And maybe get Liv in the process.
17
Wednesday 19th October; 11am
“The retrieval went well?” His voice was harsh on the phone.
“As well as could be expected.” Teep’s voice on the other end of the line was a languid drawl. “Chill, boss. It’s been disposed of.”
He chewed a cuticle, then stopped. “What about her?”
“She’s being held until she decides to behave.” Teep laughed. “We got it all covered.”
He exhaled slowly, reminding himself that it was okay and he was in control. He was in charge, and no one would dare cross him.
Not even Veronica, no matter how much she wanted to. The thought made him smile.
He hung up with Teep and headed back to the table. It was set up as a proper poker table, like at a casino, and the chips were real. They weren’t traditional chips, no. They represented other things. Like women, or stakes in his drug trade.
See, he was a big-picture man. Even if he had to shut down his operation in Amaranth, it wouldn’t hurt him that badly. He had plenty more going on in other places. Losing Cairo had been a bad loss, but there were other poker players who could do what he needed them to.
Other people who could help him launder money.
“Yo boss, look at this.” One of the other players turned up the TV. It was the local news, extolling how Charles Mannigan had been arrested for the murder of Cairo.
He let a smirk curve his lips. Perfect. If he didn’t work out, there were several others that he could use to his advantage.
He flipped a chip up in the air, to the player who had brought it to his attention. “Get the new shipment,” he ordered. “And you can keep two baggies for yourself.”
The player, his eyes coke-wide, hurried off to do as he said.
He was in charge. He decided life or death. And now he had to make sure all the loose ends were tied up.
18
Wednesday 19th October; 6:30pm
Liv sat in Ryan’s car, wondering why exactly she was letting Ryan do this. Ten years ago, she had refused to give Ryan her address. Yet now she was letting Ryan drive her to her house.
But things were different. Liv was older, and she wasn’t swayed by her family. Well. Not as much, anyway. She looked at Ryan, studying her as she drove. Her blue eyes, the bobby pins in her hair to tuck the errant bangs away from her face. There was that thrill in her stomach, the butterflies there that she always got when she saw Ryan.
She just wished they had met under better circumstances. Liv turned her attention back to the road in front of them, opening her mouth to point out the dirt road just before Ryan turned onto it.
“I have a good memory,” Ryan drawled.
“I remember,” Liv muttered. She stuck her tongue out at Ryan, feeling childish. Not in a petulant way, but it reminded her of how much had changed and how far they had come.
Ryan reached over and put her hand on her thigh, a faint smile on her face. “Nervous?”
“Nervous? Why would I be nervous?” Liv looked at her.
Ryan just raised her eyebrows before she turned her attention back to the road in front of her. Liv could see her house, now, the Victorian peaks coming cleanly into view.
Gram was standing with Mocha at the door, Mocha sitting next to her feet and staring at the newcomers. Would she remember Ryan from the other evening? Would she tolerate Ryan’s presence in the house? They were about to find out.
Liv was the first one out of the car, but Ryan was right behind her.
“Gram!” Liv gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek, then reached down and gave Mocha scratches behind the ear.
“Hi,” Ryan said, extending her hand.
“I remember you, dear,” Gram informed her, shaking her hand and then using it to pull Ryan into a hug. “You’re family.”
Ryan looked at Liv and Liv looked back. There was a hint of color on Liv’s cheeks.
“Gram!” Liv tried to keep a straight face. “Let’s go inside. I’m cooking dinner.”
“What are we having?” Gram followed them into the kitchen.
It was a much better evening than Liv had anticipated. Dinner had gone well, Gram was back to knitting in her room in front of the TV, and Ryan and Liv were curled up on the living room couch with hot chocolate. The house was quiet except for the sound of Gram’s TV, and the occasional noise of wildlife and trees outside.
“It’s nice out here,” Ryan said softly.
“It is,” Liv agreed, taking a drink of her hot cocoa and enjoying the way the warmth raced through her. She cleared her throat, drawing Ryan’s attention. “Anything new with the case?”
Ryan shook her head. “Not really.” She sounded frustrated, but her eyes closed briefly as she took a sip of her drink. “I hate when cases go like this.”
“Do a lot of them take this long?” Liv looked at her, curious. They were sitting on the same couch, their legs almost touching. It was so close yet so far away.
“Kind of.” Ryan tilted a hand so-so. “There’s a Golden 48 hours in homicide cases. If you don’t solve them in the first day or two, most cases don’t get solved.”
“So not like on TV.” Liv wasn’t entirely surprised.
“If a day ever plays out like a TV episode, we’re the ones surprised.” Ryan laughed, and Liv laughed with her.
There was a closeness between them, a warmth that Liv had missed. Her heart felt lighter than it had in months, in years. She looked at Ryan, studying her over her drink as she had been earlier. It was nice just looking at her. Just being there, together.
“I want to date
