Page 20 of Keeping Collette

Like the guy behind the counter, there was something familiar about him as well. Perhaps the two were brothers, but it annoyed Deal that he couldn’t place where he’d seen either man. Or why he felt like he knew them.

None of that mattered right now.

What was the missing package? Most likely drugs. That’s what made the most sense, seeing as that’s what they were supposedly there for. They wanted answers, but he didn’t think they were going to get any. The guy probably had no idea people were going missing from out the front of his store, and were turning up dead.

However, if things looked as though they were about to get out of hand, Deal wasn’t going to stick around and put Collette in any more danger than they already were.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. You should’ve been here if you were expecting something. I ain’t your fucking collection man.” Mal pulled out a gun and pointed it at Jim, releasing the safety. “Now fuck off. I’ve got business to do.”

Quick as a flash Jim had a gun pointed at Mal. “Really? You wanna do this?”

A tense stare down happened, and Deal was about to activate his comms to get help when Mal lowered the weapon, his gaze flicking down in a sign of submission, before returning to Jim.

Deal filed away the interesting dynamic between the two to study–along with everything else they gathered–when they watched the replay.

“Just as I thought.” Jim spared Collette and him a look, his gaze lingering on Collette for half a heartbeat, before spitting on the ground. “This ain’t over. And don’t you ever fucking pull a gun on me again. Next time I might shoot first then ask later.”

“Whatever, ya fuckwit,” Mal shouted, as Jim walked out the door. Obviously feeling braver now the threat was passed. He gave them a pointed look and left the gun on the counter as a reminder that he was armed and if they wanted to mess with him it wouldn’t end well.

The tremors coming from behind him weren’t faked. Collette was freaked out and he didn’t blame her. Things could’ve escalated quickly into a shootout.

“Sorry about that, now where were we?” Mal said conversationally, as if the last five minutes hadn’t happened.

“You wanted to see cash before you showed us what you had,” Collette peeked out from behind him.

Fuck, he was impressed with her. Fear still strummed through her, he could feel her shaking every now and then, but she was acting as if what had happened was an everyday occurrence.

“Right. So how much do you have?”

Deal pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket. Fortunately for him, he’d decided to bring some in case their plans changed—which they had. It always paid to have contingencies and work on the fly if the situation demanded it. And he’d known as they’d made their way to the store that their initial plan wasn’t going to work. “Two grand,” he said. He kept his hand on top of it, not trusting that Mal wouldn’t take it without giving them anything.

“What’s your preference?”

“Court said your powder is elite,” Collette said, placing a picture next to the cash—a picture they’d planned to show him, but in different circumstances. “She also said to give you this, she really appreciated what you did for her last time.”

Mal looked at the picture and then at Collette, a spark of interest flared in his eyes, and Deal itched to grab the gun and shoot the fucker. “Yeah, I think I remember her, perky tits. And a fine ass.” He leered at Collette for a few seconds, then turned his back and fiddled with a drawer. “This is what you can get for your cash. You need more if you want my elite powder.” He slapped some pills down. “Should give you a good time, anyway. Maybe you’d like to party with me, sweetheart. I can show you a better time than this dickhead.”

Anger burned in Deal’s blood at the blatant insinuation coming from the man. If it wasn’t so important that the guy needed to keep breathing, Deal would’ve made that exercise impossible for him.

“Fuck off, she’s mine.” Deal thrust his fingers through Collette’s hair, cupping her skull so he could kiss her. The second his lips crashed down on hers, the reasoning for his actions flew out the window.

Her mouth opened beneath his and her fingers gripped his forearms. Everything faded to the background, and all he focused on was Collette. Her lips softening for him as he deepened the kiss.

The muzzle of a gun against his temple jolted Deal back to the present.

Fuck, how did I let myself lose my mind like that? I could’ve got us both killed.

He kept Collette close and met Mal’s stare, not saying anything but eyeing the man. He should look down to show that Mal worried him, but he couldn’t.

“I could easily make her mine. Now, do you want the fucking goods or not?” Mal snapped.

Deal had no doubts that given a chance, he would pull the trigger. He seemed the type capable of doing that. He’d been very happy to pull it out and point it at Jim, even if it had been a show of self-bravado that cracked at the first sign of retaliation by the other man.

Honestly, Deal was lucky he was still alive. His inattention, no matter how good it had been to kiss Collette, had left them both vulnerable. “Yeah, we’ll take the pills.”

“If you see Court, let her know Coll is looking for her,” Collette said as they backed away, her voice wavering a little. Deal had no idea if it was from fear or if his kiss had affected her, but right this second none of that mattered. All that mattered was getting out of there—alive.

“Maybe.” Mal looked Collette up and down again, although ogled was more like it. “If you change your mind and don’t want to hang out with this loser, then come find me. As I said, I can guarantee you’ll have a much better time, and I’ll give you the good stuff.”