Take My Body (Curse Bound 2)

Was it? Was this his life now?

Chapter 17 – Caspian

Could a man get high from handling drugs? Or inhaling invisible particles floating through the air? His mind denied it, but the sense of weightlessness that transformed his head into a balloon filled with helium screamed that his system had somehow absorbed whatever substance they’d been moving.

He’d been on pins and needles throughout the long drive between Grit and Columbus, wary of every siren, every police car spotted on the way. But no one stopped them, and the exchange of drugs for money went as smoothly as any other transaction. Buying a television set took longer.

And now what? Caspian had no idea who he worked for or how many times Gunner had taken such risks to pay off a debt he’d taken on to help his little brother. What was the protocol? He remained quiet while their— What? Customers? Partners?—packed up and left the dark street in the deserted industrial area on the outskirts of the city, but once they were gone, he was stuck with the people he hated, didn’t trust, and without his own truck.

“Jeez, I’m tired,” he said, watching Bud and the Brown brothers for cues.

Despite them having a fight the previous night, Todd patted him on the back. Maybe in the world of thugs little scuffles were a daily occurrence, like in a pack of wolves.

“I bet you’re not too tired for a visit to Tiffany’s,” Todd said, and his silent brother grinned with appreciation.

Caspian frowned. “I don’t think they’re open at night.” Or was it their idea of fun to rob a jewelry store now that the drug deal had been finalized?

Bud laughed. “Tiffany’s Babes keep their legs open at all hours.”

Oh goddamn it.

“Not feeling it tonight. Next time?” Caspian proposed and yawned as realistically as he could. “I feel as if I’d been knocked out in the ring.”

Todd shrugged. “By who? Your tiny student? I mean, he’s tall enough to punch your dick, so I guess it would make sense, but it’s our tradition. We gotta go see the girls while we’re here with all this fresh cash.”

“We’re not married to tradition. Let’s just go home,” he said and moved toward Bud’s van as if it was a done deal. He sure hoped confidence would be enough to put an end to this stressful night. Transporting drugs had been enough excitement for one evening, and he definitely didn’t want to sit on his ass and feign interest in strippers.

Bud snorted, following him toward the van parked in front of a massive warehouse. “If you don’t want to go to Tiff’s, get yourself an Uber. I’m not wasting the trip.”

Caspian’s fate was sealed then.

He had a hard time keeping distaste out of his voice, but he was still reliant on those fuckers, so he took the wad of cash Todd pushed at him and stuffed it in his pocket. “Fine. Lead the way to the pit of Jezebels.”

“Pit for jizz more like,” Bud laughed, toying with the shirt stretched over his pot belly. Caspian was getting a growing feeling that he was most eager out of the three, but the brothers went off to their car, and so Caspian was stuck with Bud.

When the door on his side shut, locking him in the messy cab. The air inside smelled sharply of pine-scented air freshener, which barely obscured a stale odor that reminded Caspian of the funk clinging to the bottom of dirty trash cans.

So here it was. He’d just handled Class-A drugs, and as if that hadn’t been bad enough, he’d have to now pretend to have an interest in women.

When the car moved, following the vehicle belonging to the Brown brothers, the inevitability of a couple of hours more in the company of those three troglodytes made him want to scream. How the hell was he supposed to act at the club?

Bud went on about his inappropriate fantasies on the way there, but Caspian only tuned in when Sandy’s name popped out of Bud’s mouth.

“I wanted to know if that’s okay with you.”

“What?” Caspian squinted, unsure what he’d heard.

“You know, to ask Sandy out. She’s not like some of those other gold-digging whores. That girl’s really something, and since you’re not…”

Caspian wouldn’t have pegged her for wife material, but he supposed that to someone like Bud she was the pinnacle of feminine charms, especially that he’d badmouthed her just the day before. Also, she was most definitely a gold digger, but that wasn’t his problem anymore.

“I have nothing against it. Things burned out between us, you know. Go ahead.”

There, Gunner had tried to get her out of his hair for God-knew how long, and Caspian had managed to do it within a day.

He mentally patted himself on the back.

“You’re a real friend, Gun,” Bud said and gave his shoulder a brief squeeze. Caspian still couldn’t comprehend that he’d had several fights with Bud since yesterday, and the man still didn't consider him an enemy.