Page 48 of Fatally Yours
“Yeah, I did—”
“And?”
“I’ve got his address right here, baby doll,” he chuckled. I grabbed the notepad we kept near the phone and got ready to write it down. After all this time, it felt like this would be the most critical piece of information I would ever receive. “Alright, it’s 186 Oak Street in Pine Bluff.” I scribbled down the address, struggling to keep my hand steady. Still, it was legible enough.
186 Oak Street. Perfect.
“Thanks, Nick,” I said. “You didn’t tell him it was me, right?”
“Nah, I gotcha. I told him it was just my old lady who needed help withher car.”
“Good.”
“Say, what’s this surprise, anyway? You’ve piqued my interest,” he said. I thought I felt my face shade as I turned, so I couldn’t see August. His eyes would intensify my nerves, especially with what I would say next. It was the only thing that came to my mind to make Nick shut up.
“I owe him a fewfavorsif you catch my drift,” I replied. I pressed myself against the wall, thinking I could feel August’s gaze burning into my back. A small, hesitant stutter came from the other end before he spoke again.
“You? Jeez, sorry, Tash. August’s passing really hit you hard, didn’t it?” he said. “Remind me never to ask again, alright?” Faking another laugh, I turned around against my better judgment and saw August glaring at me. His arms were folded across his chest, making the top of his scars poke out from his collar.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” I was mostly trying to speak to August, but I didn’t want to let Nick know someone else was with me.
“Alright then. I hope you… have fun,” he said awkwardly. “I suppose I’ll see you at work soon if you don’t party yourself out.”
“You might,” I said with a smile. August shook his head at me with an expression of pure disapproval. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“See ya, baby doll.” I set the phone back on the hook as I tore the paper from the pad, walking back over to him.
“You’re a tease,” he grumbled. I handed him the paper, but instead of taking it, he kept his arms folded, all while glaring at me. My shoulders dropped, and I let out a huff, setting it on the coffee table.
“Only because I needed him to quit asking questions,” I said. “No one wants a dead girl, baby, especially not Nick fucking Nelly.”
“I do,” August declared. I rolled my eyes.
“Shut up.”
“I’ll prove it to you. I have before, and I’ll do it again as often as you need me to until you believe me.” His previous stony expression faded into a smirk as he unfolded his arms.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I think you’re enjoying this much more than you want to admit.”
“I might be.” I wanted to beg him to sin with me until a curt knock at the back door killed my mood. Standing up, I made my way to the rear of the house, prying open the door with a huff. Mandy was there with a bag in her hand, and I thought I felt my face shade.
“You okay?” she asked. I gave her a shy nod and rubbed the back of my neck. She shut the door and tossed the grease-stained bag onto the table, plopping down and ripping it open. I figured it would be the prime time to ask her while she was distracted with a meal and in a decent mood.
“We need to use your car,” I said.
“Of course you can use it.” She took a bite of her egg sandwich and spoke with her mouth full. “I can even drive—”
“No, Mandy. You can’t come with us.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because—” August stepped up, indicating that I was not handling this to his satisfaction.
“Because we’re going to waste this fucker, and I don’t want you to be part of it,” he said. Her face paled as she dropped the sandwich onto the paper, her stance drooping like we just popped her like a balloon.
“B-but—”
