Page 27 of A Quick Buck

“Well, it’s awfully convenient he just happened to throw it out the window of the car after shooting that guy, don’t you think?”

“You’re still so certain he’s innocent.” Alistair seemed impressed.

“I know my uncle.” Noah refused to back down. “I don’t know what kinda shit he was into getting mixed up with you, but he sure as hell wouldn’t have killed anybody.”

“How old were you when your parents died?”

“Eleven.” Noah ignored the pain such a question always brought up. “You gonna tell me what you were really up to?”

“If you’re referring to my business with your uncle, I already have.”

“Bullshit.”

“How did your parents pass?”

“I don’t see why that makes a crap. Why do you keep asking such weird stuff?” Noah was having trouble not cursing.

“I don’t see how it’s ‘weird’ wanting to get to know you.”

“It’s kinda weird.”

Jamie entered then, bringing a tray of steaming food. He served Alistair first and then Noah, and Noah couldn’t help but notice how smug he looked. Prick. The food smelled amazing, and Noah was surprised at how hungry he was.

“Thank you, Jamie. This looks wonderful.” Alistair cut into the middle of his steak. “Perfect. Please send Frida my compliments. And oh, certainly no rush, but Noah has no career in custodial work. Could you please finish tidying up after dinner?”

“Of course, Mr. Star. And thank you.” Jamie nodded gratefully. “I’ll be sure to tell Frida.”

Noah glared daggers as Jamie left, and he jabbed at his steak impatiently. “So, what about you, huh? Your parents dead too?”

“Yes, and they have been for some time. Died when I was very young from emphysema. They were both smokers.” Alistair rose up, coming over to stand beside Noah.

“What are you doing?” Noah grunted as Alistair took his silverware from him.

“First of all, you’re cutting with the grain. You should be cutting against it, and you should not be cutting such large pieces.” Alistair cut the steak into orderly, thin sections. “Smaller bites are easier to eat and digest.”

Noah’s face heated back up, and he couldn’t explain why having Alistair cut his damn steak up was so embarrassing. “Okay. Fine… my parents died ’cause my dad was drunk. They were leaving a party, he ran a stoplight and crashed into another car. Killed the people in the other car, my dad died, and my mom died later in the hospital. Happy?”

“Hardly.” Alistair grabbed another napkin from the table and laid it down in Noah’s lap. “Your manners are truly atrocious.” He sat down again, pausing to sip his wine. “You do have my sympathies for your loss.”

“Yeah, sure.” Noah didn’t believe him. He cut the rest of his steak up, following Alistair’s new instruction. “My uncle spent thousands upon fuckin’ thousands of dollars trying to cover it all up. Didn’t want our family name being dragged all through the mud. That’s what he does. He throws money at a problem and hopes it goes away.”

“I suppose that’s part of why you’re so convinced he cannot possibly be a killer?”

Noah nodded, taking a bite of his steak. Okay, so the steak was delicious. The white stuff wasn’t bad either, and he caught himself about to speak up with his mouth full. He thought better of it and waited to finish chewing first. “Yeah. ‘Cause he’d rather whip out his checkbook than get his hands dirty.”

“Perhaps.” Alistair didn’t say anything else and went back to his food.

Noah didn’t like the silence, and he still couldn’t find a way to sit that didn’t put pressure on his stinging cheeks. “The spanking thing. You always been into that?”

“Get your elbows off the table, please.”

Dropping his arms down, Noah asked again, “So? You and spanking?”

“Not for a long time.” Alistair took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “I’ve known more boys like you than I can possibly count. Some were spoiled, others were angry, and they all needed a very firm hand to teach them how to properly behave.”

“Oh, yeah?” Noah scoffed. “And how did that work out?”

“They learned.” Alistair smirked slyly. “So will you, whether you like it or not.”