Chapter Sixteen #2
“Hi.” I wave stupidly. She just nods and turns her attention back to Aiden.
“We’re filling a cart for Miss Girard today. Whatever she wants. Throw on my discount too.”
Discount? For the first time, I have money. He doesn’t need to help. I try to stop Aiden. “You don’t have to…”
“I dragged you all the way out here, so the least I can do is offer you my discount,” Aiden insists. I notice the confusion on Lafferty’s face and wonder if he’s bullshitting me. If he is, he’s a pro. I don’t see any signs of deception.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“I’ll let you get started, and I’ll call Rutledge,” Aiden explains. Lafferty seems to understand what’s happening and comes around the counter to show me where the trolleys are.
“Your cart.” She points to a random solo trolley pushed up against the wall.
“Women’s clothing.” She points to the far-left side of the warehouse.
“Make-up and bath stuff is in the middle. Home decorating is behind that, and the big items are at the back, though you’ll need to call me to arrange delivery for those. ”
“Great. Thank you.”
She hovers, staring at me. Her eyes narrow just before she asks, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Uh, sure?”
“There’s a rumour you’re staying at the compound with Aiden…uh…Captain Driscoll.” For asking something so damned personal, there’s no humility in her tone or expression. No shy or apologetic look-away. No conspiratorial whisper. She’s blunt. Pushy.
I tense. I expected her to ask why a civilian is shopping at a UACT outlet, not interrogate me about my living arrangements.
Instead of answering, I pick at her like I’m picking at a scab. Pointless but irritating. “What’s the question?” I ask.
She huffs. Almost rolls her eyes but catches herself at the last second. “Well, is it true?”
There’s no hesitation in my response. “No.”
She breathes a sigh of relief that makes me irrationally angry. “Oh good, I mean, there are always rumours about Aiden, he’s just so…” She stares across at him and smiles. “…you know.”
“Yeah, I know, but to correct your rumour, I’m staying at the compound with Dax Nagano and Aiden.”
Lafferty stiffens like I broke her. It takes her a minute to process my meaning.
I watch it happen first-hand as it plays out on her face.
First the frown, then the disappointment, then anger, and finally disgust. She sputters, clears her throat, and then snaps, “I’m sure you can find your own way around? ”
“Absolutely.”
“Whore,” she mumbles as she walks away, but I was meant to hear it.
“Wannabe,” I fire back, clear as glass. No mumbling here. I’m pleased as hell when she spins to face me. “Problem? I ask.
“What did you just call me?”
“I assumed you were challenging me to a trade of insults. You really should annunciate though; I almost missed that cowardly little ‘whore’.” I dismiss her, pushing my trolley to the back of the lot and listening in case she chooses to follow me.
She doesn’t, and I’m glad. I might stand a chance against a woman my own height, but I need to remember she’s likely UACT-trained.
My temper got the better of me. Or maybe my jealousy.
“She’s the one who’s jealous, Jules,” I remind myself, Nana’s voice ringing in my ears; when jealous people stew in their dark feelings, don’t climb in the pot and boil with them. Slam the lid down and leave them to it.
Easy to recall, not so easy to enact.
I make it to the back of the warehouse without seeing anything.
Then turn around and slowly make my way back, forcing my eyes over everything just to distract myself.
By the time I reach the clothes rails again, I’m much calmer.
Lafferty leaning into Aiden up at the front desk doesn’t bother me. Not at all. Not in the slightest.
I pull out my phone.
“Tell Laffing-girl, if she puts her hands on your muscles again, I’ll pull out her fucking teeth. And no christening anything for you later. On principle.”
I hear Aiden’s laughter and know he’s received it.
“Hey Tiger!” he shouts. “You doing okay back there?”
I refuse to answer.
“I’m good if you don’t find anything. I mean, you’ll have to walk around naked, but I’m sure I’ll cope.”
“Mind your fucking manners, Aiden Driscoll!” I’m furious that he’s justifying her whore comment, but also oddly pleased that he’s publicly claimed me as his. Are relationships always this diametrical?
“That’s my fierce girl! On a serious note, Rutledge will be here in ten. Think you can be done by then? I’d like to introduce you both.”
“No problem. I’m almost done.” I stare into the empty trolley and sigh at my own lie.
Time to focus on what I’m here to do. I grab a few pairs of jeans, joggers, some new yoga pants (that make me smile when I think of the last pair I wore) a dress that I’ll probably never wear, three blouses in the same style but different colours, and a range of cute t-shirts with sarcastic slogans.
On the way to the till, I grab a basic white bra, one in black, and a six-pack of white thong panties.
I count the bill at two hundred and sixty-seven pounds.
Not bad at all, given there are some named brands among the haul.
On the counter already are a pair of white sneakers, fluffy pink slippers, a thick winter jacket, and fur-lined boots.
“Are we going skiing?” I ask, running my eyes over the tags and calculating my new total. Three hundred and fifty-two.
“Winter’s coming in,” Aiden says with a shrug. “I want you to be cosy.”
“I’ll just bet you do,” I tease and then smirk at the throat clearing behind us.
“Ready to ring it up?” Lafferty snaps, drawing Aiden’s eye. She clears her throat again and offers him a weak smile.
I lug the clothing onto the counter for scanning.
Lafferty snaps off every tag and scans them that way.
Except, I’m fairly sure she’s scanning some of them twice.
For God’s sake, why couldn’t it have been some other girl on the counter today?
One not obsessed with my…boyfriend…man…lover… ugh…with what’s mine!
“Five Hu—”
“Nope.” I pop the P. “Do it again. This time, read the tags out.” She shoots a glance at Aiden. We both read the subtext in the look just fine. Save me…she’s crazy…do I really have to do this?
“Do it,” Aiden demands without even questioning me.
For each item she reads out. I fold the clothing and pile it up. By the time she’s finished, I have three neat stacks ready for bagging.
“Total?” I ask. She rolls her lips. I can see she’s getting ready to lie, so I grab the display and swivel it to face me and Aiden.
￡352.00
“Three fifty-two with the discount,” she murmurs.
Thankfully, I don’t need the discount, but the fact that she’s trying to save her own skin by tricking me out of it really burns me up.
Aiden notices too. He pulls out his UACT ID, hands it to her, and asks, “Wouldn’t you need this then?”
“Oh, yeah. My bad. Hang on.” She takes her time inputting the code and then returns the new amount. She’s trying so hard to smile innocently, but we’re all aware she just fucked up.
“￡281.60,” she trills. “You got a nice haul for the price.” She distracts herself with bagging, not noticing the grey-haired, dour-faced gentleman who has stepped in and watches us all from the door.
Aiden spots him. He shifts from my Aiden to the UACT operative with stiffened posture and showing deference to a man of authority.
“Thank you for coming in on your day off, Sir.” Aiden dips his head in respect.
The man, Rutledge I assume, nods back. “It sounded like it was important.”
“It is, Sir. Very unexpected intel.” Aiden turns to me. “Sir, this is Jules—Miss Girard.”
Rutledge smiles widely. “Nice to finally meet you. Are you happy for me to call you Miss Girard, or would it be better to continue with Jules Feelan?”
No nonsense. Not only is he aware of who I am, but he knows everything that’s gone down over the last couple of weeks. What I’m less happy about is Lafferty knowing both my names.
“Either is fine, Sir,” I answer.
“Malcolm, Jules, call me Malcolm. I get enough Sir-ing from this lot, but they’re paid to do that, so who am I to complain?” When he smiles, I understand where all his wrinkles are from. He’s not a dour man; he’s a good one; all twinkling eyes filled with mischief like a storybook grandpa.
“Lafferty, go take a break,” Aiden instructs, his tone laced with ice.
“But I…”
Malcolm steps forward, one little half-step in Lafferty’s direction, and gives her a sweet smile. “Lafferty, is it? Might I trouble you for a favour?”
Lafferty straightens up, barking in the affirmative. “Sir!”
“My wife informs me that the dish I broke last week was priceless,” he says, surprising all three of us.
“Now, I’m a practical man, and figure if someone made it once they can make it again.
So, at great expense, I ordered a whole set of painted crockery to come in from wherever the hell it was originally made.
I got a notification that it was in the back storage.
Would you be a champion and fetch it for me?
It’ll have my name on the box. Malcolm Rutledge,” he says as if she doesn’t already know who he is.
Lafferty looks from Aiden to Rutledge and then pastes on her fake smile. “Sure. I mean, of course, Sir.” She stalks off to the back of the depot, looking back at us more than once.
Malcolm turns his smile on us. “There. Free to talk. What do you have for me?”
Aiden tells him about our earlier conversation. The old man’s pupils darken to sharp pinpricks the longer he listens.
“You’re sure?” he asks, directing the question at Aiden.
I answer instead. “About the Water Treatment Plant? Yes. The rest is mostly guesswork or things I’ve put together by listening to others.”
“Can you recall any specific dates?” Rutledge asks.
“Not dates exactly. They don’t seem to work via dates, more days of the week.
The first one is on a Thursday around the middle of the month, and the other is usually on a Wednesday at the end of the month.
If you post some men on the roof of the paint factory across the street from the entrance, you’ll see the trucks coming and going.
They run the highway toward Wickton and bypass much of Harrison Central.
There’s also a second light that flashes on the nautical mile buoys out behind the suburbs.
I used to watch them from my grandmother’s house.
It only appears a couple of times a month, so it may be a warning system or a drop point or something.
I’m not sure. It’s just always seemed odd to me that it was an inconsistent light. ”
“Thank you, Jules. That is immensely helpful. We’ve been wondering why it’s been quiet lately. We get one or two minor raids every six weeks. I’ve assumed for a while that they’re keeping us just busy enough not to raise suspicion,” Rutledge admits.
I can’t help but issue my own warning. “Be careful. Rats know how to bury deep. Block one tunnel and they’ll chew out another.”
“True indeed. We’ll do as you said and take a look at all the businesses and services stationed along the water’s edge. Aiden, thank you for bringing this to me.”
“Of course.”
Malcolm claps his hands. “Now, what was all that with young Lafferty?”
“Good question.” Aiden turns to me expecting an answer.
Well, damn. “Personal stuff. It’s nothing. All done now.”
Aiden doesn’t buy it. He shakes his head at me and then addresses Malcolm. “Just in case, might I suggest a review? Check her financials for debt. She tried to over-charge twice. Should we have someone talk to her and make sure she’s okay? She’s been acting out recently.”
Aw, hell no. Am I really going to have to explain this was jealousy over a crush? “Really. I’m not sure any of that is necessary. It was a posturing thing. We had words, and she was trying to pull rank…so to speak. No foul.”
“All the more reason to check on her,” Malcolm agrees with Aiden. “I’ll see to it.”
Aiden nods. He places a hand on my back. “Then we’ll be on our way, if there’s nothing else…”
Malcolm waves us off toward the door. “Go on. Go on. I recognise the draw of a day at home with the wife. Enjoy yourselves.”
I take the excuse and run with it. “Nice to meet you, Malcolm.”
Malcolm waves. “You too, Jules.”
I leave them to their formalities and take my bags outside into the autumn air. The breeze is fresh on my face. I close my eyes and breathe it in.
One
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Three
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Five
Six.
Seven deep breaths before Aiden’s warms my side.
“Want to tell me which words you had in there with Lafferty?”
Figured he’d ask. “Not really. The girl has a crush on you. Turns out there’s a rumour we’re a thing, and I confirmed it. So she got a bit prickly. She really doesn’t need to end up in review over it.”
I hear a little huff of a ‘huh’ before he sighs and explains.
“Actually, she does. Lafferty is on duty. A punishment duty at that. The fact that she shared rumours with you, had the gall to call you out for them, and then put her personal enmity ahead of her professional duty is exactly why she needs a review.”
“Well, when you put it like that…very unprofessional of her.” I try to make light of things, but Aiden’s expression is unflinching.
“Did she say anything else?” he asks.
“Like…”
“Like whatever it was that made you text me mid-shop…” God, he’s good.
No point in hiding it. It was out of character for me, and we both know it. “Fine, she called me a name. I called her one back.” Aiden stares at me until I relent. “She called me a whore. I called her a wannabe.” He cracks a smile and then straightens it.
“She called you a whore because we’re dating?”
“No, she called me a whore because I corrected her and told her I was dating you and Dax.” I grin up at him.
His mouth twitches just before it cracks into a beautiful smile. “That’s my girl.”