Page 84 of Whiskey Shivers

“Tell the rest of the boys, quiet like,” La Croix ordered.

“Phones off, nothing where anything can be overheard, you know the drill,” I told ‘em as they went for the door. La Croix looked down at the bag in his hands and went around the desk in here, unlocking the filing cabinet drawer on it and rolling it out, stuffing it at the back behind the files.

I nodded.

“Get it in the safe later,” he said and shut the drawer, locking it up.

“It’s clean, or Saint wouldn’t have brought it in here,” I said. “I had Collier take it to him to check it for bugs and shit.”

La Croix nodded. “That Moonshiner’s paranoia yer daddy instilled in ya is gonna pay off some day.”

I snorted. “It already has,” I declared going for the office door and holding it open for him.

He nodded. “Yeah, it has,” he agreed. “I just meant it’s gonna pay offmore.”

I nodded. “That’s the whole point of the lessons,” I said.

He went out and I was sure to lock the office up tight behind us.

We traded looks that said everything without saying a word. La Croix giving me a nod and then departing to go find Alina, I was sure. Give her some of the lowdown. She could be trusted with vagaries at this point. Shit like ‘if something should go down, go here’ or ‘do that’ without asking questions.

I didn’t know if my Fable was quite there yet, so I had to think things through. I didn’t want to scare her, but I did want her to be safe – so to that end I followed La Croix and when we found his little red head, we got her taken aside.

“Somethin’ happens, go to the apartment,” La Croix said.

“If you could do me a solid? Make sure to take my little Fable with you,” I said.

Alina asked, “Why, is something going on?” We both pressed her with a firm and silent look and she nodded.

“Gotcha,” she said.

“Thanks,” I told her and I heard her tell La Croix as I turned to walk away, “Whoever’s disturbing our peace or trying to, make quick work of ‘em if you can.”

La Croix simply grunted and I thought to myself,Good choice for you, good buddy. I think she might be as bloodthirsty as you are in her own way.

You never would have thunk it lookin’ at her. I knew the murder of her friend had changed her some but I was starting to think those changes might be a little more profound than I’d realized.

Seems like La Croix’s little Alina was all outta fucks to give.

I caught sight of Corliss through the crowd and stopped a moment. She was laughing, and full of light – the way I’d seen her countless times in the halls of Lakeside. I knew now that I’d been a little in love with her since the first moment that I’d saw her. I’d had absolutely no way of knowing that she was somehow so much better than the image of her I’d had built up in my head back then.

Watching her now was a strong and poignant feeling that stopped me in my tracks and made me want to stop and appreciate what I had something awful, and so I did just that. I don’t know how long I stood there, still, staring, the crowd shifting around and between us. I think it might have been my stillness in the crowd that caught her attention.

A prey response, her head coming up, graceful like, her attention attuning to my presence as I stood, but instead of breaking and running, a smile the likes of the full force of the sun lit her face and she waved at me to come closer.

I couldn’t keep the smile off my lips if I wanted to, as I threaded my way through the crowd to her side and leaned down to kiss her breathless like I liked to do. I didn’t give any fucks about the oohing and ahhing, the sharp whistles and general tomfoolery coming out of the kids from the school. I straightened up and she was blushing a furious pink from being the center of attention, which I knew she hated, but in this instance, it was all in good fun.

At least that’s what I told myself for the time being. I knew I was being a selfish prick. The look she turned up to me absolved me of any worries that she might be upset.

“What was that for?” she asked, quietly.

“Just love you,” I said, and wrapped my hand around one of hers, bringing it up to my lips to kiss the back.

She glowed and blushed some more and looked like she was fixin’ to melt into her socks.

“I love you, too,” she declared.

I gave her a wink and asked, “You needed out here?”

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