early days. Their relationship had lasted over thirty years. That was longer than a lot of marriages. The last thing he wanted to do was get rid of him and find someone else to replace him, but he did fuck up.
“You want to make it up to me?” he asked, his eyebrows raised. “Find the fucking girl,” he growled, leaning into Ralph from across the desk, his face just inches away. He could smell the fear coming off of him. “Th
e longer she is gone, the angrier I’ll get. Dispose of everyone that helped her. Or make their lives a living hell. Because my life without Jolene is a living hell. She is mine! Bring her back!”
He threw the glass against the wall, shattering it into hundreds of tiny pieces as he walked out of his office, slamming the door behind him.
CHAPTER SIX
JOLENE
JOLENE ARRIVED BACK AT her beach house with a smile on her face, content to have some source of income. She still couldn’t believe how nice and helpful everyone was. Maybe finding the beach rental and calling Benny was exactly what she needed. Nothing had gone right for over ten years. It was time something finally did.
Rummaging through her bag, she found her keys and climbed up the stairs to the deck. She halted when her eyes set on the front door that was slightly ajar. Retracing her steps in her mind, she was absolutely certain that she had closed and locked it before leaving.
Her eyes grew wide in panic, every last nerve in her body trembling as fear consumed her. Did he find her already? She cautiously backed away in a feeble attempt to not alert anyone to her presence. As she gingerly tiptoed across the deck, one of the old floorboards creaked beneath her weight, making her cringe. Several deliberate steps sounded from inside the house. This is it, she thought to herself. It’s all over.
Jolene heard the door swing open and she bolted down the stairs, refusing to give up her freedom so easily.
“Whoa! Where you running off to, Tomorrow?!” a soothing voice called out just as she turned the corner in the direction of the main road.
She stopped dead in her tracks, her heart still racing. She couldn’t believe how quickly her brain immediately assumed that he would be in her house.
Her chest heaved as she gazed out at the crashing waves of the ocean, hoping the pacifying sound of the water would calm her nerves. He’s not here. He’s not here. I’m safe. I’m free. She kept repeating those words over and over as she felt a warm presence approach behind her.