12. Shit Jobs
Chapter twelve
Shit Jobs
Monique
For the rest of the drive, Lei remained silent with his head leaned back on the seat.
The whole time he watched me.
And I continued to stroke the old scars on his palm. The pale white, jagged lines were like a road map of a journey traveled—one of struggle and resilience. They were the rough-hewn braille of his existence. The language of his courage and fortitude. Legible only to those who dared to touch and understand.
Or at least that was what I guessed.
He didn’t seem like the sort of man that allowed many to touch him, and if they did. . .I doubted many lived to see another day.
Surely, he had journeyed through something.
Lei’s voice slipped through the car’s silence. “I am embarrassed to say that my hands are not as soft and smooth as yours.”
“Mine are not that soft either. I have working hands.”
“They are still softer than mine.” He gave me a sad smile. “Where do you work?”
I shrugged. “I do what I do.”
“Which is?”
“They’re not the most exciting jobs.”
“Yet, we do not keep secrets between us.”
I smirked. “Because we are the closest of friends now?”
“Yes.” With his other hand, he gestured to the handcuffs on our wrists. “The closest. There will be no secrets. Tell me. I’m intrigued.”
“Why?”
“You give me something else to think about.”
I understood what he meant. Already just from touching him, I was able to get my father’s death off my mind a little.
I traced one of the raised ridges of his scars up to his wrist. “I have two jobs. The first one, I work as a waitress in a strip club. The place isn’t even a nice one. It’s a dump where old strippers go because other spots won’t take them.”
“What’s the name of the place?”
“Scarlett’s Exotic Lounge.” I cringed. “And not one thing is exotic about it.”
“But a woman named Scarlett owns it?”
“No. Some douche bag named Carl. I have no idea where he even got the name Scarlett from.”
Lei curved his lips into a smile. “And what do you wear as a waitress?”
“Six-inch heels. A very tiny black skirt. You can pretty much see. . .well. . .everything. I also put on this little corset that is barely five inches long, so. . .it really isn’t a corset. More of a bra.”
To my surprise, Lei bit the bottom of his lip. “Hmmm.”
I blinked. “Anyway. . .it’s not my dream job, but I make quick cash each night. That is. . .if the place doesn’t get robbed.”
“How much can you bring in?”
“Two to three hundred on busy nights. Barely fifty dollars on a slow one.”
“You hate working there?”
“The customers are pretty much disgusting.”
His smile disappeared. “How?”
“You would think that with all of the naked women bouncing around on the stage that they would be satisfied with that.” I shifted to tracing a new scar, one zig zagging along his thumb. “However, the men always want the waitress—the few women in the place that are wearing clothes—to be naked too.”
“They want what they can’t have.”
“And it’s annoying. They are constantly trying to grab my ass and. . .you know.”
All humor left Lei’s face. “With this money that my father gave you, will you still be working there?”
“Absolutely not. When this is all over, I am going to Glory Community College’s admission department and find a good program that could lead to a viable income—nursing, IT, business administration. Something.” For the first time that day, excitement sparked within the sadness. “I’ll jump in any program that makes sense and doesn’t take too long. 75k will only get me but so far, but I will be smart about it. Budget a lot and be super thrifty. Plus, I’ll put a little aside for my sisters for school or—”
“No. You should spend it all on yourself. Make sure that you are in the best position possible.”
“I can’t do that.”
“ You are the one taking care of them . If you are in the best position, then you will be able to easily help and lift them up.”
“Well. . .that does make sense.”
He held a stern expression. “What’s the other job?”
“Oh.” I shrugged again. “It involves chickens.”
He quirked his brows. “Chickens?”
“Glory has a huge chicken processing plant on the edge of town. I work there in the afternoons. Actually, if this were a regular day, I would be heading to the plant now.”
“And what do you do with chickens?”
“It is a glamourous job of standing on the assembly line and breaking bones.”
Lei smirked. “It sounds glamourous. Tell me more.”
“Really?”
“Your world is very different from mine. It’s fascinating.”
I snorted. “Shall we trade places?”
“We should.” He stopped my hand from tracing his and held it firmly instead. . .as if he had been wanting to do it the whole time and finally got up the nerve. His warmth seeped into my skin. “Why are you breaking chicken bones?”
I gathered my composure. “The plant has a high birds per minute rate. It’s called BPM. Picture this, standing on the assembly line with a temperature of 40 degrees. Damp, wet, and slimy. Chicken fluids, guts, and fat slipping all over your fingers and splashing onto your plant overalls.”
“Very glamorous.” He slipped his finger along my knuckles.
“Employees are arm-to-arm working with sharp tools, knives, and hooks. And we are given one particular task to do and must repeat it over and over again.”
“And you break bones?”
“And slice tendons. Very fast. Our line is in charge of separating legs and arms.”
“Then, you’re good with a small knife?”
“Well. . .” I considered his question. “One could say that.”
“What about a gun? Uncle Song gave you his. My uncle wouldn’t take that lightly. Plus, it was actually loaded. Surely, he knew you could use it.”
“Song must have overheard me telling your father about how I hunt in Serenity Forest with my sister for food.”
“My father used to do the same to keep my sister and me fed.”
“He told me.”
Lei sighed and looked away, but still he held my hand.
A twinge of sorrow hit me.
I gazed down at our hands merged together. “Are you nervous about killing your father?”
“I’m terrified.”
Suddenly, the car stopped.
I looked up.
What?
Royal Palm Hotel stood tall. Its silhouette was a permanent fixture against the town’s small skyline and served as Glory’s crown jewel.
Before her battle with cancer, my mother had been a maid at this hotel for years—cleaning toilets and dealing with annoying guests. Her working there was the only reason I had seen some of the rooms.
I couldn’t afford to stay there. An oasis of luxury, the Royal Palm priced their regular rooms at a steep $450 a night. For suites, it started at a $1000 a night.
I widened my eyes. “We are staying here ?”
With a bored expression, Lei gazed at the place as if it didn’t drip with gold and opulence. “Yes. I believe this is the place. Why? Is it unsuitable?”
“The Royal Palm?” I gave him a nervous laugh. “No. It’s. . .extravagant for Glory. Only the rich stay here.”
“Hmmm.” He checked it out again and appeared completely unimpressed. “Good. Have you ever stayed here?”
“Oh yeah. All the time. After breaking chicken bones on the assembly line, I take a stroll to my presidential suite, kick my bloodied boots up, and relax.”
He snapped his view to me and grinned. “You are funny.”
“Thank you, and no, I’ve never stayed here. My mom worked at this hotel though. And once my sister, Jo and I were extras in a movie that was filmed here.”
“What movie?”
“You’ve probably never heard of it. This was a super low budget slasher.”
“But what was the name?”
“The Caretaker?”
“You’re right. I have never heard of it.”
“The film revolves around a group of old high school friends who decide to host an impromptu reunion at a luxury hotel. Unbeknownst to them, a disgruntled former janitor of the motel, known only as the Caretaker , arrives wielding a rusty, old hacksaw. He begins killing off people one by one.”
“And what was your role as extra?”
I beamed with pride. “I was dead body #23. Covered in blood. A knife jutted out of my forehead. I must have laid on that floor next to my sister for hours, as they kept redoing takes.”
He smirked. “Did you enjoy playing dead?”
“I had the time of my life.”
He chuckled.
The door opened next to him.
Chen appeared. “Alright. We have arrived.”
Lei’s expression changed abruptly and he seemed to put on an impenetrable mask. The amusement that once radiated from his face was replaced with a steely front, conveying the message that he meant business. His previous warm, open demeanor had vanished without a trace–swapped with something cold and threatening.
I tensed.
Back to being a scary stranger, Lei let go of my hand and turned to Chen.
Alright. That’s the end of that.
Chen pulled out small keys and handed them to Lei. “Here you go. These will uncuff you from Monique and allow the both of you to move freely.”
“The cuffs stay on.” Lei took the keys and put them in his pocket. “Is my suite ready?”
“It is.” Chen scowled and then gestured to me. “Just in case you changed your mind, I booked a very nice bedroom for Monique on the floor below us that will—”
“I didn’t change my mind. She stays in my suite with me and must always remain at my side.”
Chen tilted his head. “Always?”
The line in Lei’s jaw twitched. “Always.”
I widened my eyes. “Well. . .not always.”
Neither turned my way.
Chen gazed at him. “And how long will Monique always remain by your side?”
“Until I kill my father.”
“Why until then?”
“Monique intrigues him. That means she will not be safe by herself as long as he is alive.”
What?
Horror gripped me.
Chen nodded. “ That thinking is at least logical.”
“I am glad I can impress you today.” Lei frowned. “It brings me joy.”
Chen touched the button of his suit jacket as if checking that it was still secure. “So then that means that we are definitely saying yes to kidnapping?”
“If that’s what you think it is.”
“I believe the authorities as well as Monique’s family members may agree.”
“Then, I will talk to whoever has a problem with it.”
I pursed my lips.
“So she will be in your suite?”
“Yes.”
Chen cleared his throat. “Because you plan to keep her handcuffed to you this evening too?”
“That is the plan.”
“Is there any wiggle room to compromise with me on the handcuffs or—”
“There will be no compromise.”
Stepping back, Chen blew out a long breath. “Then, I will not bring this up again.”
“I doubt you will keep that promise.” Lei slowly guided us out of the car.
Lei and I will have to talk about these handcuffs later. I am not keeping them on the whole time.
All of his men—dressed in blue—had already left their vans and other vehicles.
“Okay, Lei.” Chen headed off. “Then, let us discuss the activities for the rest of the day.”
What else will happen today?