Chapter Six
Adeline
Adeline sat in the back parking lot of Queen’s Gold pawn shop. She was seriously shocked that she was the first to arrive, but she didn’t have to wait long because within five minutes, Melanie, Olivia, and Sunday had all pulled in, followed by Loren.
Adeline let out a sigh, because Loren had listened and left her brother at home.
“Are we ready?” Olivia clapped her hands. “Coco is expecting us.” Queen’s Gold wasn’t in the most prestigious location: it was nestled in the middle of Orlando’s red-light district. From prostitution, to drug deals, if you wanted to buy something illegal, it could all be done in this area, and the funny part was, it was all within a few-block radius of the Orlando Police Department headquarters and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s main office. Not to mention Orlando City Hall and the Federal Courthouse.
Queen’s Gold had wrought-iron bars on the windows and doors.
Olivia grabbed the golf clubs from the back of Loren’s SUV before Loren locked up, and then they all headed across the parking lot.
“Who’s that?” Loren whispered, her voice sounding as if she was scared to death.
“That’s Coco, come on.” Adeline walked up and gave Coco a wide smile.
“I know that you want to hug me, don’t you? Come on, Coco, admit it?”
“Girl, if I do what I want to do with you, I’ll be back in prison. Now get yo ass inside.”
“Loren, this is Coco. Coco, this is your next charge.” Coco folded her arms and scanned Loren up and down. “Don’t be like that. Loren, don’t let her scare you. She’s like a dark chocolate Milky Way candy bar.”
Coco spread her legs shoulder width apart and glared, then let out a quiet laugh. Contrary to what anyone would expect, it wasn’t a boom befitting such a large woman, it was high-pitched and girly. Loren couldn’t help it. Coco’s laugh was contagious.
“Yep, she likes to pretend that she’s hard. She isn’t.”
“Get your asses inside before I beat the shit out of all of you. I’m just getting ready to eat breakfast, got my hominy and honey all ready. You five best be hungry.”
“Yum.” Melanie rubbed her stomach.
“Hominy, what?” Loren looked confused.
“Coco likes to be weird. She says that’s what they call it in her country, but it’s plain old grits.” Adeline winked at Loren.
“Where’s she from?”
“Tonga.”
Once they were all inside, Coco locked back up before leading everyone upstairs. “Eat, then we will talk business,” Coco ordered, dishing each one a bowl of hominy with a mound of honey poured in the middle.
The place was quiet as everyone did as they were told. Only once Coco was done did she turn to Loren, saying, “So, tell me about you. You have a man not treating you right?”
Loren nodded. “Yeah. You could say that.”
“Of course I could, I just did. What is he doing?”
Loren glanced left then right, trying to see what the ladies had to say about being questioned.
“What you looking at girl, don’t you know what he’s done, or are you just wanting to divorce him for the hell of it? Not that I blame you, most men get on my nerves too.”
“He’s been lying to me, cheating on me, god, what isn’t he doing? His own daughter is scared to death of him.”
“Has he put a hand on your daughter?”
Loren shook her head. “No. It’s just that he always screams at her and me. Noelle hides from him.”
“Girl, you’re much too young to be worrying about husband problems like that.”
Adeline lightly squeezed Loren’s hand to infuse her with a bit of strength. Loren blinked, trying to hold back the tears as she ate, and Coco turned her attention to the rest of them.
“So any of you ladies get stupid lately? Do I need to whip some common sense into you all?”
They all laughed. This was Coco’s way of asking whether they had a man in their lives.
“Nope,” Sunday answered. “And I don’t want one. More headaches than they are worth. Learned that the hard way.”
Coco made a clicking sound with her tongue. “You always were a smart one.”
“How about you, Olivia?”
“Not me.”
“Melanie?”
“Nope.”
“Adeline?”
“Not me.” Melanie, Olivia, and Sunday laughed like a couple of preteens with a secret. “Will you three stop already?” Adeline snapped, then she shoved her last spoonful of grits and honey into her mouth and stood. “Well, it looks like we’re all done, why don’t we head downstairs to look at the clubs?”
“Don’t disappoint me, Adeline. Don’t get fooled by the one-eyed wizard,” Coco said, leaving the others fighting back their laughs as she dropped her bowl into the sink. The others, realizing the conversation was obviously over, followed suit before heading downstairs.
“Hand me that nine iron, would you?” Loren slid it out and handed it over. “Honma golf clubs, don’t get these in here very often. Your dirtbag husband a pro golfer?”
“No, he’s a showoff.”
“Oh, one of those.” Coco moved from behind her counter and over to the bag to examine it closer. “He doesn’t play a lot, does he?”
“No, he plays all the time. Every day.”
Coco titled her head, confused since the gold clubs showed very little wear. But Adeline caught Coco’s attention and gave an infinitesimal shake of her head. Leaning over, Adeline whispered, sotto voce, “Depends who you ask. Ask him, and he’ll tell you that he’s golfing all the time, ask Olivia’s camera and it’ll show him going to the golf course to meet women and then leaving with them.”
Coco leaned back on her heels and looked up to meet Adeline’s eyes. The only person probably more jaded than Adeline was Coco. Pawnshops were sad places full of people’s broken dreams and promises. But Coco hated seeing anyone shit on.
“How much are you looking to get out of these?”
“I have no clue. I don’t know what he paid for them.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll give you five thousand, but that’s my highest offer off the bat.”
“I’ll take it.” Loren jumped at the offer.
“Now, Loren, listen to me carefully.”
Loren leaned in, as if Coco was about to instill some great secret. “Keep this money as cash. Hide it in your daughter’s room, or somewhere your husband won’t look. This way, if anything happens, you can grab it and go. I always believe that we women need to have a chunk of money hidden just in case we need to go off the grid for a little bit. You never know.”
“Okay, I will.”
“Don’t you worry, honey. Just because he’s the mayor don’t mean his shit is all Shinola.”
Adeline wrapped an arm around Loren and tugged her close. “Don’t ask. Don’t ask how she knows who you are, or who your husband is. The woman knows everything, it’s scary. And for god’s sake, don’t ask about the whole shit and Shinola thing, she’ll just tell you it’s some Tonga saying.”
Coco moved to the back of the store, reached into the coffee pot, and pulled out a stack of rolled bills before walking back to the group. “This is five thousand.”
“Coco, when are you going to get a safe?” Melanie asked.
“When I can get one without some company having to install it. I don’t want someone out there knowing that I have a safe, or where it is, or how to access it. Until then, I hide a little here and a little there. Besides, I can just call you girls and say the magic words.”
“Please?” Sunday asked.
“Nah. Can we make this look like an accident?”
Loren’s eyes were wide as she took in Coco’s words and wondered whether the woman was serious.
But Coco was off on her next topic, her eyes sparked with excitement. Well, about as much of it as Coco ever really showed. “Olivia, look what I got in, a Smith & Wesson MP Shield. I don’t think the thin
g has ever been fired.” Coco pulled out the compact 9mm gun, along with an entire box of other items. “Took in several sets of brass knuckles. Tell me, who the hell still carries brass knuckles? Seems so days of the rumble to me. Nowadays, someone just caps your ass.”
“What’s this?” Loren held up a pink device that resembled a vegetable peeler.
“That’s a stun gun. Just takes two triple-A batteries and will have a guy searching for his balls.”
“Hmmm. I doubt that would really work. What’s this?” Loren held up something that resembled a boxy-style toy gun.
“That’s a Taser.” Coco said it, then erupted in screams. “Fuck,” Coco yelled as her knees went out from under her. The nearly six-foot-five woman, who was as wide as she was tall, hit the floor, boxes tumbling down around herg.
“Oh my god, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened,” Loren half-shouted, half-cried as she ran over and knelt next to Coco.
“Why don’t you step back, Loren, I’m not sure we want you in Coco’s reach?” Adeline wrapped one arm around her and pulled her back.
“Give me that.” Olivia snatched the Taser from Loren’s hands before she could accidentally hit the trigger again and send a second burst of energy pulsing through Coco.
“I’m so sorry, Coco.” Tears bubbled in Loren’s eyes.
“Out, get out. Just go.” Coco pointed toward the door.
“I’m sorry, really.”
“Go."
The girls chuckled as they stepped forward and each extended a hand to help Coco up. She ignored all of them. They knew what it felt like to be Tasered—hell, they each had to be Tasered when they were getting certified in their different weapons classes.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Adeline knelt next to the giant woman.
“Go before I break your scrawny neck.”
Adeline looked up and saw the Taser that Olivia was waving to get her attention, and felt a bit relieved seeing that it was a twelve-hundred volt and not the standard fifty-thousand. Sure, it stung, but even static electricity was stronger. For Coco, it was all pride.
“Love you, Coco, talk soon,” Adeline hollered as she headed for the back door and then stepped out.
Chapter Seven
Riley
Riley couldn’t believe he’d agreed to this, or that he trusted anything that came out of that woman’s mouth. Maybe that was because he was too busy thinking of other things that he’d like to do to her mouth to worry about what kind of stunt she was pulling.
He felt his cock growing hard as he admired the firm ass of the woman leaning over the side of the car. She was looking at the engine and talking to Melanie, but he couldn’t see what they were pointing at.
Adeline straightened, flicked her hair back, then turned to face him, a smile radiating across her face that sent his libido into overdrive.
“My, my look what the cat drug in, I truly didn’t expect you to show.”
“We made an agreement and I always keep my word.”
“Mm-hmm. Well, don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you. Sometimes I can be a little rough with the stick shift.” Adeline licked her lips, and he could tell that she was thoroughly enjoying yanking his chain. Fine, two could play that game.
Like a python, he snapped one arm out and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her in. “Thank you, Adeline, but I like it rough”—he placed his mouth next to her ear—“and as far as stick shift . . . manual is for teenagers. I’m fully automatic and can go all night long.” The heat from his breath radiated up Adeline’s cheeks, and Riley mentally gave himself a high-five. He liked sexual barbs with a woman, but he was used to it being in the privacy of a bedroom, not out in the open where almost anyone could witness. “So, tell me, exactly what are you going to show me?” Riley kneaded his fingers against Adeline’s hips.
Adeline pulled back and righted herself. “I’m going to teach you how to handle a real woman.” She pointed over to a vintage Mustang. “All men need to know how to properly handle something with power. You can thank me later.” She placed her fingers over his lips before he had a chance to say anything else.
One of the pit crewmen from Zotz came over and handed Riley a flame-retardant jumpsuit and a helmet.
“Just slide it on over your clothes,” Adeline ordered before leaning forward and gathering her hair into a ponytail as she chanted, “helmet hair, I don’t care.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Adeline ignored him. “Okay, I’ll take you for a few laps first so you can get accustomed to the feel of speed and see how I operate, then we can switch seats and you take the wheel.”
“I think that this is stupid, how often do you need tactical driving as a private investigator?”
“Great question, I’ll show you. Because you see, not all husbands or mistresses want to be discovered, and not all husbands are willing to let their wives go so easily, especially not when careers or millions of dollars are on the line.”
Melanie pulled back and then closed the hood before saying, “Checked battery cables, reset speedometer.”
Riley arched a brow.
“What?” Adeline was peeved. “I’ll teach anyone who wants to learn, but Melanie adjusts the speed so they think they are going faster than they truly are. It’s a safety measure.”
“Who are you guys?” Riley asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Adeline winked at him as she walked to the driver’s side and hopped in through the window, since the doors were welded shut. “First things first, this is a five-point safety harness.” Adeline slid her arms into the straps and then grabbed each side of the waist belts and clicked them in front of her. Finally she brought the fifth belt up from between her legs before connecting all of them together to make the five-point star.
Riley mimicked Adeline’s steps.
Adeline fought back a giggle, started the engine, and then put the car in gear. Pedal to the metal, Adeline spun her wheels, the tail end fishtailing before grabbing traction and lurching forward.
“We have this set up as an obstacle course, so at different intervals”—Adeline grabbed hold of the wheel and swerved to the left, her tires squealing before she straightened her wheel and resumed to full speed—“objects will pop out in front of us, the idea is not to hit them.”
Riley gripped the edge of his seat as Adeline yanked the steering wheel to the left then to the right. “I’ve had mistresses throw large garbage cans in front of me while I was driving.”
She hit the brakes, and he jerked forward. She hit the gas, and he pressed back into the seat. “I’ve had angry men who were busted for boinking the nanny throw entire boxes of roofing nails out their window at me.”
Catching a glimpse of the speedometer, Riley cringed as he saw the needle rising past eighty, ninety, one hundred. “How fast do you normally go?”
Swerve, brake, speed back up.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Adeline sounded as cool as shit as she spoke. “Maybe one-eighty or so.”
“Great, just great.” Riley felt the sweat prickle along his forehead and slice down his back.
Swerve, brake, speed back up.
“Last stretch, ready for your turn?” Adeline shouted with glee as she sped up even faster, heading right for the wall.
Riley’s heart raced, holy fuck, the bitch was going to kill them. They were going to die. “Brakes. Brakes.”
“Oh yeah, knew that I forgot something.” Adeline threw her foot down and pulled her emergency brake, tires spinning, the smell of burning rubber filling the car as it rotated once, twice, and then came to a complete stop almost exactly where they’d begun.
Riley couldn’t get out of the fucking harness fast enough. Unclipping the damn things, he ripped them off, then jumped out of the window and staggered from the Mustang, looking half-dazed.
The workers of Zotz raced over with first-aid kit and water bottles. Although the car was fine and Riley appeared fine, the Iron Ladies and Zotz took eve
ry precaution. They still had the track medic check the blood pressure and eye pupils of all drivers after their “Adeline experience” as Zotz liked to call it. As they examined him, he listened to her talk with the other ladies.
“How did I do?”
“Holy shit, Adeline, I think that was your best stop ever, look”—Melanie pointed to the front tires of the car—“I think you’re within five inches of your starting point. Good job.”
Riley shook his head, the woman was crazy, but she could fucking drive. He had to give her that.
When Riley was given the all clear, Adeline tossed him the keys. “Your turn.”
He laughed as he scanned up and down Adeline’s body. “I’ll leave it to you. You definitely know how to handle a stick shift.”
Something fired in Adeline’s eyes, and he could tell she was dying to say something but was obviously happy with this small victory instead.
They each took a bottle of water that was offered to them by Melanie, and Riley found himself concentrating a bit too hard on the way Adeline wrapped her mouth around the top of the bottle, and the way her neck moved as she swallowed the cool liquid.
“So Mr. Thomas, exactly what is it that you do?”
“Besides give you a hard time?”
“Oh that was hard?”
Riley choked as his water went down the wrong pipe. “Sweetheart, I haven’t even shown you hard yet but I will. And once I do, I promise you won’t be left questioning.”
Adeline was left dumfounded, her mouth open a bit in awe. That look on her face, Riley loved and all he could think was, what he wouldn’t give to have her lips wrapped around something else.
“So, what is it you do to earn money because I know that giving me a hard time isn’t it?” Adeline punched Riley’s shoulder, snapping him from his thoughts and the one-way track his mind was headed down.
Roadster (Iron Ladies Book 1) Page 6