Prodigal Son(35)

Not until the next morning did I notice that every penny of my money was missing from my purse.

“Fucking Bug,” I muttered under my breath when I thought about it again.

I’d dumped the entire contents of my purse onto the kitchen counter, but it was all gone. My tip money from Wednesday night, and even worse was the missing envelope with all of my rent money. I knew that I shouldn’t carry that much cash, but my landlord gave me a five percent discount if I paid in cash, and every dime mattered to me. Now, I had no spending money, and no way to make the rent that was due in just a couple of days.

I was sure Bug had taken it. Ever since he’d stopped getting his cut of the meth and the hookers the Sons used to run, he’d been short on money. I’d thought about suggesting that he get a fucking job, but I knew that would go over like a fart in church. The first couple of times that he pretended to leave his wallet at home, I’d paid his bar tab, but I didn’t believe that bullshit anymore. He was broke, and he’d stolen my hard-earned money.

I wanted to kill him.

But I knew I couldn’t, if only because he wasn’t worth going to jail over. I checked the clock and saw that I had about forty-five minutes before I needed to leave for class. I poured myself another cup of coffee, and I sat down at the kitchen table to try to figure out what to do.

There were two problems I had to solve: the rent money and the Bug situation. I wondered if there was some way to solve them both at the same time. If I could get the money back from the asshole, then I could pay my rent and worry about dumping his ass later. I had two days before rent was due, and if I had to, I could probably dodge the landlord for a few more.

I picked up the phone to text Bug, deciding that I’d try to get him to let me cook dinner for him later that night. I knew I could make sure he had enough to drink that he’d sleep like a rock and I could look for my money later that night. Shit, I even had some sleeping pills that Red had left behind that I could put in his food that would knock him out. Maybe I’d be lucky enough that he’d never wake up.

Fantasizing about Bug’s lifeless body, I nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone beeped to tell me a text message had arrived.

Game starts at 7. Can I pick you up at 5:30?

I set the phone down and sighed. I wanted nothing more than to pretend that I could somehow have a normal relationship with a guy like Luke, but if I was honest with myself, there was no way it could work. If you put a lineup of guys in front of me, I was sure to pick the biggest asshole every time. That didn’t mean that I was gonna turn down a date, though. If I took my money back from Bug tonight, then he’d probably be pissed enough that he wouldn’t bother to try to find me tomorrow.

I looked around my apartment, thinking that I really didn’t want Luke to see where I lived. It was clean, but it was in a shitty part of town, and it just looked so dingy, especially compared to his fancy suite.

I work until 5. Can meet u at the bar or at your hotel.

I figured that we could walk from either spot to the field, and I wouldn’t mind hanging out at the Ritz again.

“Back to reality,” I said as I packed up my books and headed out to class. As early as it was, and as drunk as Bug had been the night before, I figured that I should wait to call him until he’d had a chance to sober up and get some sleep. It wasn’t like he had a job that he had to get up early for.

***

In the break between my classes, I took a deep breath and called Bug.

“Yeah?” he said when he picked up.

“Good morning, sugar,” I said, just pouring on the sweetness.

I got an unintelligible grunt in reply.

“I’m feeling like I’m in the mood to cook a good dinner for you tonight. Your place or mine?” I put as much sex into my voice as I could, hoping that the promise of a meal and a piece of ass would make him overlook that fact that I could easily figure out where my fucking money had gone.

“Mine, I guess.”

It sounded like Bug stood up and stretched. I figured he probably was just getting out of bed.

“Long night?” I asked.

“Kinda. I gotta piss. What time you comin’ over?”

“I’ll be there around seven. See you then.”

I hung up the phone, just revolted by the man. I’d always been turned on by guys who were rough around the edges, but Bug was just gross. I knew that I wasn’t exactly the classiest girl around, but he was vile. I wanted to get my money back and leave him behind. I hoped it would be that simple.





Chapter 17


Luke


If you’re trying to get back into my hotel room, you win! See you around 5:30 tomorrow.

I put my phone back in my pocket and picked up the socket wrench that Joker had asked for.