Page 141 of Thick as Thieves

“Gee, you’re almost halfway through already.”

“After this semester.”

“I’ll bet you’re making straight A’s.”

“I’m holding my own.”

“Must be tough, keeping up your grades and making that commute every day.”

How he’d known that she commuted was a mystery, but she hadn’t wanted to prolong the conversation by asking him for an explanation. “Nice seeing you, but I’ve got to dash.” She’d lengthened her stride in an attempt to outdistance him, but he’d kept pace.

“Heard your old man got canned again.”

That brought her to a halt. “What do you know about it, and what’s it to you?”

“Ouch! The claws come out.” He’d curled his fingers and pawed the air like a scratching cat.

“You always were and always will be an asshole, Rusty.”

She’d tried to continue on her way, but he’d caught her by the elbow. “Don’t turn your back on me, smarty pants.”

She’d yanked her arm free. “I don’t care if your daddy is the damn governor, I’ll scream this town down if you ever touch me again.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He’d made an elaborate show of taking several steps back. “I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with you. Not since we’re going to be business partners and all.”

“Business partners?”

“That’s right. We’ve got a lot to talk about, you and me.”

“Guess again.”

“Your first meeting with me is tonight.”

“Are you out of your mind? I’m not meeting you tonight or at any other time.”

“Oh, you will. You will tonight. You can’t afford to miss this meeting.” He’d leaned to one side to look beyond her toward the library. “You must’ve kept her waiting too long. I made note of the time when you dropped her off.”

Lisa had turned to see Arden standing just outside the entrance to the building, the librarian watching from behind the glass. Arden had been holding a stack of books against her chest. She’d waved. Lisa had waved back, but it had been a conditioned reflex. She was thinking about Rusty’s last statement. When she’d turned back to face him, he’d given her an insolent smile.

“Nine o’clock tonight. On the bleachers of the football field. That should be a nice and nostalgic spot for you, Miss Homecoming Queen.” He’d moved in closer and whispered, “Your little sister is gonna be a looker. She’s already as cute as all get-out.”

Then he’d turned away and sauntered off down the sidewalk.

The inflection in his voice when he’d referred to Arden had turned Lisa’s stomach. For the rest of that afternoon, she’d tried to dismiss the comment and chided herself for paying any heed to it. Like father, like son, Rusty was reputed to be crafty and manipulative. He knew which buttons to push. She wasn’t about to let him bend her to his will.

Nevertheless, at nine o’clock sharp, she had joined him on the bleachers.

He’d begun with irrelevant chitchat. “When Joe worked at Welch’s, you were in and out of there quite a lot, right? You must’ve learned your way around, saw the operation of the store from behind the scenes.”

“What is this about, Rusty?”

“It’s about a lot of coin.” He winked.

Then he’d told her his plan.

“I know what you’re going to ask. Why enlist me? Well, see, Lisa, I need you to verify information provided by Foster. You know Brian Foster? The schmuck your dad tangled with the day he got fired? Him. The pussy.

“Don’t get me wrong. Foster’s smart with numbers, and he’s sincere enough, but I need a guarantee that he’s not feeding me faulty information. It would be awkward if alarm bells went off while we were hauling bales of cash out of there.”