As I began to wind down my shift, finishing up my last tables, I looked around the diner. Lindsey had just walked in and was heading into the back. I walked quickly to intercept her.
“Hey, Lindsey,” I called out.
She stopped. “What’s up, Becca?”
“Can I talk to you?”
“Sure. I was just coming in to get ready.”
“I’ll be off in ten.”
She looked a little confused. “Okay, sure.”
I turned on my heel and walked away. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her, and I wasn’t ready to talk about Reid’s smuggling right there in the middle of the floor.
Ten minutes flashed by, though, and I was no closer to figuring out what I wanted to say to her. I walked into the back and found her leaning up against the wall.
“Sit with me while I smoke?” she said.
“Sure.”
I followed her out back and we sat down on the curb. She lit up a cigarette, taking a deep drag.
“I know about Reid,” I said quietly to her.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “What about him?”
“I know about the pills.”
There was a moment of silence between us as she began to process that fact. She took another deep drag, keeping her face calm.
“What about the pills?” she asked finally.
That pissed me off. “Now you’re going to act like you don’t know anything?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
I gaped at her. “You’ve been dropping little hints ever since I got home, and now suddenly you don’t know anything?”
She frowned. “Sorry, Becca.”
“I know about everything. About Reid and the smuggling.”
She shook her head. “I can’t talk about this.”
“How much do you know?”
“Becca, seriously. We can’t talk about this.”
Suddenly I noticed that her hand was shaking as she took another drag. She blew smoke out of her nose and looked around nervously.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. I just can’t talk about that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Wasn’t my place.” She looked at me seriously. “And it still isn’t.”
“But you know about him. That’s pretty obvious.”
“Yeah, I know some things.”
“What’s going on?” I said, frustrated.
She glanced around. “Okay, listen to me.” She stubbed out her cigarette and leaned close. Her breath smelled sour but I had to keep my face near her mouth to understand what she was whispering.
“This morning, some guys came to my apartment. I mean, I usually buy from them, so it’s cool. But they were pissed, said people were talking.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. But they threatened me. Said that if I kept telling people about their operation, then I was next.”
“Next?”
She stared at me but didn’t answer.
“Is Reid in trouble?” I asked.
“I don’t know, honestly. But these guys, they’re serious as hell. I can’t talk about it anymore.”
“Lindsey, what’s going on?”
She rocked back and stood up. “Forget about it. It’s not your problem.”
“But Reid is involved.”
She frowned. “Becca. Fucking drop it. Don’t ask me about this again.”
I stood up, but she was already walking back inside. I stared at the door as it slammed shut, the pit in my stomach growing even deeper.
Why would people threaten Lindsey? It was pretty clear that she was buying pills from the mob, but did they somehow know what Reid had told me about everything? That was impossible. It had just happened the night before. Or maybe they were just finally cracking down on Lindsey for running her mouth all the time.
Still, there was a lot more happening than Reid had told me, which was becoming more and more clear.
Confused and no closer to answers, I grabbed my stuff and headed home, my shift over. I had a decent amount of money from tips in my pocket, but even that didn’t help distract me from the insanity surrounding Reid.
Back at the house, he wasn’t anywhere to be found. It was still early, so my dad wasn’t home, and Cora had gone somewhere. I had the place to myself, but for some reason it felt crowded. I kept remembering the conversation in the kitchen, Reid’s face, his perfect hands running their callused skin over my clit, sending shivers down my spine.
I quickly got changed, pulled my hiking boots on, and headed out into the woods. I couldn’t stay cooped up in the house and decided that some fresh air could only help.
The trees loomed huge and green, their branches and leaves spider-webbing out through the air, making the sunlight filter through, dappled and bright. My feet crunched over dry twigs and brush and birds chirped somewhere out of sight. For how busy it was, the woods felt peaceful, and as I kept walking I began to feel myself relax ever so slightly.