"Roll them," Ace said, handing me a pair of dice.
"What for?" I asked.
"Where we boost has gotta be random."
I dropped the dice onto the kitchen floor of the trailer at the center of where we all stood.
"Alright! Eight," Eyeball called. "Lewiston."
"What's so great about Lewiston?" Vince scoffed.
Ace stifled a laugh. "The cute redhead," he said before taking a swig from his bottle.
"Oh yeah! I got her number," Vince said.
"So what? I got her address," Eyeball smiled.
"You stay the fuck away," Vince pointed at him.
"You can't make me," Eyeball sneered. "Besides, she don't even like you. She gave you her number just to be nice."
Vince clenched his fists and walked staunchly, right up to Eyeball.
"Cool it you two," Ace said smoothly. "I'm surprised a doll like that is interested in either one of you boneheads. Now, listen up. I'm driving you out tonight. I'll drop you two in Auburn, and then me and Cass will go on into Lewiston. And stay on your side of the bridge," he said, firmly.
Eyeball sighed, his disappointment obvious.
"What happened to Carol?" I asked him.
"Nothin'," he shrugged like that was a dumb question.
"We'll take my car," Ace said.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Vince asked.
"Don't fucking question me. Now, let's go – move it."
"Shotgun!" yelled Eyeball, tossing his empty bottle in the trash before diving out the door, past Vince.
Vince hurriedly downed the last of his drink before darting outside to challenge Eyeball for the front-seat position.
"Fucking dumb sons-of-bitches." Ace took the last swig of his beer and swung the empty bottle into the trashcan with a loud smash of glass.
"Why was Vince worried about taking your car?"
"Don't you question me either. Now, let's do this."
Eyeball sat smugly in the front seat of Ace's '49 while Vince pouted in the back. I had to laugh. It was always funny watching them try to outdo each other. I jumped over the side, into the back seat next to Vince, and he rolled his eyes and muttered to himself.
Ace took the wheel, and we started out to Lewiston. It's roughly an hour's drive south of Castle Rock, but for those with a lead foot (like him), it's closer to half an hour.
"Hey," Vince said, leaning in close to my ear. "I meant what I said about putting money on you fucking up tonight."
"What?" I gaped at him. "Piss off."
"Ten bucks says you can't get a car back to the garage without something going wrong."
I looked to Ace to see if he heard Vince giving me a hard time again, but he kept on driving. The hum of the V8 and the rush of the wind seemed to help keep our conversation discreet.
"I'm amazed you've got anything left to bet with after I kicked your ass at pool the other night," I said.
"OK – let's make it twenty."
I thought about it for a moment. "Alright, Vince – you wanna bet on this? Let's make it real. One hundred dollars. And... the loser has to kiss the winner's feet," I smiled.
"Ha! You're on," he sniggered, bumping my shoulder with his.
I quietly laughed to myself. Vince was far too easy to rope in. The chances of me screwing up that night were slim to none – after all, Ace would be there with me the whole time.
It wasn't long before we hit Lewiston-Auburn which is the second largest town in the state after Portland. A river separates the twin cities, and train tracks connect it to Castle Rock which is to the north.
We dropped Vince and Eyeball off on the outskirts of Auburn, and I jumped into the front seat before Ace and I continued over the bridge and into Lewiston. Ace found a quiet neighborhood street to park in some distance away from the city center.
"You ready to do this?" he asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." I was slightly quivering, but my bet with Vince and the vision of Diego's dark eyes were driving me forward. There were a few cars scattered around; some were parked on the road and some were in driveways. "Should I take one of these around here?"
"Taking from the suburbs is a bad idea," Ace said, scanning the area. "People keep a closer eye on their cars, everyone knows who owns what and if you aren't from around here. Did you see that?" he nodded at the house across the street.
"See what?"
"Curtain movement. We've already been seen. They probably heard us pull up."
"So, what do we do?"
"We go for a stroll."
Ace pulled his keys from the ignition, and we both got out of the car. We walked out to the main road and headed towards town. The road went through a low-key commercial area with department stores, bookstores and travel centers that were all closed for the night. We were alone on the sidewalk, and those who drove past seemed to be going about their own business and not paying any attention to what we were doing. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to pick off one of the stray cars that were around.
"What about that one, right there?" I asked Ace, slowing our walking pace. I pointed to a Buick Roadmaster that was parked on the roadside not far ahead of us.
"It's doable," he nodded. "It's in good shape, won't need a lot of work, and it'll have a decent speed. Never get anything sluggish. You'll need speed if you ever get chased by the cops."
I dreaded the thought.
I breathed deep and braced myself as I focused on the Roadmaster and the task ahead. I let my mind go blank and pretended that I wasn't about to commit an atrocious crime that I'd never forgive myself for. "OK – I'm gonna go for it," I said.
"Woah, woah, hold it," Ace said, touching my arm and ceasing our stroll. He was looking ahead into the darkness where a car had turned into our road and was driving towards us. "Shit. Goddammit..."
"What is it?"
"Come here, quick." Ace wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me in tight to his side.
"What the...?"
"Follow my lead."
I squinted at the headlights that were growing larger by the second. They were on high-beam and so blinding that I had to look away. It wasn't until the car stopped across the road from us that I could see the black and white markings and the twin red lights and siren on the roof.
"Oh shit..."
"Let me do the talking," Ace mumbled into my ear. His stubbly chin lightly brushed my neck, sending a tingle down the entire right side of my body.
One of the officers got out of the car and strolled over to us, taking a notepad and pen from his front shirt pocket. He looked all authoritative, dressed smartly in his official tan uniform, and I had to remind myself to breathe.
"What are you doing tonight, Merrill?" the officer asked. He looked at his watch and then wrote on his little notepad.
"Taking my girl to a flick. There ain't a law against that, is there?"
The officer's eyes gazed at me from head to toe. I was wearing jeans and a short sleeved button up shirt; I wasn't exactly dressed for a date, and I'm sure he noticed that. "Where's your car?" he asked.
"Parked back there on Robinson Road."
"It's a long walk to the movies from there, isn't it?"
"So what?"
The officer glared at him, and I wasn't at all comfortable with Ace giving him attitude. All we needed to do was cooperate, and he'd soon go away.
"I've been cooped up inside for the last few days," I spoke up. "I needed some air."
The officer seemed to ignore me and kept writing on his notepad. "What time is the movie?" he asked.
"Hell, I dunno," Ace said. "We're just gonna go there and pick one. Jesus, I can't even take my girl out without being harassed by you guys."
"Your Sheriff says you're worth keeping an eye on."
"He wants people to think he's doing his job."
The officer's eyes flicked from Ace to me and then back again. "Stay out of trouble, Merrill." He tucked his notepad and pen back into his shirt pocket and then strolled back to his car and drove off.
We watched as their taillights disappeared around a corner, and then Ace's arm slid off my shoulders. I couldn't help wishing he'd put it back.
"Is there something I should know?" I asked.
"Nope." He went to walk off, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back around to me.
"Look, if you wanna use me as a stand-in girlfriend every time the cops show up, then I want an explanation. Do they know about the cars?"
"They don't know shit about anything. They think if they follow me around, they'll catch me doing something. But that ain't gonna happen."
"'Cause you're not boosting anymore..."
"Not for a while anyway. Not until things cool off."
"Why couldn't you just tell me that?"
"It's all on a need-to-know basis."
"But, if I'm aware of everything that's going on, if I'm prepared..."
He didn't reply, and we continued on, slowly walking in silence. We left the Roadmaster behind – it was far too risky to take that after we'd been seen near it. I tried scouting for another good car to take, but my confidence was now at an all-time low. I couldn't get my head into the game again. I just wanted to go home and do it another night.
And then I felt Ace's arm wrap around my shoulders once again, and he gave me a squeeze. "You've just gotta trust me. OK, Cass?"
"I do. More than you know. And maybe more than I should."
"Good girl," he said, and he kissed me on the temple.
It had been a long time since I was tucked up under someone's arm. I found myself closing my eyes and melting into him as I relaxed against his warm side. I got that feeling of comfort from him again, where that gut-wrenching fear would leave me and, somehow, I knew everything would work out if I just went along with whatever he said.
-2-
We made it to the city center of Lewiston which was just the same as always on a Friday night - one big teen playground. Boss cars, hot rods and drag races in the streets, cars full of girls cruising the strip looking for a good time and cars full of guys looking to get laid. The number of people around concerned me, but Ace assured me that we'd find somewhere quiet.
His arm was still wrapped around my shoulders; it had been for some time. I kept expecting him to leave my side at any moment, and the longer he was there, the more I wondered why. Maybe we were friends now. Maybe he was subtly putting the moves on. My stomach fluttered at the idea.
"There's a hospital down there," he said, pointing down a side-road.
We stopped in our tracks, and I gazed down the road, not seeing much in the blackness.
"A hospital? No... I really don't think I could steal from a hospital."
"It's a good pick. Quiet at this time of night, usually no one around..."
"But they're sick people and good Samaritans."
"Cass, I'm not walking around the entire night because of your overactive conscious."
"And I'm not taking anything from the sick and the needy because of your lack of conscience."
Ace gave me the sideways eye. "You make a useless criminal."
I jabbed him in the ribs with my fingers, making him flinch slightly. "Let's keep going."
As we continued our stroll, I put my hand in the back pocket of his jeans without thinking about it. It just seemed natural considering his arm was around me. Once it was there and I realized what I'd done – once I realized my hand was practically on his ass – I went to remove it... but instead... I looked at him for a reaction. He glanced at me, right from the corner of his eye and smirked, oh so subtly.
"Ace!"
As we both turned around to see where the voice was coming from, his arm dropped off my shoulders and my hand slipped from his pocket. He took a couple of steps forward, leaving me behind as he peered down the street.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered.
The black-haired beauty stepped out of the ritzy club and strode towards us, her heels clicking on the pavement as her hips swayed in her short, black cocktail dress like she was modeling it down a catwalk.
"There you are," she smiled, eyeing him deviously with her dark eyes. She smoothly slipped her arms around him and didn't even look at me.
"How'd you get out?" Ace asked.
"I told you I'd be staying with my mother, remember? I've been trying to call you all week." Her voice was so velvety soft that speaking seemed effortless for her. "My friends and I are sharing cocktails at Capozzoli's. Come on," she smiled. She went to walk off with him, but he stood solid.
"I can't right now; I'm busy."
Her whole face dropped in shocked surprise like he'd just slapped her. "With what?"
"You know me, Ants."
"I told you not to call me that," she whispered in close to him, her cheeks looking slightly pinker.
"I'll come back later," he said.
"I might not be here. Come with me now. Please?" She rubbed her perfectly manicured fingers over and around Ace's side and looked up at him with a pout.
Ace looked back at me like he was weighing up his options and I just stood there awkwardly, fiddling with the rim of my shirt. Whether he had been leading me on or not, it was clear to me that she had ultimately won him over. And why wouldn't she? She seemed to have everything he could want. Beauty, money and sex appeal that oozed from every inch of her. All I had was a thirty-one thousand dollar debt, and to her uncle of all people. Jealousy didn't cover it. She made me feel inadequate.
"Ace," I said, "if you want to go, then go."
He frowned at me like that was the last thing he was expecting to hear. I could understand why because that was the last thing I was expecting to say. But I was so gut-wrenchingly disappointed that I couldn't bear to be around him anymore.
He looked at the girl that was clutched to his waist and she gave him a sultry smile.
"You think you'll be alright?" he asked me.
"I'll be fine," I said, annoyed that he'd agreed to it so quickly. "You said so yourself, remember?"
I turned away and started walking up the sidewalk. When I was a little way ahead, I couldn't help steal a glance over my shoulder. Ace was standing at the door of the club, looking back at me. I thought he might change his mind and come after me, but then he led her inside and they were soon gone from my sight.
I looked at the path ahead and held my head high.
Fuck him, I thought. Fuck him.