Page 4 of Nobody But You

In my attempt to visually verify that we were getting closer, I unintentionally caught the eye of my driver. Then his ass rounded the curve too fast, skirting off the exit. My phone went flying underthe seat. As I leaned down to get it, I was jolted forward with my face hitting the back of the leather headrest. He'd hit a pothole while looking at me instead of the road. I finally sat back to see my damn face looking back at me because the little makeup I had on was on the back of the leather seat. I wasn’t wearing the usual heavy makeup and contouring I wore when I handled things like this, but I’ll be damned if his ass didn’t mess up my light beat.

“Look here, Baby. You are hitting them corners too got damn fast; you need to slow this motherfucker down.” I sternly spoke.

This man cannot drive. He got me in here acting like Pinky from Next Friday.

“Damn, my bad, sweetheart. Are you from around here? You don’t look like you’re from around here because you’re fine as hell,” the driver stated. If I had to guess, he was in his early twenties. I met his eyes in the rearview mirror again. He smiled, and I gave him a hardened stare and an endearing eye roll.

The gall! He is cute, though!

He was flirting, and I couldn’t resist playing the game of cat and mouse. It was a force of habit that had grown into entertainment for me. However, the fact remained that he was a cute puppy, and I was a Pitbull in a skirt. As I was about to spew the lies, I would tell him my phone pinged, alerting me that I was three blocks from the councilman’s location. His movement had finally stopped.

Damn, maybe next time!

“I’m sorry. I just realized that I entered the wrong address.” I spoke. The location I’d entered when I requested the ride was for arandom downtown location. Just like that, I was back to business without getting the chance to play.

“I need you to let me out when you stop at the corner. I’ll leave a nice tip for your inconvenience.” He nodded, and I gave my award-winning smile as he pulled to the red light to let me out.

“Thank you!” I said, winking.

“Damn, well, let me get your number then.” I chuckled.

“I am not going to jail for you.”

“How old do you think I am? Because I’m definitely old enough,” he said as he scanned what he could of my body. His answer alone told me he was not old enough and younger than I’d initially thought.

There’s not a chance in hell. I am not a cougar. You kinda are, though, JoJo. Tsk.

“If you ever see me again, sure,” I said, finally closing the door. Part of the game was keeping their hope alive. I knew I would never see him again, so I returned to my task. As I began the walk to my destination, I tightened the sash on my pea coat. The buzz of downtown always surprised me because it was busy. So many people were out that I bumped several shoulders as I walked through.

I didn’t expect NC to be so populated because Cypress was small. At least it was small to me because I was born and raised in LA. I wasn’t even supposed to be here. It had been two years, and I still hadn’t returned home except to visit Brice. He was all I had there, so I wasn’t rushing to return. I’d come in for a job commissioned by a former business partner and never left. Somethingdeep inside was telling me to stay here. So I did. It seemed like that hunch was finally paying off.

It was late Friday afternoon, and I’m guessing that most people had just left work and gone directly to happy hour. I didn’t mind because blending in as much as possible was easier, considering I was taller than the average woman. As I continued to navigate through, I couldn’t help the fumbling I was doing with this damn coat. I hated it. I never wore coats. They were bulky and restricted my movement. I barely wore jackets, opting for long sleeves when necessary.

I didn’t mind the cold weather; I preferred it. There was something about the chill of the air that comforted me. I loved the feeling I got when goosebumps pricked my skin. Maybe it was the coldness of my heart that made me embrace it. However, today, it was necessary to help me blend in. So, I made sure it was secure. My phone alerted me one last time as I approached Burks’ location. I’d arrived. Excitement filled my psyche as I approached where the doorman held the door open for me to enter. In all my darkness, I’d grown to love this part of the job.

“Hi, welcome to Porter’s,” the hostess greeted me as I walked into the steakhouse. Just as outside, the atmosphere inside was just as busy, and a hum filled the air from the patrons’ evening conversations. I glanced around to see that nearly every table was occupied. I also estimated fifteen wait staff members as I glanced around.

Fucking perfect!

“Will you be dining alone? Or are you waiting for the rest of your party to arrive?” The hostess asked.

“Alone. If seating is available, I prefer to sit at the bar.” I smiled, and she nodded, motioning for me to follow her. Walking through the restaurant, I noticed the ambiance was meant to be calm, accentuated by the dim lighting. It was everything but that tonight because the loud buzz of conversation filled the room. I strutted through the tables and kept my head and eyes low. I wasn’t here to be seen. I also didn’t want to be picked up by security cameras on the premises. I didn’t have time to cut them and barely had time to prepare.

“Thank you,” I said to the hostess as she returned to her post at the front door. As soon as she was out of sight, I looked for the bartender. The bar was large and rounded. It could hold about twenty patrons, and it was almost fully occupied. My eyes found him attending to a guest at the other end of the bar. Once I was sure he hadn’t seen me, I slipped towards the back of the restaurant where my tracker told me Burks was. I assumed he was in one of the private dining rooms.

I crept down the hallway confidently as if I were dining in this area. I stopped only when my tracker told me I’d arrived. He was in the room one door down from where I was standing. Being sure no one was near, I slowly opened the door I stood before. It was a supply closet. I stepped inside quickly, finding a light and shedding that bulky ass coat. Relief washed over me as it left my body. I took out the two syringes and Rohypnol pills I’d placed in the pockets, moving them to my skirt’s hidden waist pocket. Thenthrew the coat to the nearest corner. Now, all I needed to do was find a uniform. As I searched, I twisted my ponytail into a knot that rested in the middle of my head.

Shit, I need to find a server.

I heard faint talking at the door down from where I was hidden. I promptly slipped out and quietly closed the door before the other opened. I quickly slipped behind it, hiding myself from view. A young girl walked out with a look of contempt on her face.

Everything is going your way tonight, JoJo!

As the door slowly closed, I could see through the crack. I quickly confirmed that Burks was dining inside with four other men. At a glance, I noted the mayor and police chief. There were also two men whom I’d never seen before. I needed to find out who they were, but it would have to wait.

Good, there’s no security, which is strange, given that the mayor is here. I’ll have to be quick.

“Assholes,” the waitress blew out. I quickly grabbed her from behind, muffling her mouth. She struggled against me before I restrained her enough to tilt her head to the side. I promptly grabbed and stuck one of the syringes into her neck. It was filled with ketamine and would knock her out for at least three hours. The other would be for Burks.

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