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Tina

T urns out pot roast and re-watching the USB with Dustin led to exemplary sex. We’re talking “swinging from the chandelier” type. Well, more like hanging from the canopy on Dustin’s bed while he eats me out, but still. My face must have said it all because when Rosa climbed into the car earlier, she roared with laughter.

On her insistence, she tagged along to confront Aldo even though I told her I’d be fine on my own. I guess having friends is like having your own personal lie detector. Thank God too, because I didn’t really want to go alone.

“Here we are.” I pull into the open parking spot in front of Aldo’s place of business, armed with the email confirmation showing my debt was paid in full.

“Fancy,” Rosa deadpans.

Seeing the place through her eyes, I can’t believe I ever thought coming here was a good idea. Dingy windows flank a beige door that may or may not have been white at one time. There’s no sign above, just an address. I brace myself and open the door, so surprised to find an actual person manning the front desk, I nearly backtrack to check the address again.

The older woman smiles. “Hello, there. How can I help you?”

A hard shove from Rosa not only gets my feet moving but loosens my tongue. “Um… hi. Is Aldo here?”

“Yes. Do you have an appointment?”

An appointment? What kind of alternate universe is this? I’ve only been here in person one other time, but it was enough to leave an impression. Not a good one. This is definitely not the kind of establishment you’d need an appointment for.

The nice lady takes pity on me. “Why don’t I just ring him up and make sure he’s free, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

While she makes the call, Rosa pulls me aside. “Earth to Tina, what’s the matter with you?”

“This”—I wave my hand around the clean office and fresh flowers. Flowers, for crying out loud!—“wasn’t like this before.”

Aldo’s office door opens, and his large frame appears. “Miss James.” There’s a hint of apprehension in the greeting. “What a pleasure to see you again.”

“Liar, liar, pants for hire,” Rosa mumbles under her breath.

I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary, so I get right to the point of our visit. “I was hoping to have a word with you about my prior bill?” I put a heavy emphasis on the word prior.

“S… sure.” He waves us into his office. “Come have a seat.” He takes the chair behind the desk and folds his hands on top. “What can I do for you?”

“Can I be honest with you, Aldo?”

He winces. “Of course.”

I set the receipt in front of him, the “paid in full” clearly visible. “I was under the impression my bill was taken care of by Mr. Case?” He makes a face and I’m even more convinced there’s something fishy going on and it ain’t a tuna sandwich this time.

Rosa slaps her palms on top of the wood desk, making Aldo and me jump. “What’s going on? And don’t even try to weasel your way around the truth.” Suddenly she’s brandishing a letter opener in her hand, waving it in his face. “I know about a dozen ways to cut a man’s balls off.”

Stunned, I stare at my friend like she’s been possessed.

Aldo puts his hands up. “Okay, little lady. Point made. Now put down the weapon and have a seat and I’ll tell you what I know.”

An hour later, Rosa and I are driving around aimlessly in my car.

“By the way, it’s ‘liar, liar, pants on fire,’ not ‘pants for hire.’”

“Oh, that makes more sense.” She pauses. “Speaking of liars… this whole deal with Dustin was a big fat one, huh? What now?”

“I don’t know.” I think back to when this all started—my worry over where I’d find the money to pay off Aldo, not to mention Gramps’ failing health. Then Dustin offered the perfect solution. But why did he do it? The fact he didn’t need to pay Aldo after all has me stumped. Aldo made it clear he would’ve worked out a payment plan for me had Dustin not intervened.

“What about at the fight when you made it sound like the alternative was a few broken bones?” I asked Aldo back in his office before Rosa and I left.

He looked confused at first then laughed a little. “I just meant it’d be easier on you not to drag it out, that’s all.”

Aldo apologized for his part in the deception, saying Dustin’s dad was an old buddy and Aldo was helping his kid out. No surprise I left the office more confused than when we arrived. What made Dustin go to such great lengths? Worse, has everything since been a lie too? “What if the whole deal thing was to punish me for some reason?”

“Punish you for what?”

“I don’t know, but it would explain his nasty attitude towards me in the beginning.” My stomach sours just from me thinking about what a fool I’ve been. God, I must be the worst person at reading signals. First Connor, now Dustin.

“Let’s table this problem for a moment,” she says.

“What in the world could be more pressing than this?”

She taps the passenger’s side window where the side mirror is. “If it’s not Aldo, then who is following us?”

It’s like déjà vu when I peek in the rearview mirror and see the same truck I saw on the first day. This time, though, when I ask for help, it’s not from Dustin. Lucius answers after the first ring. “Tina?”

“Hi, Lucius—”

“We’re being followed.” Rosa jumps all over my call, rattling off a license plate number before Lucius can say anything else. I’m impressed and can’t believe it never occurred to me to do it myself.

He curses. “Don’t go to either of your homes yet, si ?”

“ Si , but…” She glances my way, and I know what she’s asking; she wants my okay to come clean.

There’s a hardness to his voice when he speaks again. “What is it?”

I nod and she admits, “It is not the first time we’ve seen this truck.”

An exasperated sigh comes over the line. “When and where?”

“Many times.” I speak up, not wanting Rosa to take all the heat. “In front of Dustin’s place, and around town. Basically, every time I look, I feel like it’s there.”

“Come to me,” is all he says before the line goes dead. I look over at Rosa, hoping she knows where he is. I shouldn’t have worried.

“Go to the club.”