“You need something?”
“Just saying. Hint hint.”
“Hint hint what?”
“That Maggie is looking for a job. A store or boutique or somewhere ‘cool,’ she said. I don’t know any places like that.”
“And you think I do?”
Nico shrugged and walked off, carrying the mop over his shoulder and whistling like an idiot. He disappeared upstairs and I went through the gym, turning the lights off.
Who cared if Maggie needed a job? Wasn’t my problem. I sure as hell didn’t owe her anything. Besides, she wouldn’t want my help. If she didn’t find a job, maybe she’d go back home again. That would solve both our problems.
Except, I did know of a place along the lines of what Maggie wanted, and the owner’s husband owed me one.
I was dialing his number before I’d even made the decision to help.
“Sam? It’s Jay.” I balanced my phone against one ear as I locked up the gym. “I’ve got a favor to ask. Your wife Lacey’s store. Can she use another employee?”
The deal was done before I reached my truck.
Chapter 45
MAGGIE
I’d dropped off my resume at a handful of places, but never heard anything back. How did people land their dream jobs anyway? Or did they? Was gynecology anyone’s dream job? What about managing a fast food joint, or cleaning roadkill off the highways, or being a mortician? Did people choose those things, or just get pulled into them somehow and never end up leaving?
If I’d never been fired from Holy Diner! I might’ve been stuck there for the rest of my life, taking orders, getting to know the regulars, maybe earning a half dollar raise. Yuck. I didn’t want to be stuck anywhere, didn’t want my future mapped out like that.
I decided to drop off resumes to places I wanted to be, even if they weren’t hiring. I handed them out to all the kinds of shops I’d want to work in, wearing my best outfit and brightest smile. It might come to nothing, but it was worth a shot. I’d never get a job at a place I wanted if I didn’t try.
When my cell phone rang a few days later, I didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Is this Maggie Hale?” a woman asked.
“Yes.”
“Hi, Maggie. You don’t know me, my name is Lacey Benwick and I own a store just off the strip. We need a sales associate and I wondered if you’d like to come in and interview.”
“Oh.” I paused. I didn’t hand out resumes anywhere near the strip. I hoped this wasn’t a scam. “Did you get my resume?”
“No, you were referred to me by a close friend.”
I blinked. Referred? Close friend? “I would love to come in. What’s the name of your store?”
“We’re called Maquitte. We sell a combination of clothing, accessories, and home decor.”
She told me the address and I jotted it down on my arm. “That sounds great. When would you like me to come in?”
We arranged a time and I hung up, excited but also confused. Who could’ve referred me to this place? I barely knew anyone in Vegas. Except Nico, who I’d just complained to about my job situation. Did he know someone at Maquitte?
The next day I walked into the store and gasped. Modern décor covered the walls, a glass chandelier hung from the ceiling. My eyes roamed over a mix of country and urban pieces. Soft leather purses dangled from racks and antique style jewelry nestled in bowls. And the clothes—my goodness, the clothes. I wanted to take every piece home with me.
A woman greeted me at the door, her hand stretched out. “I’m Lacey, nice to meet you.”
Lacey was beautiful, sporting a trendy angled bob and light tan. She seemed older than me, though not by much which was a surprise since she owned the store. She put me right at ease and I ended up nailing the interview. She hired me on the spot. I went back to Bronywn’s apartment—I’d always think of it as hers—with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. I owed Nico, big time.
I went to Eastside Boxing that night with a couple of large pizzas from the place Nico and Bron used to order from, plus a six-pack of ginger ale. Nico was surprised when he answered the door.
“We’re celebrating,” I said, while Nico cleared the books from the table.
“Celebrating what?”
I put the pizzas down, then cracked open a can. “My new job.” I held it up like a toast. “To you!”
Nico opened his own soda, but he gave me a weird look. He sipped, then made a face. “Disgusting.”
“Better than beer any day.” I took a slice of pizza, the cheese dripping off the top.
“Are you checking up on me?” he asked, motioning with his slice. “Is that what this is? Not that I’m complaining.”
“I wanted to say thank you,” I said, “for helping me get my new job.”
He pressed his lips together, like he was trying not to laugh. “I didn’t do anything.”
“What?”
“I’ve barely left this building since Christmas. I’ve been too busy with all this stuff, and cleaning, and before…”
He didn’t need to talk about before, I already knew about that. But if he didn’t refer me to Lacey, then who had?
“Let’s celebrate anyway.” I’d figure out who referred me later. Maybe Lacey would tell me.
He smiled. Maybe he was lying about the referral, but I didn’t push it. I was happy to see the smile there in the first place.
“I never say no to free food,” he said.
Now that sounded like the Nico I knew.
After dinner, I took my stuffed self to my dance space and tried to work on my audition piece without vomiting. I’d eaten way too much. I gave up after less than ten minutes. I hadn’t brought my dance clothes anyway and it was awkward trying to dance in jeans.
I headed down the stairs, my hand over my aching stomach. I’d have to be extra good tomorrow to make up for everything I’d eaten tonight. Essence wouldn’t let me in if I gained twenty pounds.
On the mats, Jay was putting away some dummies, pushing them against the far wall. His arm muscles bulged with the effort.
“Need some help?” I bit my lip. Why had I offered?
“No.” He shoved the last dummy against the wall and I went for my boots at the door. “Unless you want to clean the bathrooms.”
I shuddered. “No, thanks. I had enough of that at my last job.”
He came closer. “You don’t work at the diner anymore?”
“Getting fired from that place was the best thing that happened to me.”
“Why?” He crossed his arms. It made his biceps bulge, which is probably why he did it all the time. To intimidate men and make women drool.
“I got a new job. A little boutique near the strip. Haven’t started yet.” I slid my feet into my boots. “Anyway, isn’t cleaning the bathrooms Nico’s job?”
“When he gets around to it,” he said. I straightened, making a face, which he noticed. “Don’t worry, he will. He’s been a lot better.”
When Bronwyn was around, it didn’t seem like he did anything at all. It was a good sign that even Jay noticed Nico was doing better.
“And that’s thanks to you, I hear.” Jay was close to me now, so close I could feel the heat coming off his body. I wanted to lean into it before I remembered who it was and what he thought of me.
“Me?” Why did my voice sound so breathless? And why was I looking at his lips?
“You.” Jay’s head tilted, and he leaned in.
Chapter 46
JAY
Maggie stared at my lips like she wanted to kiss me. I could give her what she wanted. It was hard not to when every muscle in my body was tense, begging for some kind of release. I leaned in and her lips parted in surprise. I pulled a piece of fuzz off the shoulder of her coat and flicked it away. She blushed. I hid a smile.
“What do you mean, thanks to me?” she asked, stepping back.
“Sounds like you talked Nico off his ledge.”
“I do
n’t know about that. I just didn’t want to see him hurt himself. Worse than he already was, I mean.”
No one cared about people as much as Maggie. It was probably a preacher’s kid kind of thing. I’d never gone to church so I didn’t know a lot of religious types. Maggie wasn’t in-your-face about her beliefs, but there was something about her that I hadn’t seen in anyone else.
Of course, that something didn’t matter after she’d lied to Simon, screwing him and trying to get away with it. That I’d seen a lot of, just never to Simon Ting.
Maggie was studying me, a crease between her eyebrows. I met her stare, daring her to speak first. I should’ve known Maggie wouldn’t back down from a challenge.
“Why do you work here?”
The question caught me off guard but I answered honestly. “I like teaching.”
Her eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe I wanted a normal life as much as anyone.
“I don’t want to work for Simon Ting forever.”
“Really?”
Right there, that said it all. All she saw in me was a fighter, a lackey. She couldn’t see past that to who I really was. She hadn’t ever tried. I leaned closer. “One day, I’ll own a gym of my own, this gym, and I won’t have to answer to Simon, or to anyone but myself. So you can get off your high horse and stop judging me.”
She opened her mouth but I didn’t let her speak.
“I used to believe you came from another world, one that I had never, and would never, be part of. But deep down, you’re just like all the rest. You and that friend of yours manipulated and lied your way out of Nico’s debt. Plus a nice little bonus to boot. Is your cut of that paying the rent?”
Heat rose in her cheeks.
“I’ve met plenty of lowlifes and criminals, the kind of people who’d come up with something like that. I never expected it from you. Bravo.”
“I didn’t—”
“Don’t lie to me. I’m not stupid.” I’d put her on a pedestal because I’d wanted to know someone who wasn’t capable of this kind of deceit. It had been nothing more than a pipe dream. “You’re lucky Simon doesn’t know. You don’t realize what he’d do to you if he found out. Or to me. He’s like a father to me, and I’m lying to him. For you.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “You don’t… It’s not what you think.”
“I don’t care. Do you understand?”
She turned her back on me.
I wanted to press my lips to her hair, her neck, her skin, everywhere.
I wanted to forget she ever existed.
“I don’t care about you at all,” I said. I almost believed the lie. “Don’t give me a reason to pay attention to you again.”
The door to the gym swung open. Alfonso stopped when he saw us, his eyes widening.
I stepped around Maggie. “What do you need?”
He tilted his head to the street. “Come.”
Simon’s Lexus idled near the curb. My blood froze. “He’s out?” Either that, or Alfonso had stolen his car. Which would get him just as dead as Alonso.
“He needs you,” Alfonso said.
I’d had a breather while Simon had been laid up, but now it was gone. Did he already want me to start recruiting Aguda’s boys? It didn’t matter. He called, I went. And I had to keep going for now because it was the only way to get something on him to take to Hopkins.
Maggie hadn’t moved. Maybe she was afraid of Alfonso, or more likely Simon. “You need to leave so I can lock up,” I said, shrugging on a hoodie.
She lifted her chin.
Alfonso moved in front of the door. “Her too.”
She faltered. “Me?” Her eyes flicked to mine.
“Both of you.” Alfonso gave me a look he didn’t have to bother with. It said, bring her or else. He went outside. This was bad. Simon should have no reason to want Maggie unless he was using her to threaten me, or if he’d found out about Fred.
“I’m not going with him.”
I moved in front of her, blocking her from the outside. “He won’t hurt you.”
She searched my face. “What about you?”
I scowled. “You should know better.”
“It’s your job, isn’t it?”
“I may not be interested in you anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ll hurt you.”
For a long moment, her eyes never left mine. Then she took a breath and nodded.
I opened the door and cocked my head. Maggie hesitated, then went to the car. She climbed into the back seat and I went in after her.
Maggie faced forward, ignoring Simon, even though she was sitting right beside him. Alfonso got into the driver’s seat.
She shifted closer to me, pressing her thigh into mine. She trusted me more than him. It felt like a win.
“Margaret Hale,” Simon said. She looked at him, but leaned her shoulder into me as if she didn’t want her face too close to his.
Simon smiled. He was still pale, but otherwise looked healthy. I hadn’t expected him out of the hospital this soon. “I appreciate the expediency with which you handled Nico’s loan. It’s always satisfying to close an account.”
“Great,” she said. It didn’t sound like she meant it.
“How did you come by the money?” he asked. “I’m curious. I wouldn’t think your job at that diner would pay you enough.”
Her body tensed. “It didn’t.”
He knew. Somehow, he knew Fred and her were connected. My legs twitched. The air in the car was stuffy. Alfonso was watching from the front, his eyes on the rearview mirror.
Simon tapped his finger against the front seat and Alfonso pulled onto the road. I was surprised he was letting someone else drive his Lexus, but that didn’t matter right now. Simon’s hands were covered in black leather gloves. As much as another murder would help my case, that wasn’t the kind of evidence I wanted to gather.
“A girl like you probably has good credit,” he said.
Maggie folded her hands in her lap. I desperately wanted to take one in my own, to comfort her, not that she would’ve wanted me to.
“I assumed that’s what you would do. But you didn’t take out a bank loan recently. Or ever, for that matter.”
Simon had done his research. I’d been hoping he’d never look into where she got the money once it was paid up, but that hope was dead now. He had to know. But why waste time with this charade?
“Then I thought, maybe you have parents with means. It’s not uncommon for children to try to make their own way in the world, then run to Mommy and Daddy for help.” He leaned toward Maggie. “But that’s not the case with you, is it?”
Simon opened a briefcase and pulled out some papers. “Richard and Maria Hale. A preacher and his lovely wife.” He held the papers out to Maggie but she didn’t take them. I glanced at the top sheet, a picture of an older couple stepping off the porch of their house, their mouths open in conversation. They were both bundled up, snow nestled at their feet. This wasn’t a picture he’d gotten off the internet. This was a picture he’d sent someone to take, and recently.
Maggie stared at her hands. The tips of her fingers had gone red from squeezing. I slid my hand between my leg and hers, curling my fingers so my knuckles were digging into her thigh. It was reminder that I was there, that she wasn’t alone.
Simon shuffled the papers, pulling a new one on top of the other. “Hank Markham, your high school beau.”
I stiffened, glancing at a photo of a goofy looking guy wearing a cowboy hat and an earnest smile. Maggie had dated that guy? Between him and Fred, she had terrible taste in men.
“His family runs a successful ranch. Did you borrow the money from him?”
She looked up and swallowed.
“He looks like a nice boy.” Simon held the picture of Hank beside his own face like some weird comparison. It hit me then, why Maggie never gave me a chance. To her, I was more like Simon than I was this Hank. No wonder she had no interest in me.
“He is nice,” she said
quietly.
Simon’s eyes narrowed. “The kind of boy who would do anything for his girl?”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not his girl anymore.”
“No? Then where, may I ask, did you come up with thirteen thousand dollars? See, things just don’t add up. And I like things to add up.”
Maggie started to tremble. I wanted to pull her out of this car and away from Simon. Away from everything but me.
Alfonso pulled up in front of Maggie’s apartment without anyone telling him where to go.
Maggie glanced at her apartment, at me, then back at Simon. “Does it matter where I got the money?” Her voice rose, fear replaced with anger. There’s my girl, I thought, before I remembered she had never been mine. “I’ve paid off the debt. It’s done. If I’ve borrowed from someone else, that’s my problem with them and has nothing to do with you.”
I nudged Maggie’s leg, trying to tell her to shut up. She’d said too much. Simon’s face went blank.
“I see.” His eyes moved to me and I kept my face neutral. No doubt he was going through all the other Vegas loan sharks he knew, wondering which one she’d borrowed from. He’d look into it, or ask me to, and when nothing came up, would he put Maggie and Fred together?
My fist pressed against her leg. I couldn’t let him hurt her, and yet I hated her for putting me in this mess. If Maggie Hale had never come into my life, I probably could have been free of Simon by now and doing what I wanted. But hadn’t I learned early in life that I didn’t get what I wanted?
“I don’t think we need to know anything else,” I said. “We can let the girl go.”
Simon ignored me. “We’ll talk later, Margaret.”
I opened the door and climbed out before Simon could change his mind. Maggie got out after me. She looked into my eyes and I looked into hers. For a moment, I felt like we could’ve been other people, with simple problems, together.
And then I remembered how she had rejected me. How she thought she was better than me. How she had landed herself in trouble and now expected me to bail her out.
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