Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
TEXT MESSAGES FROM EVERYONE
THE GIRLS
Grace: Well, this is interesting.
Mia: What?
Grace: Your replacement bartender is here.
Mia: Who is it?
Sofie: It’s Grady.
Mia: WHAT?!?!?
Nola: Oh, yeah. He’s slinging drinks like it’s his day job.
Sofie: Yeah, he is.
Mia: No man-handling the bartender!
Grace: He’s doing a really good job. Wanted you to know someone is here and everything’s fine.
Nola: Are you okay?
Mia: Fine.
Grace: But?
Mia: I hate hiding.
Sofie: It’s to keep you safe. Alive is always better.
Nola: And you get to hide with that fine-ass-man who’s in love with you.
Mia: He is pretty fine.
Grace: He gave you another orgasm, didn’t he?
Mia: …
Nola: Don’t hold out on us! We’re all living vicariously through you!
Sofie: Teach us your ways.
Mia: You’ll have to ask him! Seriously, I don’t know how. I only know when he touches me, I don’t panic. He’s taught me how to let go and, well, find my fucking orgasm.
Grace: I’m really happy for you.
Mia: You know…
Grace: Nope. Not going there.
Mia: Fine. I’m going to go have another orgasm. Just for you all.
Sofie: Get it, girl!
Nola: I love you. And hate you.
Grace: Bitch.
Mia: Love you, too!
THE GUYS
Demitri: What do we know?
Joker: They found your house. Been camped out for a couple of hours.
Demitri: Joke’s on them. I haven’t been home more than a few minutes in over a month.
Aiden: It also gives us the chance to track them.
Nate: I’m almost in their system now. They have to be working with someone who knows their shit. The firewall is decent.
Demitri: Don’t put anything past them. Anything on the ‘sister’?
Aiden: Nothing. She’s gone under.
Joker: She’ll resurface soon.
Demitri: I wish she would so we could get this over with.
Daniel: She’s not completely quiet. Batch of designer drugs found on campus. Same ones that went around the high schools.
Joker: Fuck! Those aren’t anything to fuck with. They can kill.
Daniel: Sammy’s working with PD to find how they got there.
Demitri: She’s starting. First the drugs. Then the violence.
Daniel: Hopefully she works slow.
Demitri: Grady’s quiet. What’s up with him?
Aiden: *Picture of Grady behind the bar at City Brews* He’s your very popular bartender tonight.
Demitri: Oh, shit!
Aiden: All these college girls with a daddy kink. They’re all drooling and trying to slide numbers his way. Keep calling him their very own Bryant.
Aiden: Now they’re talking about Stella Moore and her Daddy romances?
Demitri: Guess we need to go book shopping?
Aiden: One of them just gave me the name of one, said it was their favorite. I’ll send it to you later.
Demitri: Brodie must be jealous.
Aiden: Not sure it’s Brodie you should be asking about. The girls are here and are being very…protective of our boy.
Demitri: Is that so?
Aiden: Grace is glaring, Nola is talking shit about every one of them, and Sofie might be growling?
Demitri: I’m sure he’s eating up every bit of it. How long do we need to stay here?
Daniel: To be determined. We’ll arrange a food drop off tomorrow. You good for tonight?
Demitri: Stale soda and canned ravioli for the win, I guess. We’ll survive.
Daniel: Talk to you in the morning. Also, need to come up with a plan for next weekend. We’ve got an out-of-town job. This one might require everyone.
Demitri: We’ll figure it out. Can’t put your lives on hold for me. I appreciate what you’ve done already.
Daniel: You are our job, too.
Demitri: Thanks. See you in the morning.
MIA AND AUNT LINDA
Aunt Linda: How you holding up?
Mia: Could be worse, I guess?
Aunt Linda: Make sure he’s taking care of you.
Mia: He is.
Aunt Linda: Good. Don’t forget what we talked about.
Mia: I haven’t.
Aunt Linda: I think you’re a good choice.
Mia: We’ll see. Only time will tell, right?
Aunt Linda: Try to get some rest. Have a feeling shit’s going to hit the fan sooner rather than later.
Mia: It is what it is.
Aunt Linda: Atta girl.