The Girl Who Would Be King(17)

“So, I guess I should talk some business,” he trails off as if he’s unsure it’s a good idea.

“Okay, let’s hear it,” I say, steeling myself up.

“Well, I guess after we left last night Felice talked you up pretty good and convinced them to give you a shot. Kind of like a try out or something. Do you think it’s something you’re interested in? I mean, I know we didn’t make a great first impression.”

“Well,” I begin, trying to seem professional. “What’s in it for me?”

“This time? Probably nothing, probably just earning your place on the team. But the cut is pretty good once you’re in. We pull a job every couple months or so, maybe more or less depending on how hot the scene is. It’s a nice enough life that I don’t have to have a real job so I’m not going to complain.”

“If you don’t have to work, why does Felice waitress?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

“Eh, there will never be enough money for Felice. She’s pretty cheap, y’know, stingy. I think she also likes the idea of a double life, like waitress by day, master-thief by night or something silly, like the anti-Batman or something.”

“But not you?”

“Nah, I’d rather sleep in by day, hang out by night and occasionally hit a big score,” he says, smiling and seeming honest.

“So, um, you’re more like Catwoman then?” I offer. He laughs.

“Hhn. Yeah, I guess so.”

“So, what’s the job? The job I’ve got to do to get in?”

“Well I don’t know the specifics, we’ll have to bring you in and have Melvin lay it out for you. Some drive he wants.”

“Like a flash drive?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“What’s on it?”

“I don’t know. I’ll probably never know. You definitely won’t know, at least not this time. That’ll be part of the test I’m sure, Lo, how willing you are to take orders.”

I look at him warily, “I’m not so good at taking orders,” I say. He chuckles.

“Yeah, I noticed. But can you just pretend – just until you get in? Behave yourself like a good girl until you’re on the inside? I’ve got a feeling about you and if I’m right you’ve got enough talent that you’re gonna be able to get away with that mouth of yours eventually, but you gotta get in first. Play the game.”

“Yeah, I can play the game,” I say, one eyebrow raised.

“I thought so,” he says. Kimmy sets the brownie sundae down and leaves hastily. We dig in and are silent for a while. Finally he speaks again. “Is that something that matters to you?”

“Is what something that matters to me?”

“What the job is – what’s on the drive, or in the bag, or the box, or whatever.”

“Well, I mean it’s important I guess, cause I don’t want to be taken for a ride, but I don’t care, like morally or anything. Is that what you mean?”

“Yeah, I guess I mean morally. Like you don’t have issues with that? We’ve had trouble bringing people in before. Either they want to know too much and Melvin has drama with it, or they get ideas about, oh, I don’t know, not liking kind of the ‘larger picture’ of what they’re involved in.”

“Like, you mean it could be drugs or something and suddenly I feel bad about putting drugs on the street for innocent kids or whatever?”

“Yeah. Yeah, like that exactly.”

“No, I don’t have moral issues with it.”

“Can I ask why not?”

“Well, why don’t you?”

“I asked you first,” he teases.

“I don’t know. Seems to me that people are responsible for themselves. If someone wants to do drugs, that’s their problem. And there’s no reason I shouldn’t profit from it, I mean someone’s going to, right?” I trail off, not sure if my answer is correct. For a moment I’ve forgotten to be careful what I say and just said what I actually think. I don’t know what his reaction will be.

“Exactly!” he bursts out. I smile. It’s nice to know that we think some of the same things, even when I’m not trying so hard. “Some people just don’t get that,” he says. “Some people start to feel bad about things we do, and I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a good ‘break-up’ with Melvin. He’s a pretty scary guy. So just, y’know, be on your best behavior, stay close to me, don’t piss him off too much and you’ll be fine.”

I smile at him again. “No problem.” I’m not thinking it’s no problem to ‘be good’ or to not piss Melvin off, but it’s definitely going to be no problem staying close to Adrian. At this point I’ve already mentally committed myself to staying as close to him as humanly possible, whether I have any interest in his gang or not. But I am interested in his gang. When I used to imagine my ‘new life’ – before I left home, before I killed Delia – I always kind of imagined myself alone, maybe because that’s all I’ve really known. But now, now I can’t imagine anything better than being the awesome talent in a crew of criminals. It kind of sounds like an opportunity for a family I’ve never had, a non-traditional family that conveniently comes with a hot boyfriend no less. Adrian pays the check and we head back out into the casino.