Not a bad life, she thought, noticing the hour was winding down. As long as the different pieces never meet.
Shay finally pulled into Warehouse Two, the roll door slowly closing behind her. Peyton emerged from the maze of cubicle walls that marked the pop-up apartment he’d set up inside the warehouse. He was wearing docksiders and navy-blue pants with a cross-stitched belt of sailing flags that spelled out his name, and a white t-shirt.
“Relax, I’m moving out soon.”
“To a boathouse?”
“So funny. This was a hot look in the eighties. I can see the tension all over your face. I’m not moving all your things around.”
“Don’t remind me. When do I get to see this new place and make sure it’s secure?”
“When you find it… Okay, okay, that was too soon. I don’t have the keys yet, but I’ll take you as soon as I do. Hell, you can help me move.” Peyton gave a helpful shrug as Shay shook her head.
He had already proven his usefulness, and Shay trusted the man as far as she could shoot him, which was progress. But their shared secrets helped to keep the calm between them, too.
“Hey,” Shay said. “I just got the big payday.”
“Found the zombie rod, huh? Congrats.” Peyton grinned. “What was Brownstone like?”
“Confusing, and pretty badass.”
Some of Peyton’s grin faded. “I take it you did run into trouble on the job?” He rubbed his wrist.
Shay gave a short nod. “Sure did, three blood Warlocks, but Brownstone took them down like they were old ladies. It was damn impressive.”
“Huh, you should…”
“No.” She held up a finger to punctuate her sentence.
Peyton blinked. “You didn’t even hear what I was going to say.”
“I know what you’re gonna say. I worked with the man for one job. I respect his skills, but the last thing I need to do is get dependent on other people. That’s dangerous.”
“Work with other people? You mean like certain research experts?” Peyton patted his chest with his hands. “Or am I just special?”
Shay shook her head. “That’s different. We have an understanding. I can’t necessarily trust Brownstone. He wasn’t there to help me, not really. He was there to get some bounties.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?”
“No, sometimes the enemy of my enemy is just another enemy.” She shrugged. “More people means more things to go wrong, and if Brownstone knew the truth, he’d probably try to get some sort of bounty set up for me. I wasn’t exactly a saint in my old life.”
“He only goes after the magical kind of bounties. I get it, it’s a no go.” Peyton looked disappointed. “Just seems like a waste.”
Shay frowned. Spending more time around Brownstone was a bad idea. She got into this business to make her own way. Not take on a partner.
Need to take care of Peyton’s dead man’s switch sooner than later too. Get rid of all the entanglements.
“I don’t want to worry about Brownstone. Let’s go out to celebrate. There’s a pizza place I don’t usually go to except for special occasions. Might as well introduce it to you now.”
A look of confusion settled over Peyton’s face. “None of your other jobs were special enough to celebrate?”
“They were special, but this is kind of a milestone. Smite-Williams represents top-tier jobs. We’re now officially in the big leagues.”
“True enough. I’m surprised there’s a pizza place you haven’t taken me to yet. Not going to complain though.”
Shay nodded toward her Fiat. “Get in. Let’s go.”
Shay smiled to herself as they stepped inside Dante’s. She loved the understated elegance of the pizzeria. Dark earth tones dominated the booths and tables. The delicious scents of the spices permeated the air. Her mouth already watered, and her stomach rumbled.
The current owner, Andrew, offered her a nod as she entered, and an eager waitress hurried over with a smile on her face.
“The usual, ma’am?” she asked.
“Sure.” Shay nodded at Peyton. “For both of us.”
The waitress led Shay and Peyton over to a booth in a corner that provided a clear view of all the exits and windows without her back being exposed to a shooter. She couldn’t always get the booth, but none of the other customers, mostly older men in dark suits, occupied a table or booth close to her favorite spot.
A lucky day after a good job. She wasn’t going to question it.
“I’ll be back in a moment with your wine, ma’am,” the waitress said. She looked over at Peyton. “And you, sir?”
“I’ll have what’s she having.” He shot Shay an uncertain glance.
“Of course, sir.” The waitress scurried off.
Peyton leaned over the table, his gaze searching the rest of the tables. “This is Dante’s,” he whispered. “The Dante’s.”
Shay laughed. “Yeah, I know. I’m the one who brought us here.”
“And they know you. You have a usual, which means you come her more often than special occasions, but you’ve never mentioned coming here before.”
Shay shrugged. “So sue me. I had a life before I saved yours, you know.”
Peyton slowly turned his head around, taking in the other patrons as he took in deep, long breaths. Be cool. “You do realize there’s several big-name mobsters sitting in this place right now?”
“Yeah, I do.” Shay tilted her head, offering a hint of a smile to Peyton. “Time for a little test. Show me how much you’ve learned about L.A. Explain to me why this place is special other than just the connected guys sitting around us.”
Peyton sighed and glanced over at a nearby booth. “This place is kind of known for being popular with the older L.A. gangsters. According to the rumors I’ve heard, early meetings here twenty years ago helped birth the local dark magic underworld in L.A. You know, the kind of people that make people like Brownstone necessary. This is not a safe
