Color Me Grey
Book One of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles
by
J.C. Phelps
SMASHWORDS EDITION
*****
PUBLISHED BY:
J.C. Phelps at Smashwords
Color Me Grey
Copyright © 2004 by J.C. Phelps
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
*****
Written for:
Alexandra
Edy
Jim
Rick
Robert
&
Robert
Special thanks to:
Bobbe
Lynn
Rachel
Robert
*****
COLOR ME GREY
Chapter One
My name is Alexis Stanton, but I always introduce myself as Alex. Most everyone calls me Lexi though. I always thought Lexi sounded like a silly girl’s name. Lexi just doesn’t reflect my personality. I can be silly, but generally I’m pretty serious.
I can get silly when I’m with my childhood friend, Colin. He’s a few years older than me but we grew up together. Our dads worked together in the service and we spent quite a lot of time at each other’s houses.
My dad is pretty picky about who I associate with. One of his favorite sayings is, “You are who you run with.” I didn’t understand that until I got out of the house and started college. Then I started to run with the wrong crowd. I eventually started the party thing and got myself a boyfriend; my very first boyfriend at twenty, pretty sad, but the truth.
I didn’t just get any boyfriend; I got one of those boyfriends. You know the kind. I was in love with him and so was he, in love with himself. His name was Anthony. That’s a different story though.
My parents have money and could have paid for any type of education I wanted. I was home schooled and then, of course, I attended college. College was my only formal education. At first I worked hard and did great. Then I got involved with the wrong crowd. Eventually my brains returned. I dumped my boyfriend and managed to graduate at the top of my class and can pretty much do anything with a computer.
Going from home schooling to college was fairly difficult. It wasn’t that it was too much work, it wasn’t enough and I didn’t know my way around people. I had too much time on my hands and didn’t know how to make friends. I was usually found with a bong in one hand and alcohol of some kind in the other trying to be accepted.
When I was little I used to ask my mom and dad why I couldn’t go to school with the rest of the kids. Dad would say, “Most of the teachers out there aren’t as smart as you. You can’t learn much from a dumb teacher.” I found that he was pretty much right.
My education started at a very early age. I think I was three when Mom and Dad brought in my first teacher/nanny. Consequently, I could read and write at the age of three and a half. I think I went through two grades a year until I reached nine. Then at nine I was somewhat allowed to choose what I wanted to learn. The subjects I picked were like extra curricular activities to my parents. I would pick karate and Mom would pick literature and Dad would pick history and I would have to continue to do well in the subjects they chose or they would make me stop the one I had chosen until I started doing well again. I always wanted to try something new, so I was always busy with learning one thing or another.
I grew up wanting to be a boy, so I chose boy pursuits. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be a part of the A-Team. I wanted to learn self-defense, karate, rock climbing, and mechanics, that kind of thing.
Thanks to Mom and Dad and their money, I tried my hand at many things. Mom didn’t want me to be such a tomboy so she made me take etiquette classes. But Dad liked the idea that I wanted to be tough so he paid to have a Special Forces drill instructor teach me to infiltrate and take over a small country. I’ve been schooled in everything from how to be a lady to the basics of dressing a wound with some covert maneuvers and chef skills sprinkled over the whole education casserole.
I’ve since decided that being a boy instead of a girl has its advantages, but being a woman is much better than being a man. I actually like the way I look and as far as I can tell, so do most men. I’m 5’4”, fairly petite but not breakable. My hair is a light brown, straight and long. I like it long. I can put it up if I want it out of the way or I can leave it down if I want to make an impression. I have blue eyes and pretty straight teeth.
I can do what any man can do for the most part. Of course I’m not as strong as I’d like to be but I know tricks that make me seem stronger. I’ve never been in any real trouble in my life because I don’t get caught. Then again, I don’t do bad things often either, unless provoked.
When a girl turns twenty-one she must celebrate for at least a year or so. I did my share of celebrating and found that I don’t like to get stupid. I can still hold my own when I’m drunk, but I can’t seem to keep myself out of trouble. If I drink vodka, gin or rum I either get much too talkative or turn into a blubbering baby. If I drink bourbon I get nasty and mean. Beer and wine make me that silly, giggly girl I don’t want to be so, I stick with the whiskey. The only problem with the whiskey is that it makes me feel invincible and that’s what gets me into trouble. I’ve always been the type of person to speak my mind when it’s necessary, but give me whiskey and I speak my mind despite necessity. Many people get offended when you tell them what you really think of them and some of them take action.
Mom and Dad live on an eighty-acre estate and I’m lucky enough to have their love and support in whatever I choose to do. I live in the guesthouse rent-free. It has its own private drive for my puke green 1967 Mustang. I love that car. I bought it with my own money a few years ago and have been able to hang onto it and keep it in pretty good shape.
I was doing all right with a career in computers but compared to my younger years, there just wasn’t any excitement. For a few years now I had not been enrolled in any of Mom or Dad’s educational experiences, no sky diving lessons, and too much time on my hands. I decided today would be a good day to look for a different job. Hopefully I could find some adventure.
I picked up my phone, called in to my job and quit. I knew it was irresponsible, but it felt so good. If I couldn’t find a new job I would go to Mommy and Daddy and ask for some money to set up some private classes for something more interesting. I could always learn to fly a plane or helicopter.
I walked the mile or so to the local convenience store and got a paper. On the same block was a really nice coffee shop called Express Espresso. I went there often to read. Reading is a habit of mine, not a hobby but a habit. It seems I just can’t get enough. I will read anything.
I got myself an espresso with cream and sugar. I like the kick but black espressos are a little too strong for my tastes. Every once in a while I feel like being rough and tough and drink a straight espresso, but mostly I chose coffee with French vanilla creamer. Today, I felt kind of tough, but not quite ‘Ramboish’.
There was an empty table in the back of the store. I sat with my back to the wall so I could see what was going on around me and see who came in the door. This also was a habit of mine. I was taught well by my private drill instructor. Not that I really needed that training with being a data processor and on the computer everyday. It was just ingrained in me from my several years of having Chief Slade screaming at me and also because I practiced being a spy often.
Dad had hired Chief Slade to teach me self-defense as well as covert ops. Dad liked the idea that someday I could be a spy if I wanted to. Heck I still don’t know exactly what my dad does. All I know is that he works for the government and makes damn good money. Maybe he’s a spy. Probably he is a spy except he doesn’t go out of the country very often.
I opened the paper and took a sip of the weenie espresso. Data processor, I could do that job, but that would be the same thing I’m doing now. Waitress, been there, done that and DO NOT like it. Bartender at the Skylight.
The Skylight was a semi preppy bar downtown. I went there regularly and so did the Navy men in the area. I had some friends there, actually everybody knew me. That’s where I’d received my waitress experience. I had also waited tables at a ritzy restaurant but nothing compares to being a bar wench.
I actually liked the job when I was twenty-one to twenty-three. It was great money for just working weekends, but it was the same thing every weekend. About the only time something different happened was when I started a fight.
Fighting isn’t my nature, but being fondled by drunken men is not appealing to me either. The guys would get plenty of warnings before I decked them. That caused me a bit of trouble with some of the women, too. It seems some of them didn’t like their boyfriends being taken down by a girl. I would have to explain to them they should be mad at the man for not keeping his hands to himself. The first time I tried to explain the situation to a girlfriend she would hear none of it. I felt bad for her, but I had to defend myself. That kind of thing hardly ever happens now though. I decided to keep looking for another job. Going back to the Skylight was not an option.
The next few ads below the ‘Bartender at the Skylight’ were restaurant and bar related so I skipped them and the next ad was listed in bold ink:
Person wanted with specialized training.
Exciting and highly paid position.
Inquire at 1324 Plaza Dr. Suite 73
Monday through Saturday
What was this? It sounded interesting. Now, I’m pretty cocky and arrogant, in case you haven’t figured that out by now, so I thought I would try it out. Just to see what the heck it was all about. It was probably a listing for a cruise ship attendant. That could be a fun job.
I sat skimming the paper and sipping my espresso for another twenty minutes. I watched people come in, order their coffee and either leave or sit to enjoy the few minutes of leisure time they afforded themselves.
I would usually walk away with some great gossip, but then I would feel so guilty about eavesdropping that I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone. I usually knew a lot about the people in the neighborhood just because I went to the coffee shop and sat for a while each weekend and sometimes in the evening during the week.
The gossip was different depending on the time of day. In the morning you would hear about what the wives had been doing in the area. Noontime was a combination of housewife banter and working stiffs talking about the job, bosses and co-workers. The evening was a lot of teenage type of gossip, which was by far the juiciest and not always about teenagers. That’s where I got most of my information about the people in my neighborhood.
I always knew quite a few people when I walked in but, because I rarely went in without a book or something else to read, I was usually left to my own devices. Every once in a while someone would invade my space. If I’m truly reading, prepare to feel my wrath but, if I’m just eavesdropping, I don’t usually get that upset with the distraction. I’ve never really been that much of a talker, so people rarely tried to chat with me anyway. About the only time someone tried to converse with me was when they had an argument about which planet was closest to the sun or who was the sixteenth president. I could always give them the answer.
Today most everybody was involved in home-related talk and not involved in any deep discussions about the surface of Mars or the existence of black holes. Nobody bothered me the entire time I was there. They must have been able to tell I was seriously contemplating something. This job offer in the paper had me intrigued. I got up, dropped my Styrofoam cup into the garbage can and out the door I went. I jogged home so I could get downtown before lunch time and check out this job.
*****
Chapter Two
I pulled into the parking garage of 1324 Plaza Dr., paid my fee and found a spot right away. I had changed clothes before I left my house and was wearing something appropriate for a job interview. Nice skirt, nice shirt and heels. I had pulled my hair back away from my face with a large barrette. I wanted the out-of-the-way look, but still wanted to leave the length.
I had never been in this building before and had been missing out! The floor in the lobby was black and so shiny I was afraid people might see up my skirt. I went to the main desk and asked for Suite 73. I was pointed to the elevator and told to get off at the seventh floor and take a left.
“There are only three suites on that floor so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding the right one,” Mr. Rent-a-Cop told me.
I did as I was told and sure enough, there was Suite 73 right in front of me. I stood outside the door for a second. There were no windows or even a sign to state what kind of office this was so I wasn’t sure if I should just walk in or knock. I opted for the just-walk-in approach. This had to be a business, they were asking for applicants.
I swung the door open slowly and walked in to see a woman with blonde hair about twice my age sitting at a desk. On the name tag sitting in front of her it read Gabriella. She was on the phone and nodded in my direction to let me know she had seen me. I looked around and saw the front office was quite small. There were some filing cabinets in the corner, the main desk with Gabriella sitting at it and no windows. There was nothing to tell me what kind of business this was. There were chairs to sit in and I was on my way to one of them when I saw him.
I stopped breathing. Now that’s a man I thought! He was about 6’ 3” and just perfect. A body that wouldn’t quit, short dark hair, but I couldn’t see his face. His office door was open and he was standing at the window looking down at the world and talking quietly on the phone. He was wearing a tight army green t-shirt, slightly faded jeans and motorcycle boots. Strange, this building and this office just screamed suit and tie. I stared at him for a full thirty seconds before I caught myself. That wasn’t like me. I’m good at being sneaky, but something about this man made me lose it.
“Can I help you?” the woman at the desk asked with a smile in her voice. She had obviously seen my mouth open. I quickly composed myself and answered her.
“Yes. I’m here to apply for the job listed in the paper.”
She looked taken aback by what I said and made me wonder even more at what kind of job I was going to apply for.
“All right, please take a seat and I’ll get the paperwork together for you.” She stood and started toward the filing cabinets.
I headed toward a seat that had a view. I couldn’t help myself; it was like looking at a train wreck but in a good way. I had never in my life seen a man that affected me the way he did just by his appearance and the way he held himself. He was away from the windows now and looking into the front office at me. He looked to be a few years older than myself putting him still under thirty but over twenty-five. His complexion was darker than the average white guy, but his features were hard to place. He most definitely wasn’t Oriental or black. He didn’t look to be Hispanic and he was definitely not the type you would easily forget. Dark eyes from where I was sitting, but he wasn’t close enough for me to get all the little details. He had a trendy design of facial hair. His sideburns were long and angling over his jaw, but not the fluffy, thick kind of sideburns. His were nicely and neatly trimmed into a thin line just along the jawbone. How interesting.
While I was ogling what I assumed to be her boss, Gabriella came to me with the paperwork and asked, “Do you know what kind of job we are offering?”
I looked her straight in the eye and said, “No. I just saw it in the paper and thought it sounded interesting. I don’t know if I have the qualifications but I thought I might check it out. I’m recently unemployed.”
She smiled softly and gave me the eyes that said she was sorry but was sure I wouldn’t be able to do the job they were offering.
“We don’t usually hire women for a job of this type. I couldn’t begin to explain everything that would be required of you, so if you wouldn’t mind filling out the paperwork I can see if I can get you in with Mr. White. He will be able to explain better.” She passed the application form, and about thirty other sheets of paper that were filled front and back with questions, over to me.
As she walked back to her desk, she said over her shoulder, “If at any time while filling out the paperwork you feel you won’t be qualified for the position don’t feel obligated to stay.” She sat down at her desk and said, “Mr. White is quite busy and the only position he’s hiring for at the moment is the one you are applying for; we’ll keep your application on file for six months in case there are any future jobs that you may qualify for.”
“Sure, thank you,” I said and began to fill out the application. It was a normal application asking for past work history, education and such. I had it filled out in less than two minutes and Mr. White was still on the phone but had looked in my direction more than once. I hadn’t looked up from the application but I have quite good peripheral vision and saw him turn toward the door a couple times.
I got to the rest of the paper work and was a bit shocked at the questions. They were questions like, “Do you think it’s what you know or who you know?” The type of questions that are meant to figure out your personality. I didn’t know what they were looking for so I wasn’t sure as how to fill out the questionnaire, so I just told the truth. I answered that I thought it was both, so on and so forth.
The next batch of questions was all of a military nature. “How long would it take you to field strip an M-16?” “How would you take control of a small country?” That kind of thing. What kind of job was this? I answered all those questions, too. This was becoming more and more interesting. I might like this job, if I got it. It seemed to me that they were a little against the woman being in this work environment though.
I will admit, not too many women had the military training that I had without actually going into a branch of the military. They definitely wouldn’t be out yet at my age and have the training completed. Well heck, I’ll admit it; probably no other woman had the training that I did. This job might be just what I was searching for.
I was beginning to wonder what kind of company this was. I had been curious before I reached the office building, but everything from the marble floors to the man in the other room had piqued my interest immensely.
Within fifteen minutes I had filled out the entire batch of paper work and walked up to Gabriella to give it to her.
She stopped typing on her computer, reached for my application, then said, “Thank you, we will let you know if something comes up.” And then went back to typing whatever it was that she was working on before I walked up to her desk.
I said, “I thought you would see if Mr. White would be available to talk to me if I filled everything out.”
This got her attention and she looked through the papers to make sure I had filled out everything and left nothing blank. After about a minute she looked up at me and said, “Please take a seat. I can’t believe you got it done that quickly. I’ll take this in and he’ll let you know if he would like to speak to you.”
I felt a surge of excitement. Soon I could be sailing away on a beautiful cruise ship and getting paid for it. This could be ship security or something. I should have done something like this a long time ago. This was fun.
I went back to my seat with a view and watched Gabriella hand Mr. White the stack of papers. He was still on the phone and had put his hand over the receiver. He looked from Gabriella directly at me. I could see that he had a questioning look on his face. He told her thank you and she headed back toward her desk. I saw the mysteriously handsome man hang up the phone and look in my direction one more time as Gabriella shut the door to his office.
“He should be with you in less than half an hour. He always likes to look over the entire application before he speaks with someone,” she said through a smile as she was sliding back into her chair. She had gotten over her surprise and was genuinely enjoying this. “Do you really have that kind of experience?”
“I’ve had training on everything listed, yes. But I’ve never put it to use other than playing war games with my instructor,” I admitted.
“Well, I think you shocked him and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him shocked at anything. If you get the job this is going to be great. I’d love to have another woman around. I get tired of seeing nothing but customers and men who take too many steroids.”
I kind of liked Gabriella and didn’t mind looking a little stupid in front of her so I came right out and asked, “What kind of business is this?”
This brought another shocked look and then a smile. “You really are something. First, you come here without even knowing what kind of a job you are applying for, then you are more than qualified and then you tell me you don’t even know who it is that you’ll be working for,” she said as she shook her head. “We are a bit like a private investigation outfit, but we do other things as well. Recovery of people and property, surveillance, and sometimes we even break into banks, sometimes. The company name is White and Associates.”
Wow! I didn’t even know this place existed. I have tons of book knowledge and physical training, but when it came to the real world I was a bit sheltered. I had been kept at home most of my childhood and only had the past five years or so of being in the real world. College doesn’t count, it’s not even close to the real world unless you work your way through and I had had my way paid in full before I even stepped foot on campus. I worked at a computer all day and didn’t have much of a social life so I still wasn’t really in the world of the living. Not to mention I still lived at Mom and Dad’s. I got some stuff off TV but other than news, how much of it are you supposed to believe? Then it sank in…
“Break into banks?” My voice was an octave higher than normal.
“Oh, sorry,” she giggled. “Not to steal things, but to test the security system for the bank,” she said with a large grin on her face now.
“Oh,” I said regaining my normal voice. I worked my way back to my seat no longer with a view and sat down. Gabriella went back to typing with a grin and I waited.
I didn’t have to wait long. Mr. White buzzed Gabriella on the intercom within five minutes and in this absolutely wonderful voice said “Gabriella, send in Ms. Stanton please.” Very businesslike, but deep and smooth like butter. His voice was as good as the rest of his body. I now knew who I would fantasize about, at least until I got to know him better. Once you know a person well enough it seems like they aren’t usually worth fantasizing about. I was going to take advantage of this one before I found out he was a putz. Bosses usually turn out to be putzes.
Gabriella gave me a funny look that I couldn’t decipher, almost scared but yet sympathetic and still hopeful. “Good luck.” She said this with some emphasis that made me think she really wanted me to get the job.
I walked into Mr. White’s office. He was in his chair facing the windows away from me, but the shades were drawn. I had all the confidence in the world. Then he turned around and I lost it. My confidence went south, right out of my toes and onto the floor in a little bubbly puddle. My brain quit working, all I could think of was how sexy he was. Get a hold of yourself I told myself. He’s just a man, good looking, but just a man.
I stood there looking at him in his chair and he waited for me to sit. Finally he said, “You can take a seat.”
Quit being such a dork I thought as I sat in the straight-backed chair directly in front of his desk. It seemed to me the office had changed in the short time since I had looked in on it from the front office. I didn’t remember seeing any other chairs in the room and now this one was right here. The chair was ugly wood and uncomfortable without upholstery and placed just out of reach of the desk. It stood out from the rest of the décor of the office. Very unlike the rest of the room. There was a heavily cushioned black couch not far from Mr. White’s desk and four other chairs in the room that matched the couch and looked very comfortable.
This reminded me of the times Chief Slade had screamed at me in a mock interrogation. Was that what this was, an interrogation, not an interview? Weird. I set my mind to be interrogated just for fun and practice. I put my small knowledge of yoga to use. I tried to slow my heartbeat and listened to myself breathe. He was just sitting there with an inquisitive look on his face directed toward me, like he expected me to say something.
Chief Slade had yelled and screamed at me that you DO NOT speak until you are spoken to. I didn’t dare speak even if this wasn’t an interrogation. I felt the fear that Chief Slade had told me about, but I had never felt it with him across the table. My dad was paying him so he wasn’t all that scary. He might smack me a good one in the back of the head, but he would have never drawn blood or broken bones. This guy was different, he had that look. I hadn’t noticed it before because I was so infatuated with his rear end and mysterious looks. But I noticed that wild look now. I could tell he wasn’t just mysterious, he was dangerous. If this really was an interrogation, I was lucky that I hadn’t sat before I was told to do so.
As the minutes ticked by my fear grew but my gaze didn’t falter. Mr. White didn’t even blink. It seemed like hours had passed. ‘This is pretty strange,’ I was thinking when he said, “Good. Now, Ms. Stanton, what branch of the military were you in? I didn’t see it listed on your application.” The dangerous look was still there but pushed a little deeper than it had been just a moment before. His eyes were still dark and boring a hole into my soul.
I was still afraid to talk but I managed to tell him, “I’ve never served in the military, sir.”
“Where did you train at?” he asked with raised eyebrows. The dangerous look wanted to return but he kept it subdued.
“I was lucky enough to come from a family with means and I received my training at home from Chief Slade, sir,” I replied.
This brought a look of surprise that was quickly suppressed. “Is that so? I served under Chief Slade myself. I didn’t know he’d gone into the practice of servicing the civilian sector.”
The last sentence was spoken with a hint of sarcasm and disbelief. This wasn’t going too well. I got the distinct feeling he was looking at me as an enemy and not a potential employee.
“I’m sorry, sir,” I said. “My father is affiliated with the Navy. That’s how and why I was lucky enough to be a student of Chief Slade.”
“Your father would be…?” Again with the eyebrows.
“Admiral Robert S. Stanton… sir,” I replied. I hadn’t been involved with my military training for some time and was a bit rusty and actually had never been perfect. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Admiral Robert S. Stanton? Now that’s very interesting. Didn’t he leave the service before he reached Admiral?”
“Yes and no, sir. I’m not sure as to his exact title, but I do know that he is and has been for some time now a commissioned Admiral, sir.” What an idiot I was. I was twenty-four years old and I didn’t know what my dad did. Why didn’t I know? I had never really questioned it before because I had never had to explain it, I guess. As soon as I got home I was marching straight over to his house to ask him what the heck he did for the government!
“I see.” He started to look through the mountain of paperwork like he understood and the fact that I didn’t have a clue was explanation enough. “Have you ever been employed to work a job like this one?”
“No, sir. I don’t believe so. I’m still a bit unsure as to what this job is though, sir,” I repeated trying not to sound insolent.
“You will know what it is when and IF you are hired to do the job,” he said in a matter of fact tone.
I nodded my head once to show that I understood. The fear was beginning to subside a bit. The dangerous look had wanted to show itself again with the mention of Chief Slade, but the mention of my father sent it deeper and that put me at ease, somewhat. Good ole’ Daddy, watching out for me from everywhere.
“Thank you, Ms. Stanton,” Mr. White said by way of dismissal. “I will be in touch within the week one way or the other.” He gave me a small smile and my fear of him disappeared. How did he do that? He was GOOD. Definitely fantasy material.
I stood up from the chair, said thank you and walked out of his office, shutting the door behind me.
Gabriella jumped at the sound of the door shutting. The worried look still on her face.
“Wow! I thought you would have been out of there long before now.”
“Why, how long was I in there?” I asked.
“An hour and a half,” she said with disbelief. Then she got a sly look on her face and said, “What did you talk about?”
I was still in a daze with the news that it had been an hour and a half and didn’t catch her implication. I said, “He just asked me about my training and my father.”
“Oh, honey,” she said. “I think you’ve been traumatized.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m fine. Just surprised,” I said. “This is not what I expected. He said he’d be in touch within the week to let me know one way or the other.” I shrugged.
“What? He will let you know one way or the other? Sweetie, you have the job. I’m almost sure of it. He never contacts people that don’t already work for him. He has me do it. Either that or you made one hell of an impression.”
“Yeah,” I said. I was still in lah-lah land as I walked out the door and got onto the elevator. I got across the shiny marble without a thought of my panties being seen by anyone and got in my car. I was home before I knew what had happened.
What a rush. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun. Yeah, I was scared out of my mind, but it sure beat data processing! I didn’t care whether or not I had a job working for scary, sexy Mr. White or not. I would find something to do. I just couldn’t go back to sitting in front of the computer all day.
This called for a celebration so I took a nap with a plan of going to the coffee shop later this evening to catch up on gossip and then maybe onto the Skylight later.
*****
Chapter Three
I woke up around 6:30 PM, a little later than I had planned. I could get something to eat at Sal’s Sandwiches, next to the coffee shop when I got there. I changed my clothes into celebrating clothes. I poured myself into a pair of jeans and put on a shirt that showed cleavage. I decided I wanted to go all out so I let my hair down and curled the ends of my hair in to give it a little more volume.
7:00 PM. I could get to the club and get a good seat to watch people if I just got a sandwich and went straight to the club.
I got into my car and thought about it before I pulled out of the driveway. I might want a drink. I could call a cab while I was eating my sandwich then I could have a drink if I wanted to. Any excuse not to drive. I got out, relocked the doors and started to walk to the sandwich shop. I looked down and considered changing out of my high-heeled boots, but what was the point. You had to sacrifice to look good and I was going to sacrifice my feet tonight.
I was walking the length of the driveway and noticed a dark car parked not far from the entrance. As I got closer I could tell what kind it was. It was a black Crown Victoria with generic rims and tinted windows. I couldn’t see inside but had a feeling there was someone sitting behind the wheel. Most days I might not have even noticed the car but today was strange and my senses were heightened after my interview with the peculiar Mr. White.
I decided that I was being paranoid but still picked up my pace to the sandwich shop about a mile away. Just as I thought, the car stayed put as I rounded the corner of the estate. I began to think of the day’s events and my decision to quit my job. Maybe I shouldn’t have quit. That wasn’t a very responsible thing to do. Mom and Dad had been harping on me to be more responsible before I got the data processing job, now they were going to start up again. Oh well, maybe I would get this new job and surprise them.
The inquisition at White and Associates had worn me out and I had forgotten to walk over and ask Dad what exactly it was that he did. I had asked him before but he had never given details and I wanted details. No more, “A little of this and a little of that,” and answering my questions with questions of his own.
I had walked a couple of blocks toward my destination when I spotted a black Crown Victoria parked a block away in front of me. It had tinted windows and generic rims and the same license plate. The license plate was nothing special, I just notice these things from time to time without knowing that I did it.
I promptly turned around and hiked back to the guesthouse to change my shoes. I was pretty sure I was being followed but by who and why was a mystery. I had my thoughts, but they seemed unfounded. No matter how strange the interview was I didn’t think they would waste time following me around. Who did that kind of thing anyway? White and Associates, that’s who. That’s what Gabriella said, surveillance, recovery of people and property and breaking into banks.
What had I gotten myself into? I should have just walked out. Granted, I was thoroughly enjoying myself wondering what was going on and trying to figure it out, but I still wasn’t sure that constantly watching over my shoulder was the kind of life I wanted to lead.
As I was marching home I toyed with the idea of staying home for the night, but by the time I got to my door I was determined to see this through. It wasn’t in my nature to back down, even if it was in my favor to do so. You know the saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” I thought of that often but I was still alive. My curiosity always prevailed over my good sense. This time was no exception. I felt I could take care of myself as long as I knew what I was dealing with.
No matter how curious I was, I was always careful. I chose to call the cab from the safety of my place instead of the open payphone at the sandwich shop or my personal cell phone.
The wait for the cab would be about fifteen minutes so I figured I’d call Sal’s Sandwiches and place an order so it would be ready when I got there. I could eat it in the cab on the way to the club.
With any luck, the person in the car would follow me in there. He or she would be easy to pick out in there because I should know everyone else. New comers to the Skylight, that weren’t with a regular, stuck out like a sore thumb.
I heard a honk out front so I quickly put on my running shoes and stepped out into the night. I couldn’t see the end of the driveway from my front door so I didn’t know if the black car was waiting for me again or not. I kept my eyes open for the few minutes it took to get to Sal’s but no sign of the car. I was a bit disappointed but relieved at the same time.
There was nothing unusual at Sal’s either. I paid for my turkey club and headed back for the cab waiting outside. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the black car parked in the lot up a bit from where I was standing. I got in the cab and asked the driver to take me for a ride before he dropped me off at the Skylight.
“No problem, Ms. Stanton,” he said. I had obviously used this taxi service before. I suppose that’s why my Mustang was still in pretty good shape. Other than back and forth to work I didn’t drive often. I preferred to walk if the weather was good and my destination wasn’t too far or I would call the cab company so I could pay more attention to the scenery.
I wanted to make sure the Crown Victoria was really following me and not just cruising around in the neighborhood. That happens from time to time. I live in a very nice side of town and people sometimes came just to see how the other half lived.
The Crown Victoria pulled out of the lot just as we rounded the corner of the block and headed our direction. I kept my eyes open and saw it several times, sometimes in front of us, sometimes parked in a lot that we were passing. It was almost as if there were black Crown Victoria’s with the same plate all over the place.
When we finally came to rest in front of the Skylight I looked around and saw my admirer pull into a spot down the street. I paid my driver and crept out of the cab. I walked inside a little faster than I normally would have and then caught myself just inside the door. I stopped and took a deep breath, smoothed the front of my shirt and walked down the dimly lit hallway to the main area.
The Skylight had been a warehouse before it was changed to a club. The owners had added a gigantic skylight directly above the dance floor, hence the name. The building was set up almost like it was two different businesses. When you first came in the door you were confronted with the bathrooms on the opposite wall and a mediocre hallway extending about fifty feet to the main bar area. The two extremely large bathrooms took up a quarter of the building’s length and most of the width. As soon as you emerged from behind the old time swinging doors at the end of the hall, you found yourself in a mix of loud people, loud music and strong drinks. They had quite a large round bar situated toward the middle of the building. The bar was surrounded by tables and then at the end of the building was the dance floor and stage that always had a live band. Along one side of the building were high-backed booths that afforded couples more privacy than they should have in a bar. Give people enough to drink and they will do a lot of things they really shouldn’t do. I usually steered clear of the booths but thought tonight might be the night for me to sit there.
I quickly scanned the room. Most everyone was out tonight. There were a few new faces so I made a mental note to remember they were here before I was. I hadn’t told anyone where I was going so the people already here shouldn’t be looking for me.
I found myself shaking as I walked to the booths to find a suitable hiding place. This wasn’t a game, this was real. If it weren’t White and Associates it could be a kidnapper. My parents did have money after all and were well-known for spending tons of it on me, their one and only child.
I was grateful for my training; otherwise I may never have noticed what was happening. At the same time, my training had never really prepared me for the possibility that I might truly need it someday. Of course I fantasized about saving the world James-Bond style but then I was never placed in any real danger. The closest I had ever come to real danger was when I was involved with the drug crowd in college. Some of those people are really rough, but they aren’t professionals either.
I was scanning the booths and found my old tutor and best friend, Colin DeLange. His mother is deaf and I had asked if he would tutor me in sign language when we were younger. At first I just wanted to be around Colin. He was a few years older than me and not at all hard to look at. By the time I got the basics down for signing we had grown to be very good friends.
Over the years we had remained best friends. We might not have seen each other for months but we could always fall right back into the friendship. I walked toward him and he smiled. Colin had joined the Navy a few years ago and was considering making it a career like his dad. He had already been in for eight years and had just re-upped for another four. Sometimes when Chief Slade was drilling me, Colin would come over to benefit from his services. I think our Dad’s had worked out a system that Colin would tutor me for lessons from Chief Slade. Colin’s tutoring would have gone on without the extras that my dad paid for but my dad really liked Colin. I think our parents had conspired together hoping something other than friendship would blossom between us. I guess Colin could be considered my first boyfriend, but there had never been anything sexual between us. We both thought of the possibility, I’m sure. It was just an unwritten rule that we were to remain friends and in no way did either of us want to jeopardize that friendship.
Colin had one of those personalities that you just couldn’t dislike. He smiled easily and was very charismatic. When he was around I was drawn to him like a bee to honey. He was always happy and hardly ever had anything bad to say about anyone or anything. I reached the booth and he stood to give me a welcoming hug.
He immediately sat to where he could see the door. Chief Slade may have gone a bit overboard with the training for watching your back. I knew I had to sit there, too. I was sure the person following me would be in soon, if not already here. I skootched in next to him. He looked at me a bit funny so I mouthed at him, “I want to see the door.”
Colin was an expert at reading lips, not only did he have the benefit of growing up in a deaf house hold, he had been given specialized training in the Navy for just such things. I think my father played a roll in Colin’s good luck in the service, but if anyone deserved to be treated well it was Colin.
“What’s going on?” he mouthed back at me with his hands up already signing what he had just said. Having a friend that signs and reads lips to sit with at the Skylight was nice. I didn’t have to leave my voice behind in the bar when I left. The music was permanently loud and a person had to yell to be heard.
“I think I was followed,” I said in my normal voice.
This brought an incredulous look from Colin. “Are you getting paranoid in your old age? Or did Master Chief Slade visit you lately?” He smiled.
“MASTER Chief?” I said. This was a new development. “How long has he been a Master Chief?” I asked.
“A few months.” Colin had stopped signing everything he was saying making me work to read his lips. Once a tutor, always a tutor I guess.
I wasn’t so good at reading lips, but I could usually catch enough words to make out the main topic of conversation.
“Is that the guy?” he said nodding his head in the direction of the door.
I looked away from Colin toward the door and he most definitely wasn’t a familiar face. He was scanning the room. I don’t know if he was looking for me or if he was just checking out the scene. I involuntarily slouched in my seat.
“I don’t know,” I said to Colin.
Colin sensed my nervousness and both of us were quiet as we watched the man pick a seat at the bar. He could see us and we could see him. He was quite a large man with a rough face and a sandy blonde military-style haircut. He reminded me a little of the actor Dolph Lundgren, except he wasn’t as refined looking. We watched him order. “Bud please,” Colin repeated.
Colin and I had spied on people like this before; this was nothing new to me. I think it was Colin’s way of trying to teach me to read lips better, but it was my way of eavesdropping on conversations across the room.
The bartender, who happened to be my one and only ex, Anthony, was working. I didn’t harbor any hard feelings for him anymore, but he steered clear of me all the same. I had caught him with one of the other waitresses in the women’s bathroom one night. I had been infatuated with Anthony and very naïve. I had been taken by total surprise. When I saw them together, her on the sink with him in front of her admiring himself in the mirror, I pulled him off of her and then literally picked her up over my head and threw her out of the bathroom. Anthony had grabbed me to stop me from going out to finish the job but I just flicked him away like a fly. By the time I had gotten away from Anthony and out the bathroom door, the little floozy still hadn’t gotten her panties up from around her ankles and there was a crowd building. I squared off with her but she was horrified so it took some of my anger away.
About that time Anthony came out of the bathroom. He was furious and grabbed me by the hair and whipped me around. He backhanded me and I was slammed to the floor. Some of the men in the club were on their way to take care of the woman beater, but I beat them to it. I stood up, bawling like an idiot, and grabbed his arm. I had it pinned behind his back before he knew what hit him. Then I forced him to his knees. “Apologize to me,” I had regained my composure and said this in a quiet voice.
“What? Let go of me you bitch!” He yelled back at me.
I wrenched his arm harder and heard it snap. Oh shit! had been my thought at the time, but only for a millisecond. I leaned down toward his ear and spoke into it so he would hear me over his screaming. “I said apologize to me, you prick. I can make it worse or you can make it better by just apologizing to me like a gentleman.”
Anthony couldn’t say, “I’m sorry,” enough. He was still apologizing while they put him in the ambulance. For some reason breaking his arm made me feel better. He probably could have pressed charges against me but decided against it because the witnesses there would have told the cops that I had broken his arm after he hit me. I walked around with a black eye for about a month after that. Then I became a bitter single girl working in a bar and came unglued any time someone touched my butt. I eventually gave up the job for the greater good of the public. Anthony finished college and continued to work part time at the Skylight. As far as I knew, his sex life has never been the same.
Women talk and they all knew about how he hit me that night. Some women gravitate to that kind of thing, but the ones who do are already attached to the man who is beating them. My sex life was non-existent after that because I imagine men talk, too. Nobody wanted a girlfriend that might break your arm.
Colin nudged me to get my attention, “I said, they’re talking about you.”
“What are they saying?” I asked him. Before Colin nudged me I had been intent on the two of them at the bar, but now my eyes were locked on Colin’s lips.
“Army Boy wanted to know if Anthony knew you. I can’t tell what Anthony’s saying though. Do you suppose he’s telling him about how you kicked his ass?”
“Probably more like how he’s had me. That’s more Anthony’s style,” I said.
Colin and I both went back to watching them talk with Colin translating Army Boy’s words.
“Really?” “Is she here?” This turned Anthony around to point in our direction. “Thanks.” Then Anthony saw to his other customers.
We could clearly see Army Boy and he could see us. He was a bit stunned to see the two of us staring right at him. He was made and he knew it.
Colin yelled in my ear, “Go to the other side of the booth, I’ll keep an eye out and tell you anything else he says. He doesn’t need to be staring at you.” I could tell he was a little upset at the situation. Sometimes I thought Colin was in love with me but other times he was just my big brother watching out for me.
I got out of the booth and moved to the other side. This bothered me because I couldn’t see Army Boy anymore. I turned in the seat and got up on my knees to look over the back like little kids did when you were in a Perkins or Denny’s booth trying to eat your breakfast. Colin grabbed me by my pants pocket and pulled me back down before I could get my head up over the back of the seat.
“What is going on?” He asked.
“ I don’t know.” I told him about the Crown Victoria and how it had followed me around and how I was pretty sure Army Boy was the person operating the vehicle. Then I told him about the job interview with White and Associates. I told him about Mr. White and the interrogation. I yelled all of this to him over the band because he wouldn’t take his eyes off the bar and Army Boy.
Colin finally looked at me when I finished my story and said, “Are you kidding me? What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
“I don’t know. I’m just glad that you were here so I could tell you about it. I’m actually having some fun with this, but it would be more fun if I knew exactly what was going on.”
“Well, I guess you could go up to the guy and ask him what he’s doing here asking about you. You’re in a public place and I think he probably wouldn’t try anything here,” Colin said.
“Yeah, I suppose I could.”
I started to get out of my seat and Colin put his hand up and said, “Wait, he’s making a call.”
I sat back down hard. Great, now I was going to have a chance to think about the confrontation with Army Boy. It was always harder to build my courage up than to just jump in with both feet without thinking. If I had just gone right then and there I wouldn’t have even thought about it until it was over. Telling Colin about my day had put it in a new light. All of the excitement was starting to fade and be overshadowed by the fear and worry that I felt.
“Yeah, boss.” Colin was giving me the one-sided conversation being held at the bar. “I have a problem.” A small pause, “The Skylight on 1st and Main.” “Alright.”
“I wonder what that was all about.” Colin said.
“He called his boss and told him he had a problem,” I said a bit peevishly.
“I know that, I meant what does that mean for you. Man, you need a nap or something,” Colin yelled over the music.
A waitress had strutted to our booth now that we weren’t on the same side anymore. You learn quickly at the Skylight to leave the couples in the booths alone until they are on opposite sides of the table. It was Sara McNenny. She had started working here shortly before I quit. I liked her well enough, but we weren’t close.
“Hey guys,” she said. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
Colin ordered his regular, a tap beer, and I butted in and ordered a shot of whiskey and a Coke back. This brought surprised looks from both Colin and Sara. I rarely drank anymore and it usually spelled trouble.
“Be right back.” And then Sara started her bar wench walk up to Anthony to fill our order.
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-27 show above.)