I told her no one would come in this early.
Spencer wasn’t hanging around there though, so I moved on to the back: to that bright beacon of a prize counter. Apparently, you didn’t win many tickets running into walls in Ms. Pacman. But maybe with another bucket of tokens, I’d be able to win enough to cash in for a finger trap.A girl can dream.
Drawing closer, I still didn’t see Spencer around. I let the bucket swing at my side, hoping the clink might draw her out of hiding, but she was nowhere to be found.
Maybe she’s still burning off the embarrassment too.
But as my eyes roved over the cacophony of arcade games, my eyes caught on something. A warm beam of light, streaming out from a cracked door labelledEmployees Only.
I wrinkled my nose, tapping my fingers against the counter as I considered what to do next. It was probably rude to go barging in, especially if she was feeling as embarrassed as I was.
But on the other hand, I couldn’t stand to be alone with these thoughts any longer.
I’ll get a job here next month, and we can just call this early employee access.
It was as good a reason as any — as good a reason as Spencer would expect from me anyway. Taking one last look around the floor, I slipped behind the counter and started to push the door open.
“Hello?” I called out between knocks. “Anybody home?”
Once the door swung open, there were no words for what I saw. Spencer was sitting on a rolling chair, whipping back and forth between duffel bags full of cash and several bill counters like she did this every day.
But the second her eyes landed on me, her demeanor shifted from king pin to caught criminal. She shoved a wad of cash back into the bag, standing as she closed the gap between us. “You shouldn’t be here. You weren’t supposed to see this.”
34
KIERA
Before I could takeanother step into the room, Spencer was on her feet, rushing me back out into the cacophony of the empty arcade. “Forget you saw that.”
Her strong hands guided me by the back and arm, her touch firm yet gentle. Nervous laughter bubbled from my chest as I tried not to react to the electricity of her touch. “Relax, you’re acting like I caught you with a dead body.”
Her grip tightened ever so slightly as she led me back around the counter, letting that employee’s only door swing open and shut in our wake.
Geez, I didn’t think she took the rules that seriously.
But her clenched jaw and burning hazelnut eyes made it clear that my little intrusion had struck a nerve. Eager to lighten the mood, I raised an eyebrow. “That was a lot of cash for a deserted old arcade. What is this, some kind of money laundering front?”
Her eyes clenched shut and her head tilted like she was hearing nails on a chalkboard.
The smile on my face slowly faded as I took in her reaction. Her touch burned against the ice in my veins as the realization struck. “Oh my god, is this a fucking money laundring front?!”
Spencer’s eyes went wide as the bell over the front door rang. “Shhh, keep your voice down.”
Past the glass of the front door, a line of minivans idled, unloading cartload after cartload of children. Armed with sticky fingers, skateboards, and the younger siblings they’d been made to bring with them, they were rushing the arcade like tiny warriors storming the castle gates.
As the wave of invaders broke around us, Spencer tightened her grip on my arm, dragging me deeper into the arcade. “Come on.”
My eyes shot to the backroom door as Spencer dragged us in the opposite direction. “Where are we going?”
“To talk.” She craned over the mess of machines and children, looking for something I couldn’t see.
“What is there to talk about? You’re a criminal! You’re doing crimes?—”
“Could youpleasekeep your voice down?” Her expression was more pained than angry as she rushed us through the screaming children and blaring games. As the arcade blurred around us, I couldn’t make sense of anything.
I’d almost kissed a woman. I’d almost kissed a criminal. And I still wasn’t sure which of those facts was more shocking.
Before I could rally a new round of protest, Spencer found what she’d been looking for: a rinky old photobooth tucked against a back wall. Beelining for it, Spencer pulled the curtain back and helped me in first before shoving in behind me.
