Page 7 of Greed

“Yeah, thanks,” she said, but her mind was still in Central Park with Sam and his mysterious disappearance.

Minetta grabbed her jacket and purse and paused, staring at the headset. The gut-wrenching terror in Sam’s voice wouldn’t leave her thoughts, and an odd image of massive midnight black dogs with red eyes popped into her mind. It was the way he begged her to forgive him like she alone could have given him the forgiveness he sought. She closed her eyes and shook her head to shake the strange visual.

“Let’s go. This elevator is not going to hold on forever, girl!” Penny said.

“Coming!” She flicked off the screen and shivered as the sensation of being watched washed over her.

“Thanks for the lift,” she said, getting out of Penny’s car, waving. Her friend waited until the door was unlocked and the lights were on before she drove away.

As soon as she stepped inside the house, she froze. The lights to the basement were on, and she could hear the television blaring the Thursday night football game.

“Aw, come on! That was a foul. Any idiot with half a brain could see that.” James’s voice wafted up to her from the lower level. She sighed and proceeded to hang up her coat before making her way down the stairs. James was her boyfriend, or at least that is what she assumed they were.

They’d dated off and on throughout high school, but he had left her a few times to ‘explore his options.’ She didn’t know why she kept letting him back into her life. Every time she thought about it and asked herself why, she couldn’t come up with a logical answer. Maybe it was because he was familiar, and she knew what she was getting into with him. There was also the fact that her father had always liked him because he played the quarterback in high school. James was great at making parents fawn all over him with his charm and good ‘ole boy smile while he talked about football and other things she had zero interest in.

At the thought of her dad, her heart felt heavy in her chest. The dull ache that had become an old friend since he’d passed had her rubbing at her heart. She’d thought with time, it would’ve gotten easier, and in some ways, it had, but most of the time, the thought of him made her long for her childhood and the moments she never got to have.

“James, what are you doing here,” she asked as her feet touched the soft carpet of her newly finished basement.

She’d decided on a dove grey for the walls, but the carpet and trim was a color called off-white, snowball. The cushions and pictures on the wall added a splash of yellow and turquoise. It was the only room in the house she’d decorated to feel like her. It was supposed to be her she-shed, but James had taken it over for himself.

His feet were on her new coffee table, and she could see wet rings from his beer bottles littering the top. He was never going to wipe those up. She had the biggest urge to throw him out on his ass, but she knew she wouldn’t. She was weak, and he knew it.

“What? Is that any way to greet your man,” he asked, never taking his eyes from the television screen. The men on the screen ran around the field, their bright red and blue uniforms clashing as someone was tackled to the ground. “Woo! That’s it, boys, take them down.”

“I’m serious. How did you even get into my home? And where is Toby?” She looked around, assuming her dog would be down here with James but didn’t see him.

“Babe, re-fuck-ing-lax, I had a key made. I mean, I’m always over here fixing something for you, Figured it was time I had my own key. And that stupid mutt of yours is locked in the spare bedroom. I hate that thing. You really should get rid of it.”

Minetta’s mouth dropped open, not even sure what to say first as her mind fritzed. Before she could comment, James belched, the stench instantly hitting her. She waved her hand in front of her nose, wanting to gag.

“Here, can you get me another beer since you’re up? Oh, and I ordered pizza. It should be here shortly. Good thing you got home when you did. I realized I forgot to bring my wallet.”

Minetta snatched the bottle out of James’s hand, and as soon as her back was turned, he cracked her hard on the ass. “Ouch! James, don’t do that.”

“Come on, babe, it was just a love tap. Lighten up, for fuck’s sake. You’re always such a pill.”

Unable to deal with him right then, she marched up the stairs and put the empty beer on the counter. He could get his own beer if he wanted it. She was going to find her dog. Other than Penny, Toby was her best friend, and she hated that James treated him like a pest.

Her home was a simple two-level, two-bedroom, and bath-style house. She had exactly two plates, two bowls and two sets of cutlery. Penny always joked that she had a thing for Jacob Two Two. The colors upstairs were still the same bland neutral from when she moved in, not really caring if it was done up fancy or not. She had the odd picture and plant placed around the home, but nothing matched, and she was fine with that. It was completely unique and one of a kind. She pushed open the spare bedroom door, and Toby’s large tail thumped happily on the twin bed that he dwarfed.

“Hey there handsome, was James mean to you,” she cooed, and his tail wagged a little harder as his overly large body slid lazily off the bed to wander over. He was an English Mastiff, but even for his breed, he was massive. Reaching the mid-two hundreds in weight and adding in his height, he could have been classified as a small pony. She bent over and gave his large soft ears a rub as she kissed his sweet face. “Let’s go for a walk.” At the mention of his favorite word other than treat or bed, he padded noisily to the front just as the doorbell rang.

Annoyed all over again, she grabbed her purse and opened the front door only to have the pizza guy jump backward off the low landing as Toby let out a single woof. The sound was deep, and she laughed in her head as she figured it would look like the bark pushed the guy backward. She smirked a little. Toby wouldn’t hurt a flea, but he sure as hell looked terrifying.

“How much is it?”

“Um, forty-four, ninety-one.” The guy leaned in, holding the overly large pizza out.

“What the heck did he order,” she grumbled to herself as she dug around for the money. “Stay,” she said to Toby. She didn’t need this guy to sprint away with the food. “Here’s a fifty. Keep the change.” She made the exchange, and the entire time the guy kept his eyes glued on Toby. “Your pizza is on the counter!” she yelled down the stairs.

“What about my damn beer?”

She bit her tongue to keep the sarcastic retort to herself. “Sorry, Toby needs to go out. You’ll have to get it yourself.” She could hear James swearing as she closed the front door. “Don’t look at me like that. I know I’m a damn pushover, and I should dump his ignorant, selfish and lazy ass,” she said to Toby’s upturned face. He nudged at her hand with his head. “I will. I just need to get the nerve up. Come on, let’s get that walk in.”

The entire walk, all she could think about was Sam and what had happened to him. Could she have done more to get help to him sooner? Had it all been a prank meant to scare an operator? That happened more than people thought. People really could do the stupidest things, especially when alcohol or drugs were involved. Unfortunately, no new epiphanies came to her on the stroll.

The television was still blaring when she got back home, and she rolled her eyes, just wanting to get a quick bite to eat and some sleep. She marched down the stairs and just caught the tail end of James’s conversation.