Moth(27)

“Then you’ll be spending the night in jail.”

He calls off his home address for me while gripping the two twenties I’ve given him.

Before he can get up and walk away I give him one more warning. “If I see you on the streets again, I’m taking your ass in myself. Consider this your lucky day.”

“What about my mom? What will happen to her? She’s all I’ve got left. My dad’s in jail.”

“Do you have grandparents?”

“They live in Atlanta.”

“Call them. Your mom is in no shape to take care of you. Now get out of here before I change my mind.” He takes off down the road. As I head back I wonder how much I’m helping by letting him go. Statistics say he’ll be right back doing what I’ve warned him not to. When I arrive at the car the elderly lady awaits me to hand her the purse. “Thank you, young man.”

“You’re welcome, sweet lady,” I flirt back. She offers a huge smile as I take her hand and kiss it while making sure Windy is watching.

She waves as she walks away, leaving me alone with my fake date. “You let him go? Why would you do that?”

“He’s a troubled kid. I’ve been in his position before. It sucks.” I take my phone and text House the address the kid gave me with instructions for him to contact local police and set things in motion to have her put into a program. I don’t know if it will pan out, but I make the effort regardless.

I don’t care if we’d hear shit from local police, or if we’d be able to slip under the rug without being detected. I had pull with the DEA. Seeing that kid made me think about Maria’s two children that had to grow up without parents. It was the least I could do to make up for my failures. Maybe it wouldn’t work. Maybe the kid would end up in jail, or worse, like his mother. Only time would tell, but at least I made an attempt.



I turn my attention back to Windy. We’re at the next stop light and she’s resting her head on the steering wheel. “I knew this was going to be a bad day.”

“You helped a little old lady. You’re a hero.”

“You’re the one who recovered her purse. What kind of ninja skills do you have? You tackled that kid like you were a psychopath.”

I cackle. If she only knew. “I used to fight a lot. I played football. I guess it still comes in handy.”

“Ya think? At least I know you’re capable of protecting me from the perverts we’re about to be in the company of.”

“So this has nothing to do with your attraction to me?”

She gives me a quick annoyed glance. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

This woman pushes my buttons. I like being challenged, but add the danger factor into this scenario and I’m all in with a full house, ready to collect my prize at the end of the game. She’s forbidden fruit, and as much as I’d like to deny wanting a taste, I can’t help imagining what it would be like to run my hands over her smooth olive skin and feel those puffy lips coursing over mine. I’m a man. She could still be a killer. She may be the reason my brother is dead. I’m pressured to want this case solved, no matter who I have to get into bed with to make it happen, and I mean that in a literal sense. Why not take advantage of this investigation? I’m only hurting myself if she turns out to be the devil in a red dress. It’s only a matter of time before I come to my senses and realize being around her is a terrible idea. I’m too attracted to what’s on the outside to consider the consequences of acting on my urges.

Still, the curiosity remains.

We arrive at the party and I’m shocked to see the amount of high dollar vehicles in the circle driveway. She parks her crappy car off the road and waits for me to meet her before we walk into the yard together. The stone home is old. The windows have cracked wooden frames, and it’s evident they need replacing. I’m not the best at home improvement, but I know enough to recognize rot.

“Who does this house belong to?”

“One of my bosses. Isn’t it creepy? A few of my co-workers joke about it being haunted.”

I lean closer as we walk toward it. “Ohh, are you scared?”

“Not particularly. That stuff is fake. It’s all in our heads. I have enough to worry about then to assume ghosts are coming for me.”

I snicker. She’s cute when she’s trying to be tough. I shake off the urge to continue to tease her. Remaining focused will help me learn as much as I can in a little amount of time.

We’re bombarded with people as soon as we hit the threshold. Most of the guys are dressed in preppy attire, while the females are wearing outfits equally as appealing to what Windy has on. She’s all smiles as we begin to greet the group. I’m introduced to several people, all while trying to memorize their names for later investigation. I follow Windy like a mutt looking for scraps until we make it to a less crowded area in the house. She inhales deeply like introductions exhausted her. “Shew. So far so good.”

“Everyone seems to like you. I don’t really know why you brought me. Perhaps you secretly want to date me, and this is the only way you could figure how to do it without appearing desperate.”

She rolls those big chocolate eyes. “Give it a rest. I’m fairly certain you’re full of shit.”

I sneer. “Your loss.”