Hustler_A Second Chance Romance

by Rye Hart

  “I know,” I said.

  I hated to see her leave, but knowing this wasn't the last time I was going to see her helped a lot. Maybe, this would be our second chance at love.

  ***

  The day was hot, though not as stifling as it had been lately. With the pack slung over my shoulders, I pedaled down the street toward the meeting spot. Though not as hot, it was still pretty warm, so I was glad it wasn't on the far side of town. I could take my car, but decided that biking it was easier. Plus, it was less risky – few people noticed a guy on a bike, but a beater of a car might stick out in their minds a little bit.

  Yeah, maybe I was just being paranoid, but I wasn't about to take any unnecessary chances. Not with so much on the line.

  Things had been going pretty well. Tim had a seemingly unending supply of work for me. Apparently, Walter, for as small as it was compared to other, bigger cities, had a lot of people with a drug habit. Not that I was going to complain – the money was great.

  I stopped beneath a tree on the sidewalk and took a drink of water, double-checking the address. A small wave of trepidation ran through me when I realized how close it was to Piper's shop. The convenience store sat on a small lot that abutted a strip mall.

  I was supposed to meet Tim's clients in the parking lot of the strip mall.

  They were new customers and I guess, didn't trust Tim enough yet to give him their address. I worried that they were cops trying to set me up, but Tim had assured me he'd vetted them enough to know they weren't. He may look like a slacker, but when it comes to his business, Tim makes sure to be careful.

  I was pretty sure Piper was working, which made me nervous, but also glad I used my bike to make these runs – she would have recognized my car in a heartbeat. I glanced at my watch out of habit – or maybe just as a way of stalling a little bit longer – I had more than enough time to get to the parking lot.

  I didn't want to cycle by the front of her convenience store though. Didn't want to risk her seeing me. So, I pedaled around an extra block, so I could approach the parking lot from the other side – well away from the front windows of the C&S.

  I saw the car parked in a spot under the sign that held all of the business placards for the shops in the strip mall. It was parked well away from all of the other cars and two guys were inside. I pedaled up and came to a stop at the front of the car, leaning my bike against the metal sign pole.

  The two men got out and a touch of nervousness rippled through me. Both guys were older than me and were big – well over six feet – and they seemed as thick as they were tall. One guy had a short buzz cut and the other was completely bald. The bald guy had a long, bushy beard, and Buzz Cut had a neatly trimmed goatee. They looked so similar, they could have been brothers.

  They came around and both leaned against the front quarterpanel of the car, staring daggers through me.

  “Which one of you is Aaron?” I asked.

  “You bring me what I ordered?” Buzz Cut asked, his voice deep and rumbling.

  “You bring Tim's money?”

  Buzz Cut looked over at Baldy and nodded. The bald guy looked around, making sure we weren't being watched – we weren't – and opened up a paper bag, showing me some cash inside.

  I nodded and held my hand out to take the bag, but baldy snatched it away quickly. I looked at him, a cold feel of dread stealing over me. I hadn't had any issues with any of Tim's clients to this point, but something about these two rubbed me the wrong way. They sent red flags up in my head.

  “Look, I gotta have the cash in hand before I can give you the bag,” I said. “Tim's rules.”

  “Fuck Tim,” Baldy said.

  Buzz Cut – Aaron – laughed. “Relax, man,” he told Baldy and then pointed to the bag on my shoulder. “Sorry, he's just a little high strung. Needs his vitamins and all.”

  Vitamins? The euphemisms people came up with for their drugs was just dumb to me. If I were muling pills for Tim, I could see the vitamins reference. But, I was hauling pot and so, the reference didn't make a lick of sense. Of course, not being part of the drug culture – other than as an errand boy – I didn't understand their world.

  “Well, hand me the paper bag and he gets his – vitamins.” I said.

  Aaron leaned back against his car again and eyed me up and down, taking me all in. It was like he was trying to decide something in his head about me. What that could be, I had no idea. The longer we stood out there though, the more exposed I felt, and the more nervous I got. I kept cutting glances over to the C&S windows, half-expecting to see Piper's face in them, staring at me – knowing what I was doing out there.

  “Look,” I said. “This is easy. Give me your bag, I give you mine, we all go on our separate ways. If you don't want what I have – ”

  “Slow down, son,” Aaron said. “Jesus Christ, you're a jumpy one.”

  I shrug. “I don't like standing out in the middle of an open area with a bag full of pot on my back.”

  Both men laughed and nudged each other in the ribs with their elbows like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard.

  “What's so funny?” I asked.

  “We don't smoke pot,” Aaron said. “Do we look like a couple of dopeheads to you?”

  I shrugged, though the revelation that I wasn't carrying marijuana was a little bit unsettling. I'd never known Tim to do anything but smoke pot. I guess because of that, I didn't realize he'd deal in other drugs too. But then, did it really matter? Drugs were drugs and if I got caught muling them like I was, I'd end up doing some time in prison.

  “Not my business to know,” I said. “I'm just here to make a delivery.”

  “What's to stop us from kicking your ass and just taking that bag off you, kid?” Baldy – whose name I'd yet to hear – said.

  I look around, that feeling of trepidation growing stronger within me. It wasn't like I could run to the cops for protection. Not with this bag of – who knew what – on my back. But then, going back to Tim empty handed, without his money wasn't a good idea for me either.

  Prison on the one hand, a bullet in the head in the other – yeah, my options were just fantastic.

  Aaron lifted up his shirt, showing me the butt of the gun sticking out of the waistband of his jeans. The shudder of fear that passed through me made both men laugh out loud.

  “Why don't you just hand over the bag,” Aaron said. “And we'll all just call it even.”

  I shook my head. “I can't go back to Tim without the money.”

  “Well, I hate to break it to you,” Aaron went on, “but, you ain't getting this money.”

  Apparently, to emphasize the point, Baldy threw the bag of cash back through the window and into the car behind him, folding his arms over his chest. They both stared daggers at me. I cleared my throat and tried to project a confidence I didn't feel.

  “Then you aren't getting this bag,” I said.

  They both stared harder at me, the scowls on their faces deepening.

  “Kid, I don't think you heard me right,” Aaron said, emphasizing his point by tapping the butt of his pistol. “You're going to give me that fuckin' bag. Right now.”

  I look around the parking lot. There's nobody out and about, and traffic on the street is pretty sparse. Even still, I had to wonder if he'd actually use the gun. If he'd actually shoot me right there, in broad daylight. I didn't really want to find out, but I couldn't let him take the bag from me – not without giving me the money.

  “Come on, guys,” I said. “It doesn't have to go down like this – ”

  “You're goddamn right,” Baldy said. “Give us the bag and it won't.”

  I shook my head. “I can't do that,” I say. “I can't go back to Tim empty handed. I do that, he'll put a bullet in me just as sure as you would.”

  “Not my problem, kid,” Aaron said. “You took a job like this knowing you could get fucked seven ways to Sunday. Not my fault you decided to roll the dice.”

  “And came up snake eyes this t
ime,” Baldy said.

  “Gimme the back or I'm going to fuckin' kill you,” Aaron warned.

  “No you won't,” I say. “Not here. Not on a main street like this.”

  “No, we'll drag your stupid ass into the car, drive you to some remote field, and blow your fuckin' head off,” Baldy growled.

  Oh. I hadn't thoght about that. Never even considered that they'd kidnap me first and then murder me. Clearly, I'm not a criminal mastermind.

  “Gimme the fuckin' bag, kid,” Aaron said. “Tim ain't gonna kill you over it.”

  Yeah, not a gamble I want to take. Aaron stepped forward, hand extended for the bag. I waited until he got close enough, and drove my knee straight up into his groin as hard as I could. His face turned a bright shade of scarlet as he let out a strangled gasp and doubled over, clutching his balls. The other man grabbed at me, but I danced backward, quickly getting out of his way.

  Yeah, they were bigger than me, but I was a lot more agile than either one of them. I stepped forward and kicked Aaron in the face. The sound of his nose snapping was so loud, I could hear it. Blood poured out of him, splattering onto the pavement at his feet.

  Baldy's face was a dark mask of rage and I saw him reaching for the gun in his friend's jeans. I gave thought to grabbing my bike, but realized I didn't have the time. I simply turned and took off running. I heard the sound of the shots, echoing around the parking lot like cannon fire, a moment before I saw the sparks erupting from the pavement to the right of me.

  Fuck. He was shooting at me. He was actually shooting at me!

  I ran for my life, my feet slapping the pavement hard and fast. I didn't bother looking behind me – I was terrified I'd see them closing in on me. I turned the corner as I heard another shot and heard the whine of a bullet pinging off the concrete. I hustled down the alley that ran between the C&S and the strip mall as quickly as I could.

  My lungs burning, my heart thundering, and my legs aching, I crouched down behind some dumpsters, trying to catch my breath. I heard the sound of an engine roaring, followed by the squeal of tires on pavement. Hopefully, that was the two men leaving because in the distance, I heard sirens. Slowly leaning out, I peeked around the dumpsters and let out a breath of relief seeing that the alley was clear.

  Nobody was coming. Thankfully.

  I let out a loud scream though and very nearly jumped out of my skin when a hand fell on my shoulder. Spinning around, I found myself face to face with Piper. She looked at me with wide, terrified eyes, her already pale complexion, seeming to blanch even more.

  “Jesus, Piper,” I gasped. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “There was gunfire,” she said, visibly shaken. “A bullet came through the window of the store.”

  “Shit,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “Are you okay?”

  I looked her over, terrified of seeing blood on her – terrified that she'd been shot because of me. Thankfully though, she didn't look physically injured.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said, shaking her head as if coming out of a dream. “I'm fine. What are you doing here? Why are you hiding behind the dumpsters?”

  The knots in my stomach constricted painfully and I had a hard time looking her in the eye. I knew I was going to have to try to lie to her and I hated myself for it.

  “I – I heard the gunshots, and – ”

  She looked at me, her eyes narrowed. “When I heard the first shot, I looked out the windows and saw you running across the parking lot, Shane,” she said. “Were those men shooting at you? What's going on, Shane?”

  I sighed and shook my head. I didn't want to get her involved with this. Actually, I just didn't want her knowing about my “job.” I racked my brain, trying to come up with some plausible excuse for running across the parking lot and diving behind the dumpsters, but the truth was, I was so rattled, I was having a hard time forming a coherent thought.

  “I – uhhh – my bike... ”

  My voice trailed off beneath her withering glare. As I stood there, I saw her make the shift from terrified to angry. She knew something was up, and knew I was about to lie to her – and wasn't having any of it. She pinned me to where I stood with her steely gaze.

  “Shane,” she snapped. “What's going on?”

  The sound of the sirens drew ever closer. They were practically on top of us. I cut my eyes this way and that. I needed to get out of there. If I got caught and my bag was searched, it was all over for me.

  “I really need to run, Piper,” I said, cutting my eyes to the end of the alley.

  She grabbed my arm and squeezed it tight. “Not until you tell me what's going on.”

  The squad cars screeched to a halt in the parking lot out front and I could hear what sounded like a thousand anxious voices. I hadn't realized the shops in the strip mall had been that crowded to begin with. With all of those witnesses though, it was only a matter of time before the cops came down the alley looking for me.

  I looked at Piper, my adrenaline running on overdrive. “I really need to go, Piper.”

  She shook her head and tightened her grip on me. “What have you done, Shane?”

  “Piper, I can't be here right now.”

  She looked around the dumpster to the head of the alley, nodding her head as if understanding something. She pulled me along with her, shoving me through the back door, and into the storeroom of the C&S before following me in. Piper shut and locked the door behind us.

  As she rounded on me, the fury in her eyes was unmistakable. “Fine,” she said. “I'm probably breaking a law hiding you right now, but I want some answers. What in the hell is going on, Shane?”

  I cleared my throat and shifted the bag on my shoulders. As I did, that's when I noticed the sprinking of white powder falling out of a hole in the bag – a bullet hole. Seeing just how close I'd come to taking a bullet in the back sent shockwaves of terror through me.

  “What in the hell is that?” she asked, pointing to the hole and the fairy dust.

  I ran a hand through my hair, trying to mop the sweat from my brow. My heart was still hammering, but now it seemed to be hammering for a different reason. Or, at least, another reason. I wasn't going to be able to lie my way out of this. In fact, I didn't want to lie to Piper. I just didn't want her learning the truth. The truth about me and the things I was doing.

  “Shane,” she snapped, her voice rising, anger coloring her words. “What in the hell is happening here.”

  “Fine,” I say, letting out a long breath. “They were shooting at me. Yes.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “Why would they be shooting at you?” she asked. “What did you do?”

  The pit in my stomach yawning even wider, I looked into her eyes, saw the rage, and quickly looked away again. I was ashamed of what I was doing. I'd been so caught up in enjoying the money that was rolling in, I'd lost sight of some things. Namely, that what I was doing was illegal.

  “It's because of what I'm doing,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

  “What is it you're doing again?” she asked.

  My heart hammered away inside of me and the knots in my stomach tightened painfully. This was where the rubber met the road. I feared, more than anything, that when she knew what I was, what it is I've been doing, that she'll uproot herself from my life. I couldn't necessarily blame her, but I feared it all the same.

  Still, she deserved to know the truth. After what happened to her – and what she'd seen – she deserved to know who and what I was. I couldn't keep lying to her, or as today showed me, put her in danger. If she wanted to be with me, she was going to have to make a decision – and had I ruled that dy.

  Instead of saying anything, I slipped the bag off my shoulders. I wordlessly dropped it at her feet. Piper didn't say anything for a long moment. Instead, she stood before me, eyes lowered to the bag, seemingly unable to look at me.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “Open it,” I said.

  “What's in i
t?”

  “See for yourself.”

  She looked at me for a long moment and then squatted down. Witth hands that trembled, she grasped hold of the zippers and opened it. Piper stared at the contents for several long moments, not saying a word. Her silence was somehow more unsettling to me than if she'd just flat out started rampaging.

  “Piper?” I asked, my voice soft.

  “How could you, Shane?”

  I watched her as she got back to her feet and stared at me. Her eyes burned with rage and she clenched her fists at her sides.

  “How could you do this?” she seetehed. “Drugs, Shane? Really? You're running fucking drugs?”

  I shook my head “It's not like that – ”

  “Don't,” she snapped. “Don't you fucking dare. There is no other way it could be like. How could you bring me into this.”

  I shook my head again. “I wasn't trying to bring you into anything,” I said. “And I'm not running drugs, Piper. I'm just delivering packages. That's all I'm doing. Ferrying a bag from point A to point B.”

  “Yeah, that's kind of the definition of running drugs, moron.”

  Piper's eyes blazed with fury. They were narrowed and her jaw was clenched. If she had something in her hand, I had no doubt she would have beat me with it right then and there. I understood her anger. I was angry with myself for falling into this in the first place.

  But, she also needed to understand I had no choice. I was hoping for a little bit of understanding in that front. Just a little bit.

  “Piper,” I said. “This was a temporary thing. Just until I could find a job. I needed to provide for the kids – ”

  “By running drugs?”

  “It was the only work I could find,” I said. “It was just something I needed to keep a roof over our heads for a little while – ”

  “Shane, you were almost shot out there,” she said. “You could have been killed. What would your brother and sister have done if you'd been killed?”

  I shook my head. “I don't know,” I say. “Probably gone back into the system. But then, if I couldn't keep a roof over our heads, they would have gone back in anywya, so it's not like it would have made much of a difference.”