Moth(26)

“Yeah. I mean, who am I supposed to be? Your boyfriend? A work associate? Your teacher?”

“My teacher?”

She’s still playing dumb, so I give her sass right back. “I’ll have you know, I won’t be bought.” I cross my arms and act offended.

“I don’t want to show up alone, because the people that will be there can get a little feely after they’ve had too much to drink. I just didn’t want someone asking us questions and our stories not matching. It will make me look like a fool. Two of the men I work with keep pushing. If I can get them off my backs it would be a huge relief. That’s why I need you to come with me. It’s for show.”

“Tell the truth.” It’s not a bad story. “We met in a parking lot when my truck wouldn’t start. Then I saw you a second time and we had coffee together. The rest is, well it’s happening right now.”

“Do you care if I say it was a month ago?”

I shrug, though I’m aware her eyes are on the road. “Sure. Do I get to treat it like we’ve been dating for a month?” It is extremely important that I use this evening to infiltrate her life in a way that I can get to know everything she’s hiding. If I want free access to her apartment I’m going to have to give this chick the best night of her life and hope it gets me an invitation back to her pad. This is about my brother. I have to keep reminding myself of that. What would Jamie want me to do to get justice? In all honesty, I have no idea what he would have done, but I know I won’t be able to rest until I get to the bottom of this.

“If you’re thinking you’re going to get action tonight think again. I’ll have you know I wait a lot longer than a month to sleep with a man, no matter how charming he pretends to be.” She snickers. “Or lack there of.”

“I can be charming as f*ck. Don’t tempt me, little miss sexy.”

She’s laughing more. “This is a mistake.”

I turn my body to face hers. “It’s only a mistake if you have regrets. I can guarantee that’s the last thing you’ll be feeling after a night with me. I promise you won’t be faking, that’s for sure.”

“I’ve never met anyone as cocky as you are. Does it get you far with women?”

“All the time,” I conclude.

“Yeah right.” I find it amusing that she doesn’t believe me.

“It’s true. I’ve never had one who didn’t want me to return for seconds and thirds and, well you get the drift. Let’s just say I’m unforgettable.” I want to laugh at the things I’m saying. It’s not that I’m lying to her. I’ve had my fair share of women who want to spend extra time with me. Ali is one of them. It doesn’t matter how long I wait to visit. We end up in bed within minutes of my arrival. She doesn’t ask if there’s anyone else. I don’t even know if she cares.

We pull up at a light in a bad part of town. While we’re sitting there an elderly woman waits for the crossing sign to light up before wheeling a cart across the highway. Out of nowhere a young male runs up and shoves her to the ground, then yanks her purse from her arm and takes off. Before I can begin to react, Windy throws the car in park and hauls ass toward the woman. I take the keys from the ignition before going after the thief on foot. We make it about a block before I catch up with him, and I know it only happened because he didn’t think anyone was behind him. I take him down easily on the hard pavement of the sidewalk. He screams in irrefutable agony while I shove his face against the concrete. “Don’t f*cking move.” I hold him in this position with my knee while looking down the road to see if Windy is okay. She’s standing with the elderly woman with her hands blocking the setting sun so she can see what I’m doing. I pull my phone from my pocket and start to call police, but then I stop. This kid can’t be older than sixteen. He’s crying, pleading with me to let him go. I’ve never been on the other side of the law, but I know kids do things for the stupidest reasons. I hold the back of his head as I speak close so only he can hear me. “You just messed with the wrong DEA agent, buddy.”

“Please,” he whines. “I can’t go to jail. My mom needs me to help her. She’s hooked on crack. She spent our rent money. We’re getting evicted. She told me to do it.”

I’m furious, but compassionate. I’ve seen firsthand what drugs do to a person. The fact that he’s living in those types of conditions says a lot about his willingness to need to provide.

I back off and let him sit up on his ass. “This isn’t the way to make money. If your mom is having problems she needs help. You could have killed someone because of your stupidity.”

I pull out my wallet and give him forty bucks. “It ain’t much, kid. Go get yourself something to eat, and then plan on staying with a friend for a while.”

“Why?” He asks.

“Because you’re about to give me your address so I can make sure your mother gets the assistance she needs.”

“You can’t take her to jail.” He’s beginning to get frantic.

“I know some people who can help her get clean. She’ll be picked up and taken to a hospital that can handle the withdrawal process. It’s obvious you love your mom. I’m offering a chance for you to prove it to her.”

He seems defeated. “If I refuse?”