Breaking Into the Business

by Hadley Knox

  Pam arrived right on schedule. She texted me when she was pulling into the alley, and I sent Greg to go and open the garage for her. She pulled her nice, dark green SUV into the spot next to mine. I stood behind Greg as she stopped her car and got out.

  “Where are you?” she asked.

  “Hold on,” I said.

  Greg pushed the button again and the garage closed.

  “What’s going on?” Pam asked.

  “We’re going to do a little trick to make sure that you aren’t followed,” I said.

  We walked back inside and unfortunately, Pam followed. When we stepped into the living room and saw that the others had joined us, I groaned. My sister would definitely have something to say.

  I turned to look at her, but all she did was gape openly at the good-looking men assembled around my living room. Disapproval poised on the tip of her tongue, but she stood there speechless, looking around at the eye candy that was now my secret business.

  Jake and Mallory joined us, lugging their bags down the stairs. When Ben saw Mallory dragging hers, he ran halfway up the steps to take the bag from her and help her down with it. He might be a gigolo, I thought, but he was such a polite boy.

  “Okay,” Mike said. “Here’s the plan.”

  “And who are you?” Pam asked.

  “This is my friend Mike,” I said before he could answer. “Please show some respect.”

  “I’m just curious, that’s all.”

  “Guys, this is my sister, Pam.”

  They all waved casually except for Ray, who was staring at her as if she was tonight’s dinner.

  “So here’s the plan,” Mike continued. “Jake and Mallory are going to get in Pam’s car and duck down in the seat. At the same time, Lana and Greg will be in the other car. I want Ben and Derrick to get in the back seat. The two of you will be posing as Jake and Mallory.”

  “Um,” Derrick said. “We don’t look anything like them.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Mike said. “We are just looking for the effect. Whoever might follow Lana will just see two smaller shapes and will assume that it’s the children. If Lana drives fast enough, they will never get close enough to tell. If they do figure it out, then Pam will be long gone, and he won’t have any idea that she took the kids.”

  “So who am I?” Derrick asked.

  “What do you mean?” Mike asked.

  “Am I Jake or Mallory?”

  “Since you’re the shorter one, you’re Mallory.”

  “How can I play the part of a girl?”

  “You have long hair,” Ray laughed. “We can just curl it a little for you.”

  “That’s not funny,” Derrick said.

  Mike chuckled. “Lana has a wig from one of her Halloween crates and you’re going wear it.”

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Mike said. “It has to be that way.”

  “Whatever,” Derrick said, slumping his shoulders in defeat.

  “When do we leave?” I asked.

  “As soon as you get the wig and everyone loads up. The sooner the kids are out of here, the better.”

  I told Ray where the Halloween boxes were in the guest room closet so that I could have a moment with my children before they left.

  I led the two of them back through the living room and into the garage. We stopped just in front of the cars, and Greg took their bags from them so that he could load them in the trunk.

  “You really won’t tell us what’s going on?” Jake asked.

  “I’d rather not bother you two with it,” I said. “I promise that I will take care of it so that it will be safe for you again.”

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “I’m going to be fine,” I said. “You’ve seen the guys. They are going to protect me if anything happens.”

  “It’s not ever going to be the same, is it?” Mallory asked.

  I had misjudged her all this time. My daughter had always been the flighty little debutante, taking much of her personality from her father. I loved her still, but I never figured that she would gain the quick wit and intellect that ran on my side. However, as I listened to her ask that question, I knew there was more between those ears than she let on.

  “No, it probably won’t,” I confessed. “But it was like that when your dad left, and we still managed. The three of us are family and we’ll pull through anything together.”

  “Will you call us a lot?” Jake asked.

  “Of course. I still have my cell phone, so if you need to call me, feel free.”

  Greg walked over and stood near us, waiting on us to finish so that we could get started.

  It surprised me when Jake turned around and looked at the man. “Please take care of our mom.”

  Greg walked up and placed an arm on my son’s shoulder. “I will always take care of your mother. She’s a good lady and deserves good things in life.”

  Pam entered the garage and I could hear her guttural protest. Damn, my sister made some ugly sounds.

  I had one last chance to hug my children goodbye. I knew that I would see them again, but a nagging doubt lurked in the back of my mind.

  What if this were the last time I ever saw them?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The plan went off without a hitch. I never saw another vehicle following us. I stayed behind my sister until we got out of the neighborhood and drove the main street to the highway. I stayed behind her on the highway for a few exits, until I was confident that nobody was following us.

  The guys in the backseat played their parts very well and kept their heads down on the off chance that my stalker may get close. I guessed that Derrick’s real reason for ducking down was more out of embarrassment at wearing a wig than anything else.

  We got back to the house to find Ray patrolling the perimeter of the house. I looked at Mike questioningly when I saw him standing at the front window and peaking between the blinds.

  “Sorry, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go outside anymore,” he said. “Since I’ve got that job tonight with your neighbor, she might see me and recognize me and then your cover is blown.”

  “Good point,” I said.

  “So what are we going to do tonight?” Greg asked. “The kids are gone.”

  “I can run to get some beer,” Ben offered.

  “Pool party?” Derrick asked, taking the wig off.

  “My friends Pearl and Betsy are coming,” I informed them. “I think we should just stay inside and keep our focus.”

  “Are Pearl and Betsy cute?” Ben asked.

  “Pearl’s my cousin,” Ray said as he walked through the door.

  “Do they look alike?” Derrick asked.

  “Yes,” Greg said.

  “Hey,” I said, slapping him on the shoulder. “She’s my friend.”

  “What a minute,” Ray said. “Why is Pearl looking like me a bad thing?”

  “It’s not a bad thing,” I said.

  I wanted to change the subject. My mind searched for something else to talk about, but then the doorbell saved me.

  Ray turned and looked through the peephole. Without saying anything to anyone else, he opened the door and admitted Betsy and Pearl.

  “What are you doing here so early?” I asked.

  “Girl, you know we were going to get here quick,” Pearl said. “I would have been here earlier if you hadn’t made me wait until the kids left.”

  “Come in,” I said, ushering them into the living room.

  “So, should I go get some beer?” Ben asked.

  Before I could answer, the work cell phone, still sitting on the kitchen table, rang. I wanted to forbid him from getting alcohol, but I had to get the call before it rang too many times.

  I ran over and pushed the talk button. While I was busy trying to book the client for an appointment three days away, I heard the others talk quickly and I even noticed them handing stuff to Ben.

  When I finally finished the call, I looked back up a
nd my worst suspicions were confirmed. Everyone had given Ben money and a whole list of beverages to purchase. Betsy appeared to be the ringleader, and she had given the college student a list of everything she needed for her perfect martinis.

  I could protest and make an issue of it, but I decided that it was best to roll with the punches. It wouldn’t hurt for everyone, including myself, to cut back a little and have some fun.

  Ben returned and all of the guys, except for Mike who was standing guard, went out and helped him carry the load of alcohol inside. The sheer volume of bags and cases was a little staggering. I counted ten cases of beer, but I thought a few went by me that I missed. Ray set down a large box and started pulling out different bottles of liquor and setting them on the countertop.

  “This might be overkill, huh?” I said quietly.

  “My dear,” Betsy said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “The only overkill here is the stick that’s lodged in your ass.”

  “We have a serious crisis going on,” I told her.

  “Your stranger doesn’t seem to be showing himself, so we should make the best of it.”

  “When’s the deadline?” Pearl asked.

  “Today.”

  “What time?” she asked.

  “You know, I hadn’t really thought about that.”

  “Maybe he’ll call,” Greg said.

  “In the meantime, I’m going to fix a martini,” Betsy said.

  “How can you be so blasé about this?” I asked her through clenched teeth, hoping that nobody else could hear.

  “What makes you think I’m being so blasé, honey?”

  “All you think about is drinking.”

  Betsy set the bottle of liquor down and walked over to me. Her eyes watched mine for a moment, and then she pursed her lips. She reached over to the counter and held the front flap of her purse. Inside I could see the handle of a gun.

  “Oh,” I said.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I’m only concerned about alcohol because I’m trying not to think about the fact that I will put a bullet in your stalker’s head if he shows his face.”

  “Don’t talk like that.”

  “I’m serious. I wish that asshole would ring your doorbell.”

  “Did you get the stuff for burgers?” Derrick asked Ben.

  “Sure did,” he nodded. “I put the hamburger meat in the refrigerator. The buns and the other stuff are in that bag over there.”

  The guys, Betsy, and Pearl went about preparing beverages and dinner for the night. I couldn’t take part because my work cell rang again.

  Right after I booked the appointment for Derrick, the phone rang again. I wanted to complain, but the sensible part of me said that this was all a good thing.

  When I hung up the phone, I set it back on the kitchen table near my laptop which was displaying the schedule.

  “You need some help with that?” Pearl asked.

  “I sure do,” I said.

  “Let me know. You know I hate my job. I will quit that hellhole in a minute and come to work for you.”

  “Really?”

  “Hell yeah. I would walk into that asshole Victor’s office and take a crap on his desk. You just have to match my salary and pay me benefits.”

  “I guess I could get insurance benefits from an insurance carrier that has plans for small businesses.”

  Pearl burst out laughing. “Just make sure that you come up with a better business description. She looked at the guys gathered outside on the back patio. You might also want to get extra coverage for STDs.”

  I chuckled, but tried to get rid of the image from my mind.

  My personal cell phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, I answered the phone.

  “Hello, Lana.”

  I nearly dropped the phone, but somehow I managed to keep a hold of it, despite the fact that I was shaking uncontrollably.

  “Do you have my money?”

  I couldn’t answer him. The response I wanted to use was to tell him to go to hell, but some unseen something was stuck in my throat.

  “I asked you a question.”

  “Why are you doing this to me?”

  “I don’t have time to go over this with you. I want my money.”

  “That’s a lot of money.”

  “Are you saying that you don’t have it?”

  I shook my head, unable to speak the words out loud.

  Pearl knew exactly who was on the phone. She came in close and reached an arm around my back to hold me in a show of support. I didn’t know if she could hear what he was saying, but I needed her help.

  I dropped the phone away from my face just a little.

  “What’s he asking?”

  “He wants to know if I have the money.”

  “Tell him that you have it.”

  “But I don’t.”

  “Tell him you have the money, Lana.”

  She cocked her head to the side and opened her eyes wide. I tried to understand what she was planning.

  “I have your money,” I told the caller. I had to trust that Pearl might know what she was doing.

  “Good. I’ll call you later to tell you where to deliver it.”

  “What time and where?”

  “You’ll find out later. Just have my money ready when I call.”

  The line went dead.

  “What did he say?” Pearl asked.

  “He’s going to call later and give me the details.”

  Greg stepped through the back door, and I could tell by the look of concern on his face, he had witnessed the conversation through the glass door.

  “Was that your stalker?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “What did he say?” Greg asked.

  “He is going to call later with details on how and where I should deliver the money.”

  “You told him that you had it?” Greg asked.

  “Yes,” Pearl said. “I told her to tell him that so that we can get him out in the open.”

  “Good thinking, Pearl,” Greg said. “We hadn’t actually talked about what to tell him.”

  “So what do we do now?” I asked.

  “We wait,” Greg said. “The burgers are almost done and you need something to eat. I’ll get you a beer, too.”

  “No, I need to keep my wits about me.”

  “No, you need to relax. Drink a beer or two and just try to take it easy until he calls.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  My eyes felt like they were just an inch from bursting out into tears. How had this evolved so far?

  Greg crossed the distance between us and grabbed me in his arms. Just before they slid around me, I could feel the first few tears coming. But as they closed around me, the tears and the feeling of impending tears ceased, and I just lay against his chest.

  “It’s going to be okay, Lana.”

  Was it? I wanted to ask him, but I knew that he would only keep reassuring me because that’s what heroic men like him did. But I was more practical and logical, and I couldn’t think of a positive outcome to this situation. Either way, I was going to get hurt.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  As the night drug on, I tried my best to put the stalker out of my mind. The endeavor was only made more difficult by the fact that Betsy and the guys wanted an update. After I had repeated the story, they all wanted to put in their two cents about their theories on what this was all about, and where the possible drop off locations were. Every one of them had a particular plan in mind on how to get rid of my nemesis.

  Once they had all made it to their third beer, the conversation turned away from my issues and to other even more strange conversation.

  Mike excused himself to go down the street to his appointment. He promised that he would return as soon as possible, and then made me promise that if the stalker called back, I could call him and he would come right over, even if he were in the middle of his session.

  As he left, Derrick was in the middle of a story about the time he ho
oked up with one of his bored housewife clients from his other business. At first, I was afraid he was talking about me, but then I knew he wasn’t when he said that the woman had black hair.

  However, the story was much the same. She had caught him skinny-dipping in her pool. After a brief exchange, he and the housewife had hooked up. This process repeated nearly a dozen times until the husband came home early one day and caught them.

  I wasn’t sure what to think about his story. Before hearing that, I assumed that I was special, but now I realized that I was just one of possibly many. I knew it shouldn’t bother me, because I had never felt or expected to feel an emotional connection with him, but I had assumed that our intimate moments were special on some level.

  After he finished that story, he decided to tell us all about his plan for his shtick with his gigolo persona. He wanted to advertise as a pool boy with extra services, and even concentrate on many of the clients whose pools he currently serviced. After all of this was cleared up with my stalker, he planned to go shopping for skimpy bathing suits and maybe even try to find one that was assless.

  I wanted to laugh, but the fact remained that it would be hot. His butt was one of the most attractive parts of him, although that was a tough statement to make considering how pretty he was.

  Another couple of rounds of beer later, Derrick stood up.

  “Let’s go swimming,” he said.

  “That would be fun,” Greg admitted. “But I didn’t bring a swim suit.”

  “Who says we need swim suits,” Derrick shrugged.

  “Absolutely not,” I said before anyone else agreed to his stupid idea.

  “Why not?” Betsy said. “I’m game.”

  “This is ridiculous,” I muttered.

  Derrick was the first one in. He walked over to the lounge chair where he and I had made love, and peeled his clothes off. It was dark outside, but the patio and pool lights still gave me a good view of his rear. I couldn’t hide my smile.

  He dove into the water, and Ray and Ben were up next. They disrobed, and I tried to avert my eyes. One of the men I wouldn’t ever want to see naked and the other was a co-worker whose appearance in the nude would only make it uncomfortable at the office in which we both still worked.