Chapter 7 #2
That was another thing I couldn’t have on the run. I had to pay cash for everything. Fortunately, my fake ID had proved good enough for the corner check-cashing place where I took my paycheck. They were more interested in their exorbitant commission than being sticklers about someone’s paperwork.
“Ready?” he asked.
I smiled back at him. “Sure thing, Thor.”
The name just came to me. I’d never seen a man as muscled as March in real life, so why not a mythical superhero name?
He chuckled. “You have to do better than that.”
“Tough. That’s who you are to me now. Maybe I’ll get you a hammer.”
As we left the restaurant, I saw Frankie, my neighbor, partway down the block.
I quickly looked away.
Had he seen me? Seen us?
Zane
When we walked out of Bella’s Steakburgers, habit kicked in, and I scanned both directions. That’s when I saw him—Frankie, her creepy neighbor from this morning, still in his Dodgers jersey.
Peyton jerked when she noticed the guy, after I already had.
“What’s wrong?” I knew what the answer should be, because she’d blown off his lunch request this morning.
She walked faster. “Nothing, except I’m already late.” She didn’t choose honesty, which was a shame after the lunch we’d had. Peyton also didn’t think I’d seen the creep. “I’ll have to tell Grace you had me tied up.”
“I like how that sounds.”
She tried and failed to hold back a giggle. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I did.”
The blush that rose in her cheeks was unmistakable. Maybe she wasn’t as innocent as she pretended.
With a shit-eating grin, Duke eyed me as we walked back into SpaceMasters. I let Peyton go ahead, while I checked in with my SEAL brother.
“It took you long enough.” He made a show of checking his watch. “I can give you some pointers on how to please your woman more quickly.” He laughed.
I waited until he’d finished.
“Yeah, quick to finish. That’s what she said about you.” I dodged sideways when he growled.
“Hey, I’m the one filling in for you, asshole.”
“Thanks,” I said sincerely. “I appreciate it.” I moved in and slapped him on the shoulder. “Anything happen while I was away?”
“Grace wanted to make a bank run, but I vetoed that idea since I didn’t know when you’d be back.”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of that.” It couldn’t be that hard.
After Duke left, I escorted Grace on her run to pick up cash and deposit checks at the bank.
When we returned, Peyton even smiled at me. I took that as a win.
A text had arrived from Jordy, so I snuck into the small conference room to deal with it.
JORDY: Small problem.
I braced for bad news when I dialed him.
“You know that business you wanted me to help with?” he asked. Most likely, from his wording, he had Lucas within earshot.
“Yeah?”
He hesitated. “I started on your order, but was hassled by this guy who’d been hanging around. So, I couldn’t complete it. I need to give it a week or so before I try again. Sorry, man.” He meant the cameras.
“Thanks for trying.”
I did a quick search on my phone and found a Rolex dealer in Century City. I’d promised Peyton I’d get her watch fixed, and I planned to take care of that as soon as I found a chance.
Pulling the watch out, I looked it over. To my eye, it was a really nice imitation.
The watch went back into my pocket. It was a shame the scratched crystal made it look so bad.
An hour later, after recalling everything I could that Peyton had ever said around me, I came back to creepy Frankie.
Harmless, had been her description. But how accurate was that?
While Grace talked with a customer in her office, I slipped back into the small conference room.
“Hey, Zane, what’s up?” Jordy asked without even a hello. “I’m bored. You got any field work I can help with?”
“What?” I asked. “You want a break from all your screens?” His office looked like it belonged to NASA with all the computers and jumbo monitors he had.
“Hey, sometimes good work takes good equipment. But I think I need some vitamin D.”
“I give you pills for that,” I heard Lucas say in the background.
“It’s just that Zane gets to hang out in an office full of women, and there aren’t any around here,” Jordy complained.
“Try saying that around Constance,” I told him. “She’ll kick your butt all the way to Cleveland.”
“Yeah, she could try.”
“I do have a project for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not field work.”
He sighed into the phone.
“I need a background check on a neighbor of Peyton’s.” I gave him her address. “He lives on the same floor. First name Frankie or Frank. I need the full workup. He seems like a possible threat.” Possible was putting my feelings about the guy lightly.
“Last name?” Jordy asked lazily.
“I don’t know. That’s why I came to you instead of trying it myself. This takes your kind of super talent.”
“You called the right guy.” His voice filled with pride.
“I’m counting on it. Everybody tells me you’re the best. I mean, like nobody even comes close.”
“That’s right. Not within a light year. I’ll get going on it.”
“Thanks, man.”