Chapter 5 - Messy meeting

I arrived at Moe’s just as Bea unlocked the door to the shop. She gave me a broad smile and held the door open just as I entered.

As suspected, the new guy—Lukas, beating me made my ribs and arms sore. Luckily, Moe’s opened around 9 am, giving me enough time to sleep after my hard night of training at Sal’s.

“Want a cup of coffee, Hun?”

“Sure, you know how I like it.” I winked at her.

She always prepared the coffee machine the day before; that way, she only had to press start in the morning, and coffee would soon come flowing down.

I waited for Bea on the chair in front of her desk, and when she returned, she handed me my drink and sat down, typing away on her computer.

“Where’s Moe?” I asked, taking a small sip.

“Oh, you know how it is with this rainy weather. His leg hurts, and—”

“And the shrapnel makes it even worse,” I finished the sentence for her. “Gotcha. Will he come in later this evening?”

“Probably. You know it’s hard to keep him away from his business. Speaking of which, I got you a contract for one Desmond Carter. Wanted for assault and battery charges. He broke parole. Locate and apprehend the fugitive. Once he’s back in custody, you’ll get $2500.”

“Any known whereabouts?” I asked as I took the folder with the target’s description and charges.

“Last seen at his grandmama’s place down on Delaware street. He’s been extorting money from the old lady. You should try the drug strip. He’s also been seen there looking for anything to shoot up his arm. Approach with caution, Max. Mr. Carter carries a gun. Wouldn’t want an accident to happen.”

“Great. Same as usual, then. I’ll start looking and ask around if needed. Don’t wait for me tonight, and say hi to Moe for me.”

“Will do, Honey.”

I chugged the rest of my coffee and got into my Beetle. I searched the strip first and then visited the grandmother’s house. If he was looking for money to pay for his heroin, he’d probably stop there. I was glad to have remembered to put my bulletproof vest in my trunk. If the suspect was armed and dangerous, it would come in handy.

I spent most of my morning driving around, trying to spot the target, but he was nowhere to be found. Not even at the old lady’s place.

My stomach rumbled when it came close to noon, so I stopped my car in front of a deli I often went to and grabbed myself something to eat.

I was so busy salivating at the food I had bought that I didn’t notice a person walking before me. We collided, making me spill my drink all over my white T-shirt, and my sandwich tumbled on the ground.

I stood frozen, realizing my $15 worth of food was now wasted. I pouted and shook my arms to remove the liquid, then bent over to pick up the mess and hit my head on the same person who was also trying to help me pick up the mess.

“Ouch! Damn, your skull is hard.” I heard a man say.

I mumbled an apology, then lifted my head and stood inches away from a beautiful set of pale green orbs. The man was about to say something else, but when he locked eyes with me, he just stood there with his mouth slightly askew, forgetting to breathe entirely.

Feeling my cheeks flush crimson, I got up, and the guy cleared his throat, offering me napkins to clean my dripping wet clothes.

“Thanks,” I muttered as I took the small paper towels and dabbed them on myself.

“I, erm, feel bad for the state I just put you in. I’ll pay for your lunch.”

I peered at the man through my lashes. He was handsome, with a three-day-old beard, pale white skin and short-cropped black hair. His features contrasted starkly with his enthralling eyes, making me have difficulty looking away from this gorgeous specimen of a man.

He removed the jacket of his two-piece suit and gave it to me, so I could cover myself up.

“That’s okay,” I said in a slightly shy tone. “I wasn’t that hungry, anyway.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

The man chuckled when he heard my stomach growl and knew I was lying.

“Please, it’s the least I can do.”

I nodded, sat on the terrace just before the deli, and waited for his return. He got me exactly what I had ordered and set everything down on the table in front of me.

“Mind if I join you?”

He made it up to me, so I felt bad not letting him sit.

“Sure.”

The man sat down and awkwardly stared at me while I dug in. Had he never seen someone eat before? I ignored him and continued munching on my lunch.

“I hope you will not work after this? With the state of your clothes and all.”

I dropped my gaze, looked at myself, and reddened when I realized he had given me his jacket because my T-shirt had become see-through. I quickly flipped the jacket over my shoulders to hide underneath but sat uncomfortably as I tried not to soil the material.

“Oh. Don’t worry about my jacket, and you can keep it until you get home.”

Huh. Cute, generous and a gentleman. Man, where did these guys keep dropping from? I spent practically ten years being single because the last one had been an asshole, and then “bam,” two hot guys in less than twenty-four hours.

“What’s your name?”

“Jace. Can I ask yours?”

“I’m Hard Skull, it would seem,” I laughed clumsily at my joke, then frowned because I didn’t know if there was enough time to salvage me looking too giddy. “But usually, people call me Max.”

Jace smiled and offered me his hand. I took it and was surprised by the coldness of his skin. I guessed it worked, after all. I quickly removed my hand from his hold and set it on the table next to my drink.

“Is it a habit of yours, bumping into strangers?” He asked with a glint in his eyes.

“No. Again, I’m sorry for that.”

It was my fault. I was salivating over my lunch instead of looking at where I was walking.

I avoided looking at Jace out of sheer embarrassment and tugged at his jacket so it would close and hide my black bra underneath my wet shirt.

“Can I have the address of where I can bring you back your jacket once I have it cleaned? It looks expensive, and I feel bad for keeping it from you.”

The suit jacket was styled with a single-breasted, two-button front and notch lapels. The material was soft and lightweight tweed with a satin finish on the interior. It was big on me, but I was grateful for the coverage it offered.

“Might I be so bold as to see you again instead? You could give it back to me then.”

“That would be bold,” I stated as I got up.

Although flattered, I was already stressing about coffee with the other guy. I didn’t know if I could handle two in the same week. I had been alone for too long and liked the independence. Most importantly, it made me happy that men were too afraid to ask me out… usually. I’d have to work on that since my barriers were clearly not working anymore, and lately, I was a magnet for stunning men who made my knees go weak.

“I’ll tell you what. I come here often. I’ll keep your jacket with me, and if we ever meet again, I can return it to you and buy lunch as a thank you. Sounds good?”

Jace laughed and got up to move closer to where I was standing. He gently placed his hand on the small of my back and walked me toward the sidewalk.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

My heartbeat picked up, and I tried to suppress the growing heat on my cheeks. Having pale skin was a nightmare for hiding your feelings and thoughts; unfortunately, I wasn't the exception.

My old VW was parked a little further away, so I waited until the man left before finding it and getting inside. It wasn’t that my means of transportation embarrassed me, but it was a noticeable car. How many people drove around in a blue popsicle-coloured 64 VW Beetle? It had some wear and tear, but it was my first car, and I loved it to bits.

As soon as I hit the road, I circled the drug strip one last time, and when I didn’t see the target, I went home.

My day had already an exciting and interesting start, and I knew for a fact that it would continue to be so with my upcoming coffee with the guy I trained with at Sal’s the night before. But before I could do that, I had to cool off and quell the heart palpitations rolling in waves inside my chest.