by Allen, Sara
Before Chris could respond, Melvin said, “What’s up? I doubt our usual customers will do business with us. By now they have heard about the police running up in the old spot. They’ll be hesitant to mess with us for a while, especially since we didn’t get caught up in the net. There’ll be some doubt about us being trustworthy or not. I recommend we just drive to the nearest bus stop and split. Take a year off and keep in touch on Twitter.”
“Keep in touch on Twitter? What do I look like, a middle-school kid? Hell no! I’m not keeping in touch on Twitter!” Chris insisted.
Patiently, Melvin explained, “Yes, Twitter. We can hide in plain sight. No need for pictures; we can just pop up in a busy feed for one of these rappers or pop singers. We can retweet something and add a phrase. Basically, we agree to meet back home at the Best Western where we did business on a certain date, and once a month we retweet something at one another and say ‘It Is what It Is’. That way, we’ll know the agreed upon return is still good. If we tweet the phrase ‘Seek peace’, we will know the police are on our trail. If we tweet ‘I’m there!’, then we know that person is out of the game. In the meantime, I’m going to make myself some breakfast and let you two guys finish talking about what you want to do.”
“Dude. Have you even washed your face? All up in the kitchen looking raggedy,” Anthony said to Melvin. “I agree, splitting up is a good idea, but what will we do with all the chemicals? Who gets stuck lying low with all that, huh? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to drive anywhere else with all that crap. Let’s just check the scene, buckle down, and cook it up. Hopefully, the happy couple will go elsewhere.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the happy couple,” Chris interrupted. “I give a fuck about getting this shit cooked and splitting. I’m not going back to anybody’s jail. Period. So this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to get to work. That means you Melvin. I’m going to be ready in the event the folks get nosy. If they come over here, it’s going to get ugly fast. The sooner you get to work, the sooner we’ll leave these squares in peace. So get the whole Twitter plan out of your heads. Focus. Cook. Sell. Split.”
Anthony and Melvin looked at Chris and dared not to look at one another. When Chris got like this, he could be hard to deal with. He was making a unilateral decision, but no one really could disagree with his points. Plus, he was the muscle. That’s the reality. Melvin was the chemist, Anthony was the salesman, and Chris was the muscle. It had been like that since day one. Ant could hurt someone, but he wasn’t really one for fighting. Melvin wasn’t going to bust a grape. He liked beer and women. He’d only fallen into this line of work because he had a knack for it, and he had flunked out of college because his partying got out of hand. Hell, they all had. Generally, muscle could be managed, but when times get tough, the muscle takes the forefront. The sales and design team could get on board or get left behind. Chris was six feet and three inches of asshole and attitude, plus he had taken Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since he was a little kid. In a fight, he was a problem. The primary problem was that once he started making contact, he got to liking it a little too much and was damn near impossible to call off, which was a very good reason to never get him started.
Melvin lifted his hands and said, “Hey man, no problem. I’m not trying to start a fight. I just thought this was not the best location. Hopefully, we can make this batch in peace and avoid people until we’ve unloaded all the Purple Reign. Then we can all go our separate ways.” Melvin wasn’t a fan of the current situation, but what could he do? He had no vehicle. He did have plenty of money stashed, but felt that it would be stupid to offer it up to help them hide. They might decide they wanted all of it.
Melvin said, “Ant, reach out to our people. Find out what the situation is with the homies in lockup. See if we can get word to them. Take the temperature of our clientele. See if we still have any clients and if so, let them know we are still in business and we’ll be ready to deliver in a week.”
Ant was agreeable and got up to go make some calls, hoping they had cell coverage in this area as he went.
Chris seemed to have calmed down a bit when he realized the party was going to get started. He was feeling extra jumpy. He didn’t think it was just the situation. He had a bad vibe.
“What do you need from me?” he asked.
Melvin replied, “I need you to rest. When I start the process well after ten o’clock, you will be on look-out duty. Sleep as much as you can today, and I will too. It’s going to be an all-nighter. If we cook at night, hopefully the neighbors will sleep through it. I’m going to measure during the day so everything will go smooth in the lab, and we can keep the light to a minimum. We’ll need some light, though, so I need to know when you see the light at their cabin switch off. We will do our best to keep this as stealth as possible.”
Ant was having some conversations that had him a bit concerned. He had spoken to the girlfriends. The first chick hung up in his face and called him a fucking snitch. The second had been more reasonable, but she did explain that the fellas thought they had been left stuck holding the bag. As it turns out, none of the parents had been contacted as they had long ago exhausted their solid middle-class families’ wells of grace. Ant explained they would never get their trap house busted, especially with all the money still there. He also said they were laying low, and he would check back in when he could. So far, there was no indicator either guy had been talking too much.
The other problem was that their clientele was having a crisis of trust. First, the circumstances of the bust were suspicious. Then there was the matter of not really being able to arrange a meeting so far from trusted and proven exchange points. The clients were willing to buy, but not far from home. This meant they would have to go back to the city where they may or may not be hot in a week’s time. Anthony didn’t like that at all. He felt that was likely to be information Chris would disregard and insist on pressing forward. Anthony felt like maybe they should call this a loss and just walk away. Surely, Chris had some money stashed. He knew Melvin did. Quiet as it was kept, so did he. He was foolish but not entirely stupid. Drug money wasn’t consistent. You had to put something up for the inevitable lull in sales. People were always turning over a new leaf or getting arrested or dying. It was a business full of variables, and all were high risk.
If Chris wasn’t willing to chuck it all and ride out, maybe he and Melvin could just go. Chris might be big, strong, and dangerous, but he and Anthony were smart. There was more than one way to skin a cat.
Chapter Seven
Thursday Night
Serenity
Serenity had been floating on a little buzz of expectation all afternoon. She was excited about seeing Craig again, and it was clear he had more on his mind than just being neighborly. He damn sure better had. After all that flirtatious conversation, she was pretty sure it wasn’t all in her head. Living in something close to isolation after decades in the army was a pretty big adjustment. He probably needed the sensual workout as much as she did.
The conversation while fishing had been illuminating. He had shared about his years as an MP in the army. He’d talked about how the army had changed over the twenty plus years he had served. He’d even explained how much stronger soldiers were and how many of them were very committed to intense physical training, though most of them would not qualify for the precious few spots in specialty units.
He had also talked about how he’d decided to head back to the small town where he’d grown up after retiring. He had seen enough of the world, and he was ready to return home.
When she asked him about children he had replied, “No, no kids. I had a couple of ladies who found themselves expecting, but they weren’t in a position to become mothers. So no, I don’t have any children. What about you?”
“I prefer to be married. Single parenting looks fucking exhausting. If I can’t be married, then I will just have to be an auntie. I have no interest in trying to manage a kid by myself, so no kids
over here either.”
Serenity had spent the afternoon trying to read, but gave up after she kept drifting into memories of their fishing expedition. The conversation had moved freely between the two, and there had been more than a few good belly laughs.
She moved around the cabin, lighting a few of her precious stash of tea lights. She had planned to line the edge of the Jacuzzi with them. She hoped that the peppermint scent would keep insects away, but here she was placing them strategically throughout the house, wishing she had brought more.
The fish was actually not going to be seared. She had stuffed it with lemon, rosemary she picked from the edge of the forest, and garlic. She checked the expiration date on a bag of pecans that had been left behind and discovered that they were still edible. She crushed them and then rolled the fish in the pecans. This fish was going to be delicious after baking. She would also broil it on one side about three minutes to add a little crunch to it. There would be an avocado and cucumber salad to accompany the fish as well as a last minute simple dessert. She had found the leftovers of yet another visitor—a bag of marshmallows, one chocolate bar, and graham crackers. Before a dip in the Jacuzzi and hot sex, they would make s’mores in the fireplace. It would be perfect.
Craig
Craig was across the lake stroking CB, getting rid of the first nut. He had plans to give his new neighbor a good all-night workout, but couldn’t do that if he was worried about cumming too early. After he showered and dressed, he reached for the cologne and remembered his father’s words, “A little is enough. People don’t want to smell you coming and going.” So he just sprayed twice. This cologne was a panty dropper. It smelled like slow dancing and neck biting. He had plans to bite her everywhere she would allow.
About half an hour before he was expected, he hopped in his car and drove around the lake to her cabin. He decided against taking the boat; he didn’t want to get dirty. Also, if it got late he did not want to run the risk of having to come back across the lake in the black of night.
It took approximately twenty minutes to drive all the way around the lake. Craig found himself feeling extra excited and slightly nervous. He tended to date taller women. It wasn’t intentional, though. He had always been the kind of guy who liked good-looking women who just happened to be tall. It was easier with women who were taller than his breastbone. He hoped his size wouldn’t put Serenity off. She sure hadn’t seemed hesitant earlier today. He had caught her noticing his size a couple of times, but she didn’t seem at all afraid, more like cautiously curious. She had made a couple references to his hands, so he already decided he would let her take the lead.
He laughed out loud in his car. He was over thinking. That was rare. They were definitely hot for each other. He was about to take this tiny little woman for a wild ride. She was going to love it too.
Serenity
Serenity heard his door close from inside the cabin. She made herself wait for him to knock before going to the door.
She opened the door and was immediately rocked. He was wearing jeans, boots, and a button-down shirt with a collar. It was nothing fancy, but he looked so good. He smelled like an invitation to misbehave. It made her want to rub her body all over his like a feline. His eyes were green and warm.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey, you,” he responded.
Stepping away from the threshold, she held the door wide and said, “Come on in. May I offer you some wine?”
He followed her with his eyes as she made her way to the kitchen. “Yes, please. Whatever you’re having is fine.”
“I know better than to show up empty-handed, so these are for you,” he said, offering her the gift bag with two bottles of wine, one red and one white.
“I see your mama raised you well. Thank you,” she said as she accepted the gift with a dimpled smile.
“It is lovely in here. Where did you find the flowers? What is that I smell? Peppermint?” he asked.
Smiling, she transferred the side dishes to the table and finished prepping the fish to be presented. “Well, I had plans to do a lot of reading this weekend. I like to read with scented candles burning. The smell seems to pull me deeper into the story. Yes, peppermint is my preferred scent, but I also like lotus oil. The flowers were found in a wildly overgrown garden next door. Whoever owns it should get busy restoring it to what was clearly a beautiful place. Please sit.” She filled his wineglass. “I hope you brought your suit for the Jacuzzi.”
Craig inhaled deeply, her personal scent more intoxicating than the food. “I sure did.”
Serenity pulled plates from the oven. When she placed the warm plate before him, she rested one hand on his shoulder. “Shall I serve you?” she asked.
Looking at her, he nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
Serenity served the fish to his plate and put the salad on a chilled side saucer. With an eyebrow raised, she offered the raspberry vinaigrette dressing and he shook his head. She served herself, looked over the table, and took her seat. They each said a quick blessing over their plates and dug into the day’s catch.
Craig was on his fourth mouthful when he realized he hadn’t said a word from the first bite. The first thing out of his mouth was. “Damn, woman. You can cook!”
Serenity smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I was wondering why it smelled so good in here. You sure did a lot with a little!” he said. “How did you learn to cook like this?”
“My middle sister is one of those people who takes an interest in something and isn’t really content to dabble. She takes classes, reads text books, and tries to achieve master status. She took an interest in cooking at some point in her married life, and I’ve learned a lot from her. When I visit, we always do something great in the kitchen. Well, she does. I just eat. I do learn a lot watching and helping. She is like our mom. She teaches naturally.”
“Well, you clearly learned well if this fish is anything to go by. I love the atmosphere. It smells like peppermint, which for some reason is making me think about Christmas.”
Laughing, Serenity explained, “Peppermint oil has a strong smell, and it keeps insects away. I had originally planned to put a few around the Jacuzzi while I soaked, sipped, and slid into a story.”
“Well, you can still put them around the Jacuzzi. I’ll just be soaking and sipping with you, and hopefully, at some point you’ll slide onto me,” Craig said just before he sipped from his wine glass.
Serenity’s eyes glowed with heat. “Now, I’m trying to be a little bit of a lady, but damn. You can’t sit over there looking good, smelling good, and talking low-key nasty. That is fucking with my ladylike tendencies. I have no doubt that I’m going to slip and slide all over you. There is so much of you to explore. I’m over here wondering where I will start.”
Craig did a fist pump. “You ready to play? I’ll be sure not say something stupid and ruin your mood! Let’s finish dinner. Then we can start with our lips.”
Serenity smiled at him slowly, lips curving, deep dimples revealing themselves and looking so sweet. But her eyes…the look in her eyes wasn’t sweet at all. They were hot, slow-blinking pools of nasty promise.
The meal passed with the usual conversation, but the knowledge that later they’d be getting better acquainted with each other from the inside out was always in their eyes.
Craig was charmed by her manners, soft voice, and the stories she told. She made him feel like he was there and remembering it with her.
Serenity loved how Craig was as interested in listening as talking. She had found out that he was from the area and was resisting the urging of his father, the local sheriff, to join the department.
“I just finished twenty years as a military police officer,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to do another twenty here at home. I need a break.”
“What does your father think about your need for a break?”
Laughing, Craig said, “He thinks it’s a crock of shit, and that what I need is to get on
board so I can be sheriff when he retires. He says he’s giving me one more year to get my ass in gear before he puts his foot down.”
She liked how when they finished eating he helped clear the table. He allowed her to refuse his help with the dishes, but sat at the counter bar and kept her wine glass full and the conversation moving while she straightened everything. When she finished, he moved some of the candles to the Jacuzzi and made sure it was on and heating.
“I have a little surprise for you.”
“What might that be?” he asked.
“Well, I hadn’t anticipated company, so my grocery supply doesn’t really allow for dessert. Still, I found something while scavenging the cupboards, so we will have it anyway,” she said.
“What did you find?” he asked.
She pulled the tray she prepared out of the fridge. On it were skewers, marshmallows, the chocolate bar and graham crackers. “S’mores!” she said. “We can pretend we’re at summer camp and just got our braces removed.”
Craig threw his head back and laughed. “You sure do know how to entertain.”
They sat in front of the fire and happily started making s’mores. Craig was the best guest ever because to accompany his presence, he’d shown up with wine. “I wasn’t sure which you preferred, and I didn’t want to make an assumption just because we were going to have fish,” was his explanation as they sat chatting.
Serenity just assumed that he went by the motto, “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” His bottles had come in handy because they opened the white with the fish, and now they were opening the red to go with the chocolate.
Craig leaned against the coffee table with his long legs stretched out in front of him and watched Serenity. She was such a lady. Together, they capably made a little pile of s’mores and now they were eating them. The light of the fire was doing wonders for her skin and hair. Dark lights glinting in her hair competed with satiny-looking skin and wine wet lips. He touched her all over with his eyes.