House of Payne: Styx Read online

  Goddamn it. “You don’t know that, Syd, so don’t drop your fucking guard, you hear me?”

  “I promise, I’ll be on my toes.”

  “Good. And have your phone with you.” Shit, he was starting to sweat.

  “I use my phone as a prop when I’m out in the aisles, looking for shoplifters. No one takes any notices of someone absently scrolling through her timeline while she shops. Little do they know I’m actually watching them bag five-hundred dollars’ worth of groceries in the corner and trying to push the cart through the exit like they’ve paid for everything.”

  He glanced at her, brows raised. “Shit like that actually happens?”

  “They’re called push-throughs, and they happen on a daily basis. But I catch them every time.”

  “Not today you don’t,” he decided, turning a corner. The grocery store where he got his supply of frozen pizzas—the place where they should have first met—loomed in the distance. Automatically he eased up on the accelerator, pissed off that the grocery store wasn’t farther away. “You promised me you wouldn’t get into any trouble today.”

  “That’s not trouble. That’s my job.”

  “Then slack off for today. Or quit. Quitting his shit job would be awesome.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about that, actually.” She took a deep breath, like she was about to dive into deep water. “What do you think of me opening a ballet studio?”

  Again he glanced at her. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. What are your thoughts on that?”

  “I think it’s a kickass idea, if that’s what you really want to do.” Plus, the chances that someone would want to kill her with a job like that were slim to none.

  “It is what I want to do. But I don’t want it to be a pipe dream, so I’m not just going to plunge into it without giving it any thought.”

  “Fun-Size, you’re talking to someone who has major impulse issues, but I hear you. What thoughts have you given it so far?”

  “Well, Zemi’s yoga studio used to share space with another yoga instructor who took off a couple months ago, leaving Zemi high and dry. She’s looking for another share-space partner, which means I already have part-time space available. From a financial standpoint, I’ve looked at the numbers of sharing rental space with another business, and it looks good for a start-up business like mine. Scheduling will no doubt be the biggest issue until we get used to things, but I’m sure we can hash that out to make sure everyone gets the time they need. I’ve been in touch with a ballet friend I grew up with who now teaches at CATE—Chicago Arts and Technical Education high school. She’s thrilled that I want to get back into dance, and she assured me that she has plenty of students she can send my way for additional instruction. Also, I’ve signed up to take a couple online business classes, and I’ve contacted my bank to see about a small business loan. I don’t actually need a loan, but I don’t want to touch my savings. All business experts say to go for a low-interest loan when starting a new business, rather than depleting your own reserves, so…” She sucked in another breath and loosed it in a rush. “That’s all I have so far.”

  “That’s a hell of a lot.” Impressed, he glanced over at her and saw the determination in her eyes. “You really want to make this dream come true, don’t you?”

  “I… I do.” She bit her lip hard as she glanced at him. “I hate dreams, because they hurt so much when they don’t come true. But I want to believe this dream can come true, Styx. I really do.”

  “Then you need to do it.” He couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he at last pulled into the grocery store’s parking lot, dawdling a little as he headed around to the back. “If anyone can make their dreams a reality, it’s you. Besides, I’ve got your back. Together, you and I can conquer the whole damn world.”

  “You make me believe that any dream can come true.” Then she bit her lip again and shook her head. “Sorry. I’m babbling. It just feels so good to talk this idea out with you. Makes it seem more real, somehow.”

  “Gotta say, you’ve made my day, sharing this with me. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to pressure you into quitting this crazy-ass job of yours without pissing you off. I was getting to the point of just saying to hell with it and sitting on you until you promised to quit. I can breathe easy now that I know you want out.”

  “I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling that kind of pressure, Styx. I didn’t know you felt that strongly about it.”

  “Of course I feel strongly about it,” he said, shooting her a burning glance. “My woman’s life is in danger thanks to her job, so fuck, yeah, I want you out of there. And by the way, that’s twice you’ve apologized to me in less than a minute, so I know you’re feeling the stress, too. That’s another reason for me to be pissed at your job. Getting out now is the right thing to do, for both our sakes.”

  “Owning a business has its own dangers.”

  “Yeah, but not the kind of danger that gets you rolled on I-90. Besides, from the sound of it, you’re taking this seriously, and you’re looking at all the angles before deciding to take the plunge. I might be worried if you hadn’t told me about all the prep you’ve already done to make this dream a reality. But from the sound of it, you’ve got this.” And if she needed any help, he’d be there to move heaven and earth to make whatever dream she had a reality.

  “Guess this is it.” Reluctantly he came to a stop outside the employees’ entrance and gave the building a dirty look. If it crumbled to the ground under the weight of his stare, he’d be a happy guy. “You gonna give your official notice today?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t gone for the small business loan yet, so I still need solid income rolling in. Besides, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don’t want to feel like I’ve been chased out of this job. Call it pride or whatever, but I’m not going to hand in my notice until they’ve got someone in custody, and I can walk away knowing I did the best I could.”

  “I’m not calling that pride. I’m calling that bullshit pride.”

  She winced. “I know. I’m sor—”

  “Don’t.” He leaned over and brushed her lips with his. “I get it, so no apologies, yeah? Not to me.”

  “You’re amazing, you know that?” She cupped his cheek and smiled at him like he was the only man in the world. “Thank you for the ride, baby. I really need to get my own car so I don’t have to inconvenience you like this.”

  “Amazing, how you haven’t figured it out by now.”

  Her brows shot up. “Figured what out?”

  “You haven’t figured out that I never wanted you to get a new car. Eventually I do want you in a heavier vehicle, like an SUV, and my old man thinks he’s got a line on a real gem for you,” he added honestly while she stared at him with her mouth hanging open. “But while we were getting to know each other—and someone was trying to kill you—I wanted you with me twenty-four seven so I could keep you safe. You’re not complaining, are you?”

  “You sneaky devil,” she breathed, not answering him. “I never even suspected.”

  “You can’t blame me,” he told her, then wanted to curse when her manager, Wesley, opened the employees’ door and waved at them. “From the moment we met, I decided I’d be the one who looked out for you. Can’t do that when you’ve got your own ride, now can I?”

  “I guess not.” She gave him an adorable, still-stunned grin before leaning in for a quick kiss. “Try not to worry, okay? Instead, look forward to tonight, because I’m making you an amazing dish of bass cooked in clarified butter, fresh lemon, dill, and sun-dried tomatoes. And if you don’t like it, I also got a casserole dish of three-cheese mac and cheese ready to go as back-up, and we can pop that in the oven as soon as we get home tonight. Sound good?”

  “Sounds great, baby. Get inside,” he said, looking all around. He offered a quick wave to her manager moments before she shut the car door and disappeared into the store, but not before blowing him one last kiss.

  God, sh
e was cute.

  And, as of now, out of his sight.

  Shit.

  Scowling, Styx punched a couple buttons on his steering wheel before he gave it conscious thought. “T, tell me you’ve got Market Place in Old Town covered, because I just dropped Syd off and I’m not fucking happy about it,” he said the moment he heard his brother’s voice over the car’s speakers. “You nearby?”

  “Yeah, dumbass, I’m coming right at you. Or have you suddenly gone blind?”

  “Damn it.” Styx hung up when he saw a squad car rolling toward him down the service alley at the back of the large grocery store. By the time Trey pulled up alongside him, he already had the ‘Vette’s window down, his scowl worse than ever. “She just went in about a minute ago. Have you seen anyone suspicious?”

  “You mean besides you? Nope. Not a soul. Just a bunch of shoppers doing their thing and apparently oblivious to the fact that police presence has quadrupled in this vicinity. How’s Syd?”

  “Great. Perfect. Already has our dinner planned for this evening, so I finally get to see what that fancy French school taught her when it comes to culinary arts, whatever the hell that is.” Though he didn’t care what she made. Just as long as she was in one piece by the time they got home tonight, he’d be happy.

  “Culinary arts, huh?” Trey shook his head. “That’s one thing Maeve’s trying to work on. Currently she can make three dishes—lasagna, pot roast and tacos. Right now I’m thanking my lucky stars I like tacos.”

  “Yeah, but you’re not too hot when it comes to pot roast.” A sharp bang nearly made him shoot out of his car, ready to haul Sydney over his shoulder and head for the fucking hills.

  “It’s just a garbage truck doing its thing, dude.” Trey looked like he was torn between sympathy and laughing his ass off as they both glanced at the big truck heading for the commercial dumpsters. “We’ve got Sydney covered, and we’re not being subtle about it. We’ll be buzzing in and out of the store for however long it takes to make sure she’s safe.”

  “Yeah, but how long is that going to take?” Styx heard the furious snarl in his tone as he kept his eyes on the store. “What about that Grover Wilson guy? What’s he been able to tell you?”

  “Actually, Grover’s been a bit of a surprise, and not in a good way.”

  That was enough to make Styx look back at his brother. “What do you mean?”

  It was Trey’s turn to scowl. “I mean he’s gone mute, Styx. That asshole’s not talking to anyone, not even his public defender. He doesn’t want to deal, and he doesn’t want his lawyer to take this to trial. All he wants to do is plead guilty and go down for grand theft, and maybe even attempted murder. It’s got Dad stumped, and I’ll admit I’m right there with him. It’s like Grover has zero interest in saving himself.”

  That didn’t sound right. “Honor among thieves, maybe?”

  Trey shook head. “The old man says no. Or more accurately, he said that Grover Wilson doesn’t have honor. Wilson was Dad’s very first collar for bilking little old ladies out of their pensions, before he moved on to car theft, chop shops and insurance fraud.”

  “A real Renaissance man.”

  Trey nodded. “He does like to change things up, doesn’t he? Only one thing seems to be a constant with Grover—he always looks out for number-one. Until now, that is.”

  “Is he scared? Whoever drove that Caddy was playing for keeps, so that asshole Wilson’s obviously tied to people who’re cool with violence.”

  “That’s my personal theory, but Dad’s not sure. He’s been able to get a closer look at Grover than I have, and he says he doesn’t think it’s fear that’s made Grover hit the mute button. He likened him to a guy standing on a railroad track watching a train speeding his way, and he’s refusing to move. Question is, why?”

  “He’s protecting someone.” Styx shook his head, mouth tightening. “That’s the only thing that makes any damn sense. If that asshole’s clammed up and it’s not because he’s scared, then it’s got to be because he’s protecting someone that means more to him than his own life.”

  “His own life? That’s kinda dramatic.”

  “He’s not a spring chicken, T. At Grover’s age, going down for grand theft could wind up being a life sentence for him.”

  It was clear that hadn’t occurred to his brother, whose brows slammed down. “Grover’s got to know that.”

  “But he’s still keeping quiet.”

  “He’s self-absorbed, though. No way a self-absorbed man goes down like that unless…”

  “Unless?”

  “I was just thinking about Maeve being knocked up, and what lengths I’d go to in order to protect her and the baby. I wonder if Grover has family?”

  “You’re the cop, genius,” Styx said, exasperated. “Find the fuck out.”

  While Trey took the time to flip him the bird, Styx looked back at the store and wondered if Sydney would think he was a damn nutcase if he went in and dragged her back to his car.

  Probably.

  “Omigod, Sydney, all hell is about to break loose.”

  Sydney looked up from clocking in to find Jada heading straight for her across the employees’ lounge. “Why? What’s going on? And why is Wesley so mad at me? Other than saying good morning, he barely spoke when he walked me in just now.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Jada looked around as other workers wandered in to punch their employee numbers into the system, before she grabbed Sydney’s arm and pulled her toward the locker area. “I think there must be something big going on. I’m getting the feeling heads are going to roll before this month is out, starting with Wesley and probably ending with us.”

  Sydney’s eyes widened. Maybe she wouldn’t have to bother typing up a resignation letter. “What makes you say that?”

  “It’s Wesley. The dude’s acting freaky, and it’s making me feel freaky, too.”

  Sydney stared at her, not bothering to hide her bewilderment. “How is Wesley, of all people, acting freaky? That’s not exactly a word I’d use to describe him. Like, ever.”

  “It all started around Monday afternoon when a couple of big, burly delivery guys came in, demanding to see Wesley.”

  Sydney’s brows quirked. “Wait. They came into the front part of the store?”

  Jada nodded. “Usually if there’s a problem with a delivery, that shit’s handled in the loading bays out back. But these guys were right up front near the checkout stands.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “That’s a little weird.”

  “That’s what I thought, so after I escorted them back to Wesley’s office, I decided to hang around trying to hear what their problem was.”

  “Translation,” Sydney said, trying not to laugh. “You decided to eavesdrop.”

  “Don’t knock it, sister. That’s how I look out for us, and you’re lucky I did. From the sound of it, these delivery guys are ready to either go on strike or throw Wesley to the wolves, and it’s all because of something Wesley did to fuck up their delivery system, or whatever. Either way, our boat’s about to be freaking rocked.”

  Sydney frowned. “What on earth could Wesley have done to delivery guys? His job is to manage the stores in this area. He doesn’t have anything to do with chain-of-supply. That’s handled by corporate. It’s up to headquarters to schedule deliveries all over Illinois. Wesley’s just a store manager.”

  “All I know is what I heard while hanging around outside his office. Those guys feel that Wesley screwed them over, and that if anyone was going to take the blame, they were going to make it clear to everyone involved that it was Wesley’s fault, not theirs. Then Wesley said that shit rolls downhill—can you believe he actually cussed? —and promised them he’d make sure everyone lost out if they tried to play that blame game.”

  Sydney shook her head, unable to make sense of it. “If all this has to do with deliveries, why are you worried about our jobs, Jada? We’re secret shoppers. We don’t have anything to do with that
end of the business.”

  “Think about it, hon. Since Wesley personally hired the both of us for his secret shopper program, I’m worried that means if he goes, we’re going to be asked to go, too. I’m so nervous about this I worked on my resumé last night. Where the hell am I going to find a job that pays as well as this one?”

  Something curled uneasily in Sydney’s stomach. “Did you question Wesley about it?”

  Jada reared back as if Sydney had slapped her. “And let him know I was eavesdropping on him? I might be out of a job soon, but I’m not about to hurry that event along by tattling on myself. You ask him.”

  What the hell. “Me?”

  “He’d know I was listening in on him if I asked him anything, but you’ve been gone for days and days. You can get away with asking him anything.”

  “Exactly my point, Jada. How do I ask him about something I should know nothing about?”

  “Just tell him what you told me when you first saw me this morning—that you sensed something wasn’t right with him, and you’d appreciate it if he opened up about it, or whatever.” A buzzer sounded overhead, signaling the start of their workday. With a short sigh, Jada grabbed up her purse, checked her soccer-mom appearance in the wall-mounted mirror, and headed with Sydney toward the door. “If you get a chance, just try to get something out of him, all right? My nerves can’t take this kind of suspense.”

  “You have no idea,” Sydney muttered under her breath.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Everything’s fine. About to go on lunchbreak inside the store with a friend. Wondering if I should bring home some dessert. You like chocolate, right? Hope you’re being an awesome artist.”

  Sydney read the text before sending it to Styx, then idly pushed her shopping basket up the cereal aisle toward the front of the store. Out of long habit, she kept her expression neutral while covertly sweeping the store’s inhabitants. It was a surprisingly quiet day so far, with only a young girl trying to pocket a box of condoms. When her parents arrived to take her home, the girl had closed her eyes and looked as though she was trying to magically wish herself out of there.