Perfectly Imperfect Mine

by Amelia Shea

  Stone remained quiet. He’d read through it all when he got home. He had a feeling Sadie’s file was going to break his heart.

  “Look, Stone, I think you need to talk to her…” Ethan calmly said.

  Stone shook his head. “I won’t lie to her.”

  “I get that you’re into this girl. I get it. She’s sweet and innocent in all this but we have to think…”

  “I won’t lie to her.” Stone’s voice was firm.

  They were at a stalemate. They all stood in silence.

  “Let Ethan talk to her then. He’ll smooth shit over, make her understand.” T reasoned with him. Stone met T’s eyes and nodded his head. They had to deal with the situation. Ethan would be the best to explain what needed to be said and ease Sadie’s mind.

  Ethan smiled and bundled up his expensive coat around him. “Let’s get back in, it’s frigid as a bitch out here.” Ethan and T started back through the parking lot.

  “E, man,” Stone called out.

  Ethan and T both stopped and turned around.

  “You ever check out her tits again, you and me are gonna have a problem.”

  Ethan sneered. “Noted.”

  “C’mon, Stone, cut E some slack here. I mean, she’s got a great pair of tits!” T laughed and watched Stone glare at him.

  Fucking brothers, Stone thought, while he watched them walk back to the diner. He smiled and unlocked his door to head home. He had some reading to do.

  Chapter 6

  As a child, Sadie never played sports. The recreational teams through the town weren’t free. Her mom always came up with an excuse as to why she couldn’t play. She would say Sadie was too short for basketball, not peppy enough for cheerleading, not aggressive enough for soccer. Her excuse for softball was simple, easy, and had no reflection on Sadie. She wasn’t going to sit in the stands, sweat her ass off from the heat and be forced to watch the most boring game in the world.

  While she played with some kids in the trailer park, she never made any lasting friendships. Most families moved after a couple of years. Some bought homes in Cedar Bluff. Other families just left never to be heard from again. However, there were a few people that had been there since her mom and her arrived sixteen years ago.

  Two trailers down was Miss Trudy, a southern sweetheart originally from Georgia with the accent to prove it. She was probably in her fifties. Through the years many men had come in and out her door. Some for a night, some stayed longer. There were rumors of prostitution but Sadie never bought into it. Even if the rumors were true, she wouldn’t have cared. Miss Trudy had always been nice to her. She took Sadie in a few times and fed her when her mom forgot to leave the key for Sadie. She baked cookies at Christmas and dropped them off every Christmas Eve. She even made a special cake for Sadie on her ninth birthday.

  Her mom didn’t like Miss Trudy and that was being kind. Truthfully, her mom hated her, said she was trash. She would be pleasant enough to Miss Trudy in public but as soon as they were alone she would go on a rant. She hated that Sadie spent any time with her. She would say, “You stay away from that woman, Sadie. She’s no good, whoring herself for any man that gives her a bit of attention. I don’t need her teaching you any of her tricks.” Her mom didn’t like Miss Trudy because deep down inside she knew she was just like her. Although, Sadie’s mom wasn’t nearly as nice as Miss Trudy.

  Sadie was reading her newest “dirty girl” book when Miss Trudy walked over. She was bundled up with a scarf and winter coat. It was cold and the weather people were calling for snow in the next few days. November in Nebraska was usually too cold to be sitting outside but they were experiencing record breaking temperatures. It hadn’t been that warm in Nebraska during November in sixty-two years. It was about forty-five degrees but the sun made it feel warmer.

  Sadie was bundled up on the Adirondack chair in her yard. The two chairs she had were in good condition. They were Lenny’s, her old neighbor. When he moved he put them in the trash. Sadie swiped them, cleaned them up, and set up a little sitting area in her fifteen-by-fifteen-foot yard. She also had a small plastic table separating the chairs.

  She waved at Miss Trudy as she entered.

  “Hi, Miss Trudy! How about this weather, it’s a Nebraska Indian summer!”

  She laughed as she made her way toward Sadie. For an older woman, she was very attractive. Bleach-blonde hair to her shoulders, full face of makeup, and heels. She was the only woman Sadie knew who could pull off that look.

  “Warm as it may be, it’s still too cold for this Georgia peach, Miss Sadie!”

  She’d always called her Miss Sadie. When Sadie was younger she called her Little Miss Sadie. She dropped the “little” a few years back.

  Miss Trudy took a seat in the empty chair next to the table. Sadie dropped her book on the table and bundled up tighter under the blanket as a cool gust of wind blew in. Although it was unseasonably warm, it was definitely getting too cold for more than an hour of reading outside.

  “How’s it going?” Sadie asked.

  Miss Trudy sniffed. “It’s all right. Damn this weather, my nose always runs.” She proceeded to blow her nose.

  “You want some coffee; it’s fresh, just brewed it.”

  “No, thanks, sweetheart, I just came over for a favor.”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “Can you bring me home some Danish from your next shift?” she said with a disgusted look on her face. This made Sadie laugh. She started laughing too.

  “Harry?” Sadie asked, although she already knew the answer. Harry, her new man, loved the Danish at Bernie’s. Miss Trudy, being an amazing baker, was slightly offended by this.

  “Yeah. Men are stupid creatures, Sadie. My goods are better than any diner Danish. But Harry wants some for when he comes home. The things we do to keep our men happy.” She sighed as she adjusted her jacket.

  “No problem. I’m working tonight; I’ll drop them on your porch when I get home.” Sadie smiled.

  She smiled back as a gust of wind blew her hair in her face. She moved the hair behind her ear and opened her mouth to speak but stopped. Something beyond had her attention. Sadie looked over her shoulder and watched a sleek shiny Porsche drive down the road. It was a beautiful champagne color. It slowed down and finally stopped in front of her trailer. The driver was probably lost.

  “Oh my Lord!” Miss Trudy whistled.

  They watched as the driver got out of the car. He was tall with dark hair. He had a pair of expensive looking sunglasses on so she couldn’t really see his face. He looked down the road from where he came in and down to the other end. Yeah, he was lost. It happened a lot. People thought there was a cut-through to the other side of town but there wasn’t. There was only one way in and one way out.

  He’d checked out his surroundings. Sadie would too she thought, if she was driving a car like that through a trailer park. He didn’t look worried though. He looked confident, like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Silently, Miss Trudy and Sadie were still watching him. He glanced across the street and turned fully around to them. He stopped moving when he realized he was being watched.

  He moved around the front of his car and it beeped. He must have locked it, smart man. He was walking over to them. Sadie wondered why he didn’t just roll down his window and ask for directions. They could have heard him from where they were. He stopped at the front of her car to his left. He had on a black pea coat with black slacks and a gray collared shirt. This man was definitely lost.

  “You lost, sugar?” Miss Trudy sweetly and a little seductively asked. Sadie smothered a giggle with her hand. Miss Trudy loved men, of all ages.

  He smiled at her and began to remove his sunglasses. He propped them onto his head and Sadie’s jaw dropped.

  “No ma’am. I’ve just found what I was looking for.”

  GQ looked down at Sadie and smiled.

  GQ introduced himself to Miss Trudy. Ethan Barrett. She immediately got up when he extended hi
s hand for a shake. This man had manners. She was completely taken with him and began to bombard him with questions. She told him they thought he was lost since they never see those kinds of fancy cars around. She let out her thunderous laugh that he matched with his own reserved laugh. She continued with her questions which led to her bragging about Harry’s old Mustang that he had overhauled. In truth, the car was junk and held no comparison to Ethan’s Porsche. Nonetheless, Ethan had the decency to appear interested in Miss Trudy’s bragging.

  All the while, Sadie said nothing. She just watched him. After about five minutes, Miss Trudy insisted he sit down and gestured toward the seat she vacated. She said her goodbyes, thanked Sadie for the Danish, and strolled back to her trailer. Once she passed the car’s back end, she turned and winked at Sadie with a mischievous grin.

  “I hope I didn’t scare off your company,” he smoothly said.

  Sadie looked at his chiseled face. She shook her head. She didn’t know why he was there. He didn’t look dangerous or scary but she couldn’t find her voice to say anything. A little embarrassment rolled through her as she recalled her behavior last night. Sadie did it to piss off Stone and she didn’t think she would ever see this guy again.

  “Good. I don’t want to interrupt your day. I just wanted to talk if you could spare some time for me?” He stared at her again, waiting for her to answer but she remained mute.

  Sadie nodded again. He must have thought she was an idiot.

  He let out a chuckle. “Okay, well, seeing as how this conversation will be one sided; I’ll just get on with it. My name is Ethan Barrett. I am a colleague and friend of the men you met the other night. Stone, T, and Bogs? You remember I’m sure?

  Sadie nodded again. She pulled her feet underneath her and sat on them. She leaned her elbow to the left and rested it on the arm of the chair.

  “Very well. I’m going to get straight to it. I know what you witnessed, Sadie. And while I am very sorry you saw what you did and all the circumstances that occurred afterward, I want you to know, it’s not what you think. I own Garrison Bail Bonds in Houston. Do you know what a Bail Bond is?”

  She nodded. “Is that what Stone does? Bail Bonds?” she asked quietly.

  Ethan shifted in his seat, shaking his head. “Stone and T, they run an associate company, Garrison Securities Group. Do you know what a Bounty Hunter is?

  Sadie nodded.

  “Well then you know it’s their job to find people. We work together to retrieve those who have jumped bail. That was what happened on Monday night. The guys were there to apprehend a fugitive. In the process of apprehension, it was the man who pulled out the gun and shot. Stone struggled to get the gun away and it fired. That man, who is a wanted criminal, shot himself.”

  He settled back into the chair and waited for her to roll it over in her head. Everything he was saying made sense. Sadie didn’t actually witness the man being shot. It could very well have happened exactly the way Ethan was saying it did. She tried to block her worry that Stone could have been hurt. He wasn’t her concern and didn’t deserve it. But if what Ethan was saying was true, the aftermath didn’t make any sense.

  “Why didn’t they just tell me that then?” Sadie asked somberly.

  He leaned forward again with his hands clasped in front of him. He nodded and sighed. “This job was a rather unique situation. Usually, there is a plan for these apprehensions. We map out every possible scenario so no one gets hurt. Unfortunately, we were not allotted the planning process time. And this particular case was to be done with complete anonymity. I can’t give you the details and I am sorry for that. No one could know that he was in our custody.”

  “They threatened to kill me.” Her tone rose in anger.

  He held up his hands in a surrendered pose. “Truthfully, they panicked. I understand that in no way excuses their behavior but I’m hoping it explains it. Their tactics, which I agree were extreme and uncalled for, were meant to scare you, not harm you. I assure you, Sadie, you were never in any danger from my men. We are the good guys.”

  “Stone told me if I told anyone he’d come back for me.” Sadie watched Ethan closely.

  He nodded. “Yes, he did, another scare tactic. He couldn’t risk you going to the authorities. I wish I could give you the answers that you deserve but for your own safety, I cannot. You have my word; we’ve done nothing wrong or illegal. The man we apprehended was a very bad man, Sadie. It was imperative that we got him into custody and off the streets. My only regret is that you were affected.” He seemed genuinely sorry. His answers didn’t seem rehearsed but it was as if he knew what she was going to ask even before she asked it.

  Sadie nodded one last time. It was a lot to take in. His explanation made sense. She had no reason not to believe him. It was a case of the wrong place wrong time.

  “Why you?” She didn’t explain her question. He knew she was asking why he came to talk to her instead of Stone.

  “I usually handle the people aspect of the job. We all have our roles in the companies, this one just happens to be part of mine.”

  “What about the others, what do they handle?”

  “Well, Bogs is our tech guy. He handles all of the technology. He’s phenomenal with computers. He should have been a professional hacker.” He laughed and she smiled. Ethan had a great laugh. “Stone and T handle the apprehension part of our job. They are licensed PI’s with Garrison Securities.”

  “So, why was Bogs there then, if he’s just the tech guy?

  “As I said before, this was an unusual assignment. And don’t let Bogs hear you call him ‘just the tech guy.’”

  Sadie let out a small laugh.

  “I hope I’ve eased your mind. If I’ve answered all your questions, I’ll get going so you can get back to your day.” He smiled as he gazed down at her book.

  Sadie looked over at her current read. The cover was a shirtless tattooed guy on a motorcycle with a woman in a bustier draped all over him. Her face burned—this was so embarrassing. She loved her “dirty girl” books but it had always been a private guilty pleasure.

  Ethan stood up and adjusted his coat. He really was handsome with his chiseled face and blue eyes. She checked out his hands. No ring. He must have had many women vying to be his. He probably dated supermodels. Stone probably dated models, too. He wasn’t the classy hot guy like Ethan but she had always been a fan of the rugged hot anyway. The thought of Stone prompted one last question.

  “I have one more question. Is Stone always such an asshole?”

  He burst out laughing. “He has his moments.”

  He was still laughing as he walked closer to her and extended his hand. She took his hand. Sadie found herself laughing a bit too.

  “It was nice to meet you, Ethan Barrett.”

  “The pleasure was all mine, Sadie Wallace.”

  “And I should apologize for the display I put on last night. I’m not really like that, I just…” Sadie stopped and inhaled a deep breath. “I don’t know why I acted like that,” she lied. “If I made you feel uncomfortable, well, I am really sorry,” she finished, feeling like a complete idiot and glanced down at the dirt.

  “Sadie?” She looked up and he had a heated glimmer in his eyes. He leaned closer to her. “No need to be sorry, I’m not.” Charming was the only word to describe Ethan Barrett. He winked at her and slowly released her hand. Damn, the man was sexy.

  After Ethan left, she went on a run. Running always cleared her head. She went over everything he told her. She kept trying to find loopholes in his story but she couldn’t. Sadie knew he didn’t tell her everything but he claimed it was for her own safety, which she appreciated. Still, she was left with a nagging feeling that something didn’t add up. She just couldn’t figure out what it was. Sadie could usually tell when someone was lying. They would fidget, lose eye contact, sweat, and stutter; Ethan didn’t do any of that.

  Maybe her nagging feeling was disappointment. Chances were she wouldn’t see Stone again. It
was just as well. She didn’t need him or his judgment anywhere near her. This was what she kept telling herself. She never wanted to lay eyes on him again. Except in her dreams, of course.

  * * * *

  Those dreams were interrupted three hours later by her boss Bernie. She was in the middle of a fantastic dream. She was with Stone on a beach, naked, with waves crashing in the background. He was kissing her and his hands were all over her. His lips were on her neck and his hand was trailing down her bare stomach. His light touch caressed below her belly button moving downward, a little further, almost to her…Cue the blasting ring tone. Bernie. He needed her to change shifts and come in at seven instead of ten. She was pissed at the interruption; it was just getting good when her cell rang.

  The only good thing about the interruption was that she would be off at two in the morning. She hadn’t been home that early on a Saturday night in a while.

  Her shift started with Kate, and three hours into it, Melinda came in. She hadn’t seen her since the bathroom incident the other night. They hadn’t been scheduled together since. She came in with a group hello but made no eye contact with Sadie. She tried a couple times to engage Melinda in conversation but she just busied herself with customers and cleaning tables. She was embarrassed.

  After two hours of awkwardness, Sadie decided to rectify the situation. Melinda was changing over pots at the coffee station when Sadie walked up beside her and blurted out,

  “I once gave head to Tyler while driving down Main Street!”

  She clanked the two pots together almost dropping one and whipped her head in Sadie’s direction. Her eyes widened with shock. Sadie nodded vigorously.

  “I swear, true story. I was out with Tyler and he told me he’d never gotten a blowjob while driving and it had always been his fantasy. I thought it was kind of sexy so I did it. Well halfway down Main Street, blue lights start flashing and Tyler tells me we are being pulled over.”

  Melinda started laughing, “Oh my God! What happened?”

  “Officer McCarthy pulled us over. He said Tyler was swerving in the lane, gave him a breathalyzer. I think he knew what I was doing but he didn’t say anything. Even now whenever he comes in for coffee he gives me a disapproving look.” Sadie snorted and rolled her eyes.