"Who?"
"The security guard from the mall across the highway that was here, helped me deal with them. That reminds me, when did we get a security uniform? Not exactly the kinkiest thing. But I guess some people are in to that. Especially if it comes with handcuffs."
Bill narrowed his eyes. "We don't have security uniforms."
Lily said nothing, simply thinking about last week. She remembered Brady, as clear as day, putting on a security uniform, and then switching back to his normal clothes. She wanted to apologize for her brutal dismissal of him after she'd dropped him off, and now she had another topic to bring up. Maybe they could actually have a full-blown conversation, the second in two weeks.
"Anyway," Bill continued. "Check it out. Under the register."
She dropped to one knee, where Bill took the opportunity to look down her tee shirt. Feeling around under the counter, her fingers felt a metal cylinder, cool to the touch.
"Careful," he said. "Pull it out slowly."
She did so, revealing a hidden can of pepper-spray. Bill had secured a bracket under the counter that held the can.
"Just something simple," he said. "I also asked a cop buddy of mine to swing by every now and then. Keep an eye out."
Lily was touched at the gesture. She was reminded once again that while Bill had his faults, he was a good guy.
Flipping the pepper-spray in her hand, she playfully pointed it at him.
"Thanks. Let's see if it works."
He held up his hands in self-defense.
"Whoa! Calm down there, killer. My wife would wonder what the hell I did to get sprayed. Again."
She laughed and tucked the can back under the counter. It took another five minutes before Bill was ready to leave. He put the non-broken movie away and printed out the mid-day report. Lily had settled in behind the counter, her smartphone at the ready, as he moved toward the door. He paused when he noticed something sticking out from her tote bag.
"What's this?"
Lily looked up, and watched in horror as he plucked the book from her bag. She lunged forward, but wasn't fast enough. Bill jumped back a step and held the book high over his head. Lily reached up in vain, but Bill was a foot taller. It was like children playing a game of keep away.
She went from wanting to hug Bill for his thoughtfulness to wanting to kick him between the legs.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"Give that back, asshole."
He held a hand out to keep her at bay, pushing at her tattoo. She slapped his hand away, but he only turned his back toward her, cracking open the book.
"Business management," he said. "No shit. You going to start your own business?"
Lily turned red. Humiliation and anger attacked her. She'd never felt so vulnerable.
"Bill, I swear to God, if you don't give that back—"
"I thought you told me you barely graduated high school?"
She felt like she'd been slapped in the face. Apparently, in Bill's mind, barely graduating high school meant a person couldn't make something of themselves. The terrifying thing was he said it with no malice. It was simply what he believed, as if it were a simple fact. It was obvious he didn't think Lily was capable of much more than handling a register at an adult entertainment shop.
"Well, hey, good luck to you," he said, handing over the book. "I don't blame you for wanting to get out of here. So exciting. I'm going to head home." He gestured to under the counter. "Look, if you have to use that, call the police, then call me."
Lily couldn't speak. She flashed the friendliest, most fake smile she could muster. Bill nodded in farewell before turning and leaving the shop.
She wasn't sure how much time passed before she could even move. The book felt like a heavy weight in her hand. She tucked it back in her bag, almost ashamed for even bringing it.
She didn't want to sell porn and sex objects forever. Bill's reaction told her she was right in hiding her ambitions, even from Emma and all her friends. Those closest to her would simply laugh.
She nearly cried, and it took everything she had to keep the tears inside. She focused on anything and everything to pass the time. Her smartphone, organizing the store, making small talk with the few customers that strolled through. Slowly, the sting of Bill's words faded into the background. She tried to be forgiving. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings.
It was after nine o'clock when her stomach rumbled. Lily watched with longing as the cars moved back and forth on the highway. They were no doubt heading somewhere fun, exciting, a kickoff for the weekend. She couldn't wait to escape, but at that moment, would have settled for just a sandwich.
She reached for her phone and pulled up Emma in her contacts. Her thumbs flew across the virtual keyboard.
Are you still coming by? Bringing dinner?
Lily didn't have to wait long for a response. Emma was a young woman in tech-heavy modern times. Her smartphone was always nearby, the center of her social world.
Ah, I'm so sorry. I can't. I'm with the group on the other side of town, at Buster's. You know that place with the cute bartender?
Lily sighed as her stomach spoke to her one more time. She should have known better. It wouldn't be the first time she'd go through the night without dinner.
Emma didn't even wait for Lily to respond before the next message came through.
We'll wait for you at the apartment. Steve is actually being good tonight. He's really into you.
Another broken promise of a visit and food. She loved her friends, but there were times she felt like an outsider in her own group. Truth be told, Lily didn't want to go out. She wanted to go home, eat a burger, and go to sleep. But she knew that wouldn't happen. They would talk her into leaving the apartment, telling her the night wasn't the same without her. They would bounce around town until three in the morning.
Yet, the next day, she wouldn't see any of them, except Emma, until the sun set once again.
The bad mood came out of nowhere. Perhaps it was the boredom or hunger, or her friends standing her up once again. She glanced at the time, then out the storefront, at the world just beyond.
A smile crossed her face, and her mood brightened instantly. A lone figure walked across the mall parking lot. He approached the corner, almost out of her line of sight, and waited patiently for the light to change.
It was almost time for Lily's weekly visit.
Brady leaned against a no-parking sign and crossed his arms, as if he didn't have a care in the world. He watched the cars speed by. Lily suddenly felt anxious. She hadn't worked out yet what she'd planned to say to him. All she knew was she owed him an apology.
She ran back to the movie section to make sure it was tidy. A movie or two had been knocked to the floor. She straightened the shelves, moved a few misplaced titles. The store might as well be welcoming for one of their few remaining customers of the evening.
Assuming her position again behind the counter, Lily checked her hair, using the camera on her phone as a mirror. She dyed part of her hair blue earlier in the week. She wasn't sure if she liked it, but would let it go another week, to give it a fair chance.
Brady was gone from the street corner. She assumed he'd crossed the street and was walking through the strip mall. He'd be at the store any minute. Sitting on the stool, she reached for her business management book. Her hand stayed as she thought better of it. She'd heard enough degrading comments for one night, and wasn't sure if she could take one from Brady. Crossing her legs, she pulled out her phone instead.
The minutes stretched.
Lily was halfway through a hand of poker when she realized Brady hadn't arrived yet. The walk from the corner to the store wasn't that long. Perhaps he'd made another stop along the way.
She didn't believe that. Although she'd only just learned his name last week, she felt like she knew Brady somewhat. He never made any stops between the mall and the shop. He always walked. Depending on his schedule, the earliest he'd arrive was around ten
o'clock, and there were times he barely made it in before the doors locked. If he carried a wallet, he never pulled it out. He always paid with exact change, fourteen dollars and fifty-five cents.
He never missed a Friday night. Brady's routine was the same. He never brought company, and until last week, never made small talk. He was so regular Lily had gotten used to him without realizing.
Something didn't feel right.
She left the counter and opened the front door. A car of teens sped by, with several of them hanging out the window and shouting. One of them tossed a beer bottle that crashed and sprayed glass near the curb. A couple left the Chinese restaurant near the end of the strip. A police squad car circled slowly. Lily wondered if that was Bill's friend that he spoke of.
There was no sign of Brady.
She wasn't sure what was worse, Emma standing her up, or Brady. Frowning, she looked up and down the strip mall, searching for any sign of him. Wherever he went after crossing the street, he was gone.
Did he change his mind? Did her harsh tone give him pause about his preferred stop for adult entertainment? Maybe her disclosure about all the porn on the Internet made him turn around and walk away.
Lily closed the door and went behind the counter, keeping an eye outside the entire time. She tried to lose herself in her phone, but constantly kept looking up, expecting to see Brady arrive at any moment.
He never did. For reasons she wasn't sure of herself, that bothered her.
CHAPTER 9
"Hmmm."
The radio crackled, followed by silence. Brady was in the middle of his rounds, killing time, minute by minute. Danielle stood in front of her clothes shop, poking at her phone. She flashed a friendly smile and waved as he passed by.
He waited for the radio to squawk again, but there was only silence. Shaking his head, he grabbed the only real part of his uniform and held the radio to his mouth.
"Hello?" he said. "I'm not sure hmmm is a great way to communicate."
"This is Kyle," the other security guard said. "Just hold on a sec."
Brady laughed and kept walking. He ate too much at lunch, the result of Kyle having to pay one last time. Whatever had Kyle's attention, drew a hmmm out of him, Brady hoped it wouldn't make him run.
Minutes passed before he spoke again. Brady was beginning to worry until he heard his voice.
"Looks like we've got a fight breaking out at the kids' playground over by the tool shop."
"Let the parents handle it," Paula chimed in. It was going to take all the security guards some time to get used to hearing her over the radio. She usually said very little, but lately was trying to take a more active role. "Kids fight all the time."
"Well, that's part of the problem. It is the parents. Two moms fighting. One of them is hot."
The silence stretched. Brady could almost hear Paula fuming on her end of the radio.
"Do you think you can handle it?" she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Want me to call the police?"
"I think so. Like I said, one's hot. But the other…man, looks like a heavyweight boxer."
"Brady, could you go help Kyle?" Paula said. "Before he hurts himself over there."
"Yeah, hurry," Kyle said. "I'm scared."
"I'm on my way."
Brady clipped the receiver back to his belt before breaking into a light jog. Lunch immediately came back to haunt him, a loaded turkey and cheese sub. Misery and discomfort gripped him as he made his way through the mall. He was looking forward to the end of the work day, when he could buy his weekly movie and go home. Maybe he'd skip dinner, give his stomach a rest.
Kyle was leaning against a railing on the second floor, looking down at the playground below. Other shoppers used the stairs nearby. They watched the playground as if it were the scene of an accident. Parents were quickly ushering their children away from two women shouting at each other near one of the slides.
"Hey," Brady said, joining Kyle. "What's going on?"
"I'm not really sure. Something about some kid pushing another. The mom saw it, and here we are."
The fight looked like it would escalate at any moment. The two women invaded each other's personal space, nearly nose to nose. One of them did loom over the other. There was maybe a hundred-pound difference between the two.
"Where are the kids?"
Kyle pointed to the edge of the playground, near the walkway. "Right there. That's the funny part. They've already made up. It's the parents acting crazy."
Brady shook his head. He'd seen people fight over the strangest things. Last Christmas four families nearly caused a riot when fighting for the latest must-have toy.
"Let's go talk them down."
He took a step, but Kyle grabbed his shoulder.
"Whoa, cowboy. What's the rush?"
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe, it's our job?"
"Just hold on. Check out the one on the left. Tell me she ain't gorgeous."
He rolled his eyes as he joined his friend again on the railing. Passersby laughed at the two of them as they did nothing, an amusing scene in its own right. Brady knew he should be running down the stairs, trying to calm them, but did stop to appreciate the humor. Their kids played obliviously, behind the quarreling parents, while they shouted and pointed.
"Yeah," Brady agreed. "Very pretty."
"But I hate to say it, my money is on the large lady. Just too much weight to make up."
He regarded both women. "Don't count out your pretty woman. There's a lot of fight in her."
Kyle smiled. "Want to bet? Lunch again next week?"
"Well, I'm hoping we'll break it up before we see a boxing match."
"Chicken-shit."
"Besides, the smaller woman would win. Speed kills."
"Yeah, right. What you got planned for the weekend? I'm heading out with my sisters tonight. They're in town visiting."
Brady laughed at the odd change of subject. He opened his mouth to speak, but Kyle interrupted.
"Let me guess," he said. "Friday night, so, nothing."
"I do shit all the time."
"Oh yeah? Like what? What did you do last weekend?"
He smiled at the memory.
"Well, actually, I dragged a guy out of his apartment and threatened to beat his ass if he hit his family again."
"No fucking way. Really?" Kyle stared at him, trying to read Brady's face. "Seriously? Don't mess with me."
Brady said nothing, leaving Kyle wondering. He'd only seen John once since that night, and the alcoholic father and husband definitely had a different stride in his step. He looked around constantly, over his shoulder, a look of anxiety and fear constantly on his face. Sharon and Chad were oblivious to Brady's actions, but Chad managed to give him a smile on his way to the bus stop in the morning. Brady stopped in the stairwell to talk to Sharon one time, and she was in much better spirits. Confused at her husband's sudden change in behavior, but glad regardless.
The argument below was escalating. A small crowd had gathered, with many pulling out their phones. Brady wondered if he'd see his place of work on YouTube later.
"We'd better get down there."
"Ah, are you kidding? You can't pay for this type of entertainment."
There was one more angry shout, then a punch was thrown. The larger woman swung at the smaller woman, connecting with a glancing blow to the face. The smaller woman stumbled backwards and fell against a slide. Her daughter ran to her side, but before she could reach her mother, she was already on her feet again, charging forward. The two mothers collapsed to the ground, kicking and pulling at each other's clothes.
"Yeah," Brady said, pushing himself away from the railing. "Now might be a good time."
"Wait, hold on. That hottie might get some clothes ripped away…Oh alright. Let's go."
The two guardians of the mall ran down the stairs. Phones were held up like it was a rock concert. They pushed through the sea of people to the playground.
"See?" Brady said. "I told you spee
d kills."
The smaller woman was on top, trying to land blow after blow. Lost in the rumble were the two children. They huddled together under a rope bridge, watching their parents act like professional fighters, and far removed from their age.
"We didn't bet anything," Kyle said. "You don't get shit."
It wasn't a surprise that Kyle went for the pretty mother. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, pulling her away. Brady helped the other to her feet and stood between them. The smaller woman tried to pull away from Kyle, but he took great joy in holding on tight. Brady eyed the other, watching her face. The fight had all but left her, and she was more than happy to stand behind him.
"What's going on here? What's the problem?"
The smaller mother raged as she pointed.
"That bitch's kid pushed mine down! He could have really hurt my daughter!"
"Well, your daughter called my son a name!"
Brady closed his eyes, not believing what he was hearing. He remembered similar fights when he was in grade school, when he was nine years old. The difference was those fights happened between children.
"Relax, relax," he said. "Kyle, I think you can let go now. The important thing here is the kids are okay. See?"
He gestured to the children, trying to get their attention away from each other. The tactic worked, and the shamed women approached their kids. The mothers kept an eye on each other, the anger still fresh in their minds.
Brady and Kyle approached from behind. The crowd started to thin out as they realized the fight was over. The children cried in their mothers' arms.
"It was an accident, Mom," the daughter said. "Chris didn't mean to hit me."
Chris reached out to the young girl. "I'm sorry, Tina."
"Me, too. I'm sorry I called you smelly. I was just joking."
The children hugged, drawing a smile from Brady. He was glad to see them able to solve their problems without throwing uppercuts. The two women glanced at each other, their expressions softening.
"Are we good here?" Brady asked.
They nodded slowly. Kyle leaned in to whisper.
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