“What do you have for me today?” I ask, removing two envelopes from the inside pocket of my jacket and handing one to each guy.
Spying on the two pussies is bleeding me dry. Most all my wages go toward paying my buddies to keep an eye on them. Thank fuck, Doug is paying for rent, utilities, and groceries at the townhome as part of our deal, or I’d be royally screwed. Mom has tried to offer me money on several occasions, but I’m not taking any more of my stepfather’s money. If things go my way later this evening with Marwan at the club, I’ll be scoring that meeting I’ve been wanting for fifteen months and securing a means to earn extra cash I sorely need.
“The boyfriend is a boring, predictable fucker,” Shoulders says, holding his mug up for a refill when the waitress appears with the coffee pot.
No one speaks while she pours coffee for the three of us, waiting until she’s gone to resume the convo.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” I glare at him. I’m not spending my hard-earned cash to learn old news.
“Fuck you, Psycho.” Shoulders returns my glare and some. “We’re doing you a favor.”
“A favor you’re being paid for,” I remind him with a deepening glare.
“You know we have to fit it in around official club business,” Rocky says, instantly on the defense. “Marwan kept us busy this week, so we didn’t have as much time for surveillance as we usually do.”
I hold my palm up. “In that case, give me back half that money.” My gaze bounces between them, daring them to challenge me.
Reluctantly, they hand over the cash, grumbling under their breath. I happily stuff the bills into my wallet, ignoring their bitching and moaning. “Tell me what you did see of Chad this week,” I ask, eyeballing Shoulders as I settle back against the seat.
“His days are filled with classes and practice, and on nights when he’s not pounding the princess’s tight ass, he’s selling shit around campus for The Sainthood. There was one interesting thing though.”
I sit up straighter as I sip from my coffee, waiting for him to elaborate. Shoulders cracks his meaty knuckles. “Followed him and the princess to Grenlow one night. They waited outside a toy warehouse for a while until some dude who looked like he had a stick up his ass came and got them.” He leans his elbows on the scuffed Formica tabletop, his eyes lighting up. “I was going to break in and scope the place out until I noticed the biometric scanning system and the heavy-duty cameras all over the exterior.”
“What toy shop would need such sophisticated security?” I ponder out loud, drumming my fingers on the table.
We pause when the waitress appears with our food, waiting until she’s gone before resuming the conversation.
“That’s what I’m wondering. My spidey senses were going crazy, so I didn’t get out to investigate. Had a feeling I might disappear permanently if I was caught snooping around that place.” He places a large brown envelope on the seat beside me. “Took a bunch of pictures. That has printed copies and a thumb drive if you want to send them to your tech guy.”
“Thanks.” Removing my jacket, I tuck the envelope inside before placing it on the seat in between Rocky and me. “I’ll send the file to Xavier and see what he uncovers.” Tearing a piece of crispy bacon off with my teeth, I wonder what Ash and Chad were doing there. “Please tell me you stuck around long enough to see them come out?” I ask my buddy.
Shoulders rolls his eyes. “I’m no fucking amateur.”
Debatable.But I say nothing. It’s not like either guy is a trained PI. I’m lucky they work full-time for The Bulls since graduating, and they can get away with tailing the two stooges in between official duties. I have a plan to make that easier too.
“They were in there for almost two hours. When they came out, they were all sweaty and messy looking. Like they’d either had a marathon fucking session or gone ten rounds in the ring with McGregor.”
Very intriguing. What the hell were they up to? “Let me know if they go back. Call me when it’s going down, and I’ll come meet you. I want to see for myself.”
“Sure thing.”
“What about Stewart?” I turn to Rocky. “What’s he been up to this week?”
His puffy cheeks are loaded with pancakes and bacon, and he chews noisily as he works to swallow the massive amount of food in his mouth. I eat my eggs, bacon, and toast as I wait for him to finish.
“He’s been back and forth to his family home a couple of times,” he says when he finally stops chowing down. “I snapped him coming out of a sports bar downtown yesterday. He met with his brother and a couple of other dudes.”
My cell pings as he sends me some pics. Opening the message, I examine the photos as I finish eating.
“You know any of them?” Rocky asks before shoving another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
“That’s his older brother, Balthazar,” I say, pointing my finger at the dark-haired guy on Jase’s right. They look to be arguing. “I don’t know who those two are,” I add, enlarging the pic to get a good look at the other guys. “Except they’re my new neighbors.” I didn’t pay much attention to them the couple of times I have seen them outside, which was clearly a mistake. This smacks of shady shit, and my curiosity is definitely piqued. I’ll get Xavier to take a look at them too.
The taller of the two looks like the youngest. He’s got that preppy, pretty, rich boy look down pat with his slicked-back blond hair, big blue eyes, and expensive designer T-shirt and jeans. The other guy is slightly shorter, but he’s broader in the shoulders and arms. A silver and navy Tag Heuer adorns his wrist, and he’s wearing black pants and a blue dress shirt. His suspicious green eyes are narrowed as he stares straight at the camera.
I cuff Rocky on the back of his head, and he almost chokes on his pancakes. “He made you, you fucking idiot.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he blurts when he’s finished swallowing. “I sped away before he got near me.”
