“No. We need to go. He’s got places to be,” Cindy said.
The two of them walked away, and I watched until they were safely inside their house. I shut my front door and disengaged my firearm, sliding it across the counter toward the cookies. I locked the door and shut off the lights, doing whatever I could to ward off any other visitors.
Taking out my phone, I called Daniel. I needed a distraction, someone to talk to so I could get my mind off things.
The phone rang.
“Graham. My man. What’s up?” Daniel asked.
“Not much,” I said. “You?”
“Something must be up. You never call just to talk.”
“Wanted to let you know I got a job in town,” I said.
“No shit! Whatcha doing?”
“Working at a mechanic shop. They prefer people pay in cash, so there isn’t a lot of formal paperwork to get hired there. Means my name won’t pop up on anything in the employment records.”
“Sounds like the best deal for now,” he said. “They legit? Not secretly running drugs or anything like that?”
“Nah, nothing like that. The owner’s old and doesn’t like fooling around with shit. You’d like him. Nothing’s sugar-coated, and I get to accept tips. Got the best prices in town too. He’s always busy from morning until the time they close.”
“Great, you have a job. Now you need to make a friend or two.”
“I’m not making friends.”
“The owner of the shop sounds like a start,” he said.
“I’m not his friend. The man’s halfway to the grave.”
“The place got a manager? Or some guy you work alongside? That’s your next mission.”
“I’m not a fucking operative any longer.”
“If you wanna wrap all this shit up, you are,” he said.
I sighed as I walked into the bathroom. I put him on speakerphone and started cleaning myself up. I needed to leave for work soon.
“I’ll find someone to talk to every now and then,” I said.
“That’s a start,” Daniel said.
“It’ll have to be good enough,” I said.
“We’ll work on it. Don’t worry. In the meantime, keep your head down. Don’t do your job too well or too shitty.”
“Do it enough to blend in with the rest of the crowd. I know. Fuck,” I said.
“When’s your first day?”
“Already been working a couple of days, but my first full-time shift is in a few minutes.”
“Better get to work then. Being late doesn't look good.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve held a job before,” I said.
“I’m gonna get off here before your sarcasm comes back to slap you in the face. Have a good first shift. Let me know how it goes.”