Page 13 of Demons and Debts
I lock the door behind me and see that Sarge is already taking care of the mess. I hear the car leave.
‘What a bunch of assholes. Sorry, Janey-girl, I was in the can. You ok?’
‘Yeah.’ I stifle a grin as I pocket Stacker’s thick money clip that I liberated when I ‘tripped’ into him. ‘Let’s just get done and go home.’
We finish cleaning up and I go into the office to grab my backpack out of the locker. I hope Chuck has paid me. I don’t want to come back here tomorrow.
There’s an envelope with two-hundred in it for the week at the diner. I shove half the bills from the money clip into it and put it in my bag, making sure it’s zipped properly. I’m about to close the locker when a slip of paper catches my eye. I’m sure it wasn’t in there earlier.
Frowning, I slide it out and hold it between my fingers. It’s just a folded piece of regular printer paper, but my pulse begins to quicken as I take the edges and open it out.
You shouldn’t have gone to the supes. Leave or your waitress friend is next.
Hands shaking, I crumple up the message and shove it in my jacket pocket. A part of me wants to cry, the rest just wants to curl up and go to sleep.
Instead, I take the other half of the money I stole and put it in Sharlene’s locker in one of her work shoes. It’s a risk, but she wasn’t even here by the time Stacker was so she can’t be blamed, and I’ll be long gone.
I turn to go, but then hesitate. I grab the money back from her locker, take a wad from it and shove the rest back into the shoe. The other bills I put in the pocket of Sarge’s clean apron that he keeps hanging behind the door. Like I said, he’s one of the rare, good guys. He deserves something too.
Said unicorn is waiting for me outside and he locks up after me. He takes the keys too since he’ll be here early tomorrow morning.
‘You need a ride?’
I shake my head. ‘No, thanks. There’s a bus in ten so I’m good.’
I want to take him up on his offer. I’m so tired and it would be nice to be home sooner, but it’s best if I’m not around anyone now. I’d hate for something to happen to him because of me.
‘You sure, Janey-girl? It’s late and …’ His eyes flick to the dumpster where he found the body.
‘I’m sure, but thanks. See you tomorrow.’
I won’t, but I want Sarge to have plausible deniability or whatever it’s called.
We go our separate ways and I walk along the strip mall towards the bus stop.
It’s quiet. Everything’s closed and I try to stay within the glow of the streetlights. I’ve done this walk a hundred times at this time of night and never had one problem, but, whether it’s from the note or Dreyson’s death, I’m jumpy and I’ll be glad to get on the bus. Hell, I’ll even be happy to be on the move again tomorrow even though I don’t want to leave. Maybe if I do some things differently next time, it’ll take them longer to find me.
In my periphery, I see a car parked in one of the lots and something about it bothers me. I turn my head to look at it properly. It seems fam—
‘Did you think I wouldn’t know it was you?’
I stifle an involuntary shriek as Stacker materializes out of the shadows followed by his rich boy crew.
I turn to run, but it’s already too late. Hands grab me and half-carry me into the nearby alleyway. My mouth is covered, and all my struggling does is tire me out.
I’m shoved hard against the wall and my bag is wrenched away.
I’m shaking and my knees feel weak. I’m regretting letting my anger get the best of me earlier, but I’m still glad I stole some of this smug fucker’s cash.
The flashlight off a phone shines into my bag.
‘It’s here, but some of it’s gone.’
‘You little bitch,’ Stacker snarls in the dark next to my ear, making me recoil. ‘Where the fuck is the rest of my money? You think I’d let a gutter whore like you steal fromme?’
The hand over my mouth loosens for me to answer, but I don’t say anything.
He steps closer, one of his legs forcing itself between mine. ‘Well since I already paid her … looks like we’ll be having some fun with Plain Jane tonight,’ he says, taking hold of the neck of my uniform and yanking it apart.
