Monday 11:12 PM
Wolf was listening intently, his hands clasped in front of him. It didn't look like it was going his way, but who knows? I had been in tight spots, too, where I thought for sure I was circling the drain, yet there I stood, more experienced but probably none the wiser.
One damn thing I did know for sure. Before the night was over, I would have a fist-to-face chat with some meat-headed son of a bitch named Billy or Rage or whatever disposable douche frat-boy name he had given himself. I've never been given to violence. It was always a last resort and always in self-defense. I knew what I would do was not right, not even chivalrous; I couldn't make that argument. That asshole had hit Joy and hurt her pretty badly. She was tough as nails and took every hammering pain in stride, but she was my friend at the very least, and no one does that to a friend of mine and gets away with it. And lastly, the thought of any man putting his hands on her in that way just infuriated me. I would deal with all of it later, but it would be taken care of come hell or high water.
My eyes were suddenly drawn to Wolf-man, whose motions had gone from resembling pleading to being that of someone with resignation. Again, there was that slight tinge of pain I felt for him. He was walking, head down, toward us. Sasha followed. I moved, and Joy slid the rest of the way off of the work-bench and leaned against it as I did.
Wolf-man flipped his phone open with finesse. He stopped short of us, but we could hear his voice clearly. I assumed he was telling someone on the other end, muchacho, to bring the Maserati and meet him on the street out front. He finished his short conversation and stepped back over to our little group. Sasha took his fat little hand and kissed it, then leaned over and hugged him tightly. I swear she had tears in her eyes—what a nutty-looking couple.
"So my deal is done.," he said in a husky and self-assured tone.
"I got what I came for, and you kept your end of the bargain."
He extended his hand, and without hesitation, I took it and gripped it firmly. When our eyes met, we both nodded acceptance or something to that effect.
"So I understand you are out sweet cakes?" He asked Joy.
"If we come up with the DB, I sure as hell am."
Wolf-man glanced up and over to Sasha, who nodded and smiled.
"You will get it. I know where it is. How you will get, it is, well, completely your problem." Sashas said, looking over to Joy.
"It is, too," Wolf-man agreed.
"What are you gonna do with the shack in the burbs, J-money?" He asked.
"Sell it; I guess," Joy replied.
"I won't be needing it. I'm through."
"I plan to buy it from you," Sasha interjected.
"We plan to buy it from you," Wolf-man corrected her.
"What the hell for?" Joy demanded.
"A studio, work-space for Peter, and work-space for me."
"Sasha's side hustle. Friends of friends of friends and all of them in expensive cars that they can't seem to pay for. She said none of these dumbasses have their money right. I'll have a partner on the inside," Wolf-man beamed.
"You two? You're going into business together?"
Joy was nonplussed but curious. I have to admit; I was too.
"Yeah, it's all about the percentages, J. When Sash isn't babysitting, she'll be on the prowl. It'll also give me storage here in Atlanta. A lot of money to be made here and with you gone, less pain in the ass competition."
Joy shook her head in disbelief.
"Well, we'll sort out all the details later. Right now, I'm going to find some expensive tequila that I know these little assholes have around here. I will get a bottle for myself and Chano when he shows up with Sash's wheels. Then he and I are going to drink these pussies under the table! And fuck it, I may even take a swim."
Wolf-man made a bee-line for the heavy wooden door.
"I'll be by in a few days or so, princess, to tie up loose ends," he shouted over his shoulder as he left.
"And you, big guns, I'll let you know if I find a certain someone; you do the same for me, huh?"
"You know it!" I shouted.
Joy cracked a big smile and waved as he made his exit.
"What was that all about?" She demanded.
"Nothing, you need to worry yourself with Joy. It's all under control." I sighed.
Joy quickly put it out of her mind as she did most things that didn't concern her.
"You are serious about this?" She asked Sasha.
"I love him, Peter. He is confused and sometimes not very bright, but he is good and sweet to me, and I feel like I can help him."
"Confused all right," was my only addition.
I was sure Sasha saw Joy plant her high heel into my shin, but she didn't.
"I have money saved but will need to work. Steven is right. I told him about all the people I had met. None of them have any sense at all. This repo business is good money, and I can support us while Peter gets back on his feet. He is a very talented boy. I think I love him; I do." She pleaded to Joy as if she were confessing.
"He is the first person I have ever met that needs me. I mean something to him, Joy, and I don't want to lose him."
Joy looked over at me. She was shocked; I could see it in her eyes.
"Want me to pinch you?" I asked.
She scrunched her nose.
"I hope it works out, Sash. I really do. I guess there are still a few good catches out there, huh?" She said and winked at me.
"Look," I said.
"I hate to break up the love fest, but we have a few precious hours before this whole thing goes to shit along with your payday and college dreams."
I turned to face Sasha, who was even a little taller than me in her high heels.
"So, where the hell is this car?"
"Come," she said smiling and reached out to Joy, who took her hand.
I followed them out of the garage into the driveway. There were a ton of people milling around outside, in the drive behind the stucco walls, and tons more in the pool behind the house. We could hear the laughter and the thumping music inside. Flashing, strobing multicolored lights, and lasers seemed to explode from within the home, bathing the pool and patios below in light and sound.
We entered through a small kitchen door under the porte-cochere. Sasha led us through the crowded kitchen and into a vast pantry, where she pushed open an innocuous narrow wall panel next to the first row of built-in shelves. The secret door opened to a small spiral staircase we took down. The dark space was lit only by strange blue neon squiggles across the ceiling. The stairs emptied us into a narrow hallway illuminated by similar blue neon tubes. You could hear the music above, but it was good and muffled.
"We are crossing under the main living space. Up here, another set of stairs leads to a hidden door in the living room." Sasha explained as we slowly followed her.
She waved her hand as she passed another opening in the glowing blue hallway.
"The's a couple more that go to different places, hall closets, guest rooms, but we are going to the very end," she said almost proudly.
Finally, we came to another set of spiral stairs at the end of the long hall and followed Sasha down, her heavy heels thumping loudly on the wooden treads as she went. She opened the hidden door, and dim yellowish light shone down the stairs for a moment, and a strong scent of cedar filled the air. We each stepped out and were all three standing in a closet that only the rich could afford. The thing was larger than my trailer; in fact, my trailer would have easily fit inside with plenty of room to spare.
"Isn't this neat?" Sasha beamed.
Joy and I looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
The walls and ceiling of the entire closet were of smooth old cedar planks that smelled as fresh as if they had been milled earlier that week.
"It is cool," I said.
"Must have been built for smuggling, bootlegging, or something back when. Could this night get any more fucking weird?"
"Okay," Sasha said, holding Joy in front of her with her hands over her eyes.
"Don't peak. Nick, get the doors please, both of them."
I did as asked and moved in front of them, put my hands on the cold pewter-looking doorknobs, gave them a hardy turn, and dramatically pushed both heavy doors open.
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed.
Sasha released her hands from Joy's eyes, and she saw the Peart too. We both stood there dumbfounded. I glanced back at her, but she was lost in whatever touched world she inhabited during moments of thought. I could only imagine those gears spinning a mile a minute in her beautiful head.
We walked out of the closet together and went straight to the shining car. Sure enough, the Peart was in Mystic's bedroom the whole time. It sat perpendicular to the extravagantly large bed. It certainly was a work of art, but even David Brown never intended the subtle yet masculine lines of the DB5 to be bedroom furniture parked on the plush white carpet.
"Cool, isn't it?" An unfamiliar voice spoke out from the other side of the bedroom.
We all looked in the direction of the sound but only saw a spiral of smoke coming from somewhere on the other side of the car.
"My sweet baby," Sasha said as she brushed past us both, quickly moving to the other side of the Peart, and knelt out of sight.
I looked at Joy, still in a state of amazement at the whole damn night. She returned the look with a shrug, took my hand, and led me to the other side of the room, following Sasha's path.