“It’s freaking noon. For the love of Christ, get up.” Kaley’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard.
It’s a conspiracy. No one wants me to sleep.
“You let her in,” I accuse Justin.
“I didn’t have much of a choice. It was either let her in or let the neighbors call in a noise complaint from her incessant door banging.”
I take note of his pajama bottoms. Apparently facing Kaley isn’t his favorite way to wake up either.
“Get up,” Kaley repeats, this time trying to rip the blankets away.
Justin clutches it before I can, and I’m eternally grateful. Justin smirks at my lack of clothing.
“You two are so gross,” she says, stomping out of the room. “Be dressed in ten minutes or I’m coming back in.”
Justin leans over and kisses me sweetly. It’s tender and it makes my heart hurt. His eyes hold the same reconciliation he had in them last night. I saw it the first time we had sex, briefly, and last night was the first time I’ve seen it since. Whatever conclusion he’s come to, it’s settled in him. But for some reason, it doesn’t erase the unease in my gut.
“That better not be kissing I hear!”
“Go,” he says as he lifts the blanket away.
I’m petulant as I stand. As I pass by him on my way to the bathroom, he smacks my bare behind, and a resounding sting echoes through the room. I don’t bother to retaliate, already knowing I’m on losing ground, and I just rub the pain away.
“Lilly,” Kaley’s voice says in admonition.
I roll my eyes. “I’m going to make you wait outside in the cold if you keep trying to rush me.”
Smartly, she remains quiet. I turn on the shower and begin brushing my teeth, watching Justin remake the bed through the open door. He’s moody and it’s making me nervous. He shoves the last corner under the mattress and looks up, catching me watching his every move. This weekend took a bigger toll on him than I realized. It takes me closer to twenty minutes to get ready, not hurrying due to my indecision to leave Justin alone with his thoughts.
“I’ll stay,” I say, right as we’re about to leave.
He shakes his head. “No, go. I’ve been attached to your hip. You need girl time,” he says, attempting to lighten the mood.
I ignore Kaley’s groan. “Are you sure? Kaley and I can hang whenever.”
“I’m sure. I think I’m going to run and check in with Kip.”
Knowing he has something to focus his mind on, I concede. “I’ll text you on my way home to see if you want any food.”
He holds my face between his hands. “You’re the best.” He gives me a quick peck on the lips and closes the door behind us.
“What’s with all the brooding?” Kaley says, giving me a look.
I sigh. “I think seeing his family messed with him.”
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. There’s no way that arguably the best night of my life has turned him this inside out. I recall our drive home and how melancholy he was when we returned. Yes, that has to be it.
I listen to Kaley drone on and on about how Lance ended things with Ashley, something about a flavor of ice cream being their downfall, as I warm my hands in front of the air vents. One would think that being in a high-speed car chase would make me less afraid of riding in vehicles, but Kaley’s driving makes Justin’s pale in comparison. I brace myself against the door as she makes a last-minute turn because she was distracted by someone’s customized license plate.
“I didn’t know bedazzling license plates was legal,” she says absentmindedly, not at all concerned about my real fear of dying. “Oh, we should check out the new boutique they just opened.” She claps her hands, excited.
“We should keep our hands on the wheel,” I say.
“There is no
we
in driving.”
Sometimes I question if she’s the one who's pre-law. She can argue
herself
under a bus.
I spend the day following Kaley around town as she buys gifts for any and everyone she’s met since she was five. Don’t believe me? Her neighbor’s Shih Tzu is going to be a proud owner of a bowl shaped like a princess crown. But I do find a gift for Kip. It’s a t-shirt that says, World’s Okayest Brother, across the front. And like tradition, I’ll buy him a new set of bandanas since he never finds time to wash his.
It’s a gift for Justin that I struggle with. Every store we venture into I leave disappointed. Generic gifts line the shelves, like cologne or watches, which I consider but know they’re meaningless. It’s when we’re passing a toy store that I get an idea. Once I find what I’m looking for, Kaley gives me a look, not understanding the significance, and I don't explain it.
On the way home, I tell Kaley to stop by Toby’s so I can say hey to Kip. It’s weird for us to go this long without speaking to each other and I kind of miss him. I know he’s busy, but even if it’s a quick hug, I just feel the need to see his face.
“I’ll only be a second.”
The front door doesn’t give when I pull it, and I try again, the glass reverberating through my hand. I scan the inside, taking note that the lights are off. It’s a Monday afternoon, a little past four, so it’s not uncommon to close this early. The holidays kind of slow the business down. I round the side of the building and check the garage, and the main entrance’s overhead doors are pulled down. The entire shop is closed. I walk around the entire building to the employee parking lot and see that Kip, Taylor, and Clayton’s vehicles are all present. A stab of fear shoots through my abdomen.
I’m surprised when I pull on the employee entrance and it opens. I immediately hear voices coming from the shop, but I can’t quite make out whose they are. I stand in the middle of the break room, unsure as to what to do. I spin in a circle, hoping to find something, and my eyes land on an industrial-sized crescent wrench in the corner. I stop myself right before I’m about to grab it. A part of me feels like I’m jumping to conclusions. Nothing may be wrong, and I’m in here trying to find a murder weapon.
Better safe than sorry. I don’t notice that the wrench is supporting a box of fittings precariously balanced on the break table. I watch in slow motion as metal tubes sprawl across the floor, halting the voices from the shop. I’m paralyzed for a few seconds too long when a man’s presence fills the doorway.
It’s Lance. I’m mid step when his identity registers. “Hey, what are you doing here?” I get nothing in response, and his hand wraps around my upper arm, the tips of his fingers turning white from the grip. “Lance, what’s going on?”
He doesn’t look at me when he shakes his head. “You weren’t supposed to be here, Lilly.”
As he leads me out of the break room and into the shop, any and all questions die on my tongue. In order, Ethan, Taylor, Kip, and Justin are kneeling execution style, hands tied behind their backs. Kip’s eyes fill with horror along with Justin’s. He cusses, straining against his ties. My eyes jump to Taylor, who looks more indignant than anything.
“Oh God,” is the only coherent thing I can come up with. I repeat it over and over in my head.
Lance shoves me onto my knees next to Ethan, who nods his head in the slightest move. Instinctively, I push back and shove my elbow into his gut. I was aiming a little lower, so I try again, and this time he stops me, twisting my arm at an unnatural angle. I can’t stop the involuntary scream I let out.
“Stop!” Kip’s yell echoes across the room.
I hear the zip of the ties around my wrists. “Be quiet, she’s fine.” Lance smirks at Kip in passing, lining up with the other men in front of us.
“Don’t touch her again.” This time it’s Justin’s voice. I can’t see him well enough to make eye contact, but I know he’s angry by the red pooling around his neck and ears.
Lance isn’t fazed by his threat, his face impassive. The happy, easygoing guy is gone, not a trace to be found. It’s at this moment that I recognize the tall man standing in the middle. He’s dressed in a tailored black suit, hair smoothed back, highlighting the gray at his temples.
It’s Mr. John Monroe, Kaley’s dad, standing with his posture relaxed, a welcoming smile gracing his lips. It's the same smile he's always greeted me with.
“Hi, Lilly. It’s nice to see you again.” Despite the obviously hostile environment, his greeting sounds sincere.
“Mr. Monroe.”
“Jimmy. That’s what everyone here knows me by, anyway.”
It clicks.
Holy shit.
Kaley’s dad is Jimmy.
Holy
fucking
shit.
“She’s got nothing to do with this. Let her go,” Kip demands.
“Considering she participated in dismantling my Italia, I’d disagree.” He takes a slow, measured pace toward me, shined dress shoes echoing with every step. He drops down to his haunches, stopping at eye level. “I overlooked your participation because you’re Kaley’s friend, but even my daughter has conditions.”
“I had no idea you were the dealer.”
“As I was unaware I had unintentionally hired you. With that being said,” he says, “I’ll clear your debt as long as you keep your mouth shut. Don’t speak a word about me, our transactions, or what you’ve witnessed here, and you’ll be free to go. I'll know if you ever open your mouth.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I don’t know why I decide to be brave all of a sudden, but I don’t really believe Kaley’s dad will hurt me.
“Lilly, go,” Kip says.
“No.”
Lance rolls his head, exasperated, and pulls a knife out from his pocket. I catch my breath as he cuts my ties. “Don’t make this any more complicated than it already is.”
He pulls me to my feet and I step around him, facing Mr. Monroe. “Not until I know what’s going on here.”
“I have absolved your debt, Lilly. If I give you a detailed description of my future plans, you’ll be a liability.”
“What debt?” I turn to Kip and Justin, asking for an explanation. Kip’s eyes remain hardened as Justin shakes his head. “Is it the money we received for payment?”
Mr. Monroe looks to Kip and shrugs his shoulder in a what-can-you-do gesture. “She’s not giving in.”
“Double mine. I’ll pay off whatever she owes.”
“That would be unrealistic. I’d likely never see a profit from you. No, if she wants to be a part of this, then so be it.” He pulls two rolling chairs to the middle of the floor. “Please, Lilly, take a seat.”
When I don’t move, Lance pushes me down. “You asked for this,” he says.
“So, I’m aware that Taylor did not inform anyone as to why I acquiesced a service from you.”
I nod.
“Once you realized two plus two doesn’t make one, you decided to do some investigating.” Again, another head nod. “Which led you and Justin,” he says, motioning with his head to Justin’s position in the lineup. “To strip my car, looking for clues. Which led you to find…”
He trails off and raises his brows at me. “To find guns and cocaine,” I finish for him.
“Yes!” He snaps his fingers. “And do you understand the implication of your actions?”
I remain still.
“I’m sure you didn’t. But it led to both of my storage containers being retrieved by law enforcement. Or, more accurately, the DEA.”
I look to Justin and he looks back at me just as intently. I run my eyes to Taylor, who is staring at me with more hatred than I have ever seen in him before. Pure, unfiltered hatred.
“But why? How?”
“That’s still a mystery. I have an informant on the inside who says someone on your side tipped them off.”
“I already told you,” Taylor says, almost seething. “No one called the cops. We’re a fucking chop-shop. That’s the stupidest decision we could have made.”
“I see your reasoning,” Mr. Monroe says, leaning back in his chair. “But my informant is known to be very reliable.”
“Jimmy,” Kip says in a calming tone, trying to override Taylor’s outburst. “You’ve known me for years. As soon as I understood what was going on, I made a call to you. To you, not anyone else.”
“I’d like to believe you, I really would, but you’ve always been the goody-two-shoes of the bunch, now haven’t you? That’s why I wanted the okay from you before I moved forward with the deal. And for that, I take the blame for not clarifying this with you alone. I had given Taylor too much credit.”
They both give Taylor a matching look of condescension.
“For right now, I have allotted everyone their portion of the money owed to me for three cars, the inventory, and the profit I would have made. Altogether, rounding out at almost a million dollars. Split four ways is two hundred and fifty thousand a piece. That’s not including the money owed for rendered services.”
“This has to be a joke,” I say, my mouth not catching up with my brain.
He’s serious as he clasps his hands over his folded knees. “Tell me when things get funny to you, Lilly.”
I pause. He said if the money is split four ways. There’s someone missing.
As if Mr. Monroe can read my suspicions, he says, “You’re wondering about your fifth partner, Dan.”
Kip’s head drops forward, his chin touching his chest, and I already know. He doesn’t have to say it. My eyes fill with tears.
“I gave a twenty-four-hour notice that something bad was going to happen if the person who turned me in didn’t fess. The clock ran out.”
“He had a family.”
“Yes, that’s why I thought he’d be a good candidate. All the more reason to spare his life. I was wrong.”
Kip’s eyes are still glued to the floor when Justin responds. “You didn’t give us the full twenty-four hours.”
“Twenty-three, twenty-four. Tomato, Tomahto. Same difference.”
“There. Is. A. Difference,” Kip yells, pulling at his restraints.
Mr. Monroe cocks his head. “It doesn’t when you have adamantly said that you don’t know who the snitch is. That is, unless you really do.” His words shut Kip up. “Well then,” he says, standing with renewed vigor. “Maybe right now would be a good time to ask again.”
He kneels down beside me, much like before.
“Do you know, Lilly? Do you know who tipped off the police?”
Kip staggers to his feet. “Don’t touch her.”
The third man to Monroe's trio makes his way over to him and kicks the legs out from under Kip, knocking him back down. Everyone remains silent as I shake my head no.
“Oh, come on. Something tells me you do. Do you know who it is, Lilly?”