Not them texting each other as if she couldn’t read every message.
JACKIE:That’s it. I’m not speaking to you all for the rest of the trip.
Jackie closed the group chat. She’d had enough of their shenanigans. A knock on the door signaled that room service was there with her food. Jackie opened the door to find Lupe wheeling in the cart. A silver cloche covered the food, along with a large carafe of hibiscus tea, avocado dressing, and multigrain tortillas.
“Something special for you tonight,” Lupe said with a wink before she exited the suite.
Curious, Jackie approached the cart and slowly uncovered the heavy cloche. Her mouth watered at the sight of a nice, juicy, seasoned-to-perfection grilled chicken breast on top of her salad. Where the hell Lupe found this contraband chicken, she’d never know, but Jackie was thankful. That definitely earned Lupe the additional $100 Jackie had slipped her.
As Jackie was devouring the first decent meal she’d had in this godforsaken resort, she heard the keycard beep. She looked up to see Antonio stroll in.
“Damn, you could have ordered me something. And wait…is thatchickenI smell? Hold up! How’d you get chicken? Did you slide Lupe some dough for this? Let me have a piece!” He reached out to take some, but Jackie slapped his hand. “Ouch, your little hand hurts, woman. It’s cool. I already ate anyway. Just to let you know, the mushroom tacos suck ass.”
Jackie wiped her hands on a napkin and typed in her app. “Dinner alone?”
“Who else would I have dinner with?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a certain blonde with terrible loc extensions?”
Antonio placed his copy ofKing of Ashesdown on the repurposed wood coffee table. “You jealous of Locust, mama?”
Jackie put her fork down. Was he serious?
“No need to be jealous, Lucky. You know I’m all yours, baby.” He gave Jackie a wicked smirk.
Jackie stabbed at her salad. He was so full of himself.
Antonio threw up his hands. “I’m kidding. I did see her and Shane at dinner. They asked me how I was enjoying my stay, and I said it would be better with tequila. We just had some conversation, that’s all. You know, some people do find me entertaining. Interesting, even.”
Jackie stared at Antonio, deliberately chewing slowly. Right now? She didn’t find him remotely entertaining or interesting. Simply annoying.
Antonio grabbed a piece of tortilla off Jackie’s tray. “For the record, I wouldn’t be into someone like Locust. She didn’t know who S.A. Cosby was. She asked me if he was an actor. That’s when I knew she probably didn’t read.”
Jackie snorted a laugh and typed. “Of course that tumbleweed for brains wouldn’t know one of the greatest crime writers of our generation.”
Antonio looked surprised. “Wow, you read crime fiction? I would have taken you for a nonfiction girl. You know, memoirs of powerful women and stuff like that.”
Jackie pursed her lips. She typed, “Don’t stereotype me. I like memoirs, but I also love a good mystery.”
“Let me guess. You comfort-watch true crime on Friday nights.”
“I’ll neither confirm nor deny,” Jackie typed. She most definitely watched true crime marathons, snuggled up with PeeWee, most weekends when she wasn’t working. It was her happy place.
“Bet.” Antonio held up a finger. “I got something for you. Hold that thought.”
Jackie watched as he rounded the sofa and headed into the bedroom. After a few minutes, he returned with his iPad and settled next to her on the sofa.
“I may or may not have downloaded that documentary about that serial killer family up in Oregon. You know? The ones who lured delivery drivers to their demise. You want to watch?”
Jackie began to nod emphatically but then tempered her response. She didn’t want to seem too eager. She’d put that documentary on her watchlist as soon as it dropped. Hell yeah, she wanted to watch it!
“Cool.” Antonio started the show and leaned back against sofa, trying to find a comfortable position on the unforgiving furniture. “You think if I slip Lupe another $200, she’d bring me some chicken too?” He nodded toward her salad. “Don’t think them tacos hit the spot at all.”
Jackie handed Antonio a clean fork and put the salad between them to share.
