Page 69 of Cold Hard Cash

There were two that looked like twin sunbursts with a patch of white marbled tissue stretched out beneath them. Another long thick scar ran in between those and down his back. That was all Jimmy could see before Cold pulled on his shirt and buttoned it.

Cold didn’t look at Jimmy, but he spoke quietly. “I won’t be needing your services today. Take the night off.”

Jimmy couldn’t mask his disappointment at being denied an evening with Cold. He tried to perk up and asked hopefully, “What about tomorrow? I’d really—”

“I’ll let you know,” Cold said sternly, tucking in his shirt and then fastening his belt. He slid on a shoulder holster, a quick glint of silver flashing as he checked his guns. Jimmy had never noticed Cold carrying before. Not until last night. He didn’t know anything about guns, but he could see that Cold’s were silver and big with pearl handles.

“Is everything okay?” Jimmy could sense a dangerous tension brewing in Cold, as if he was preparing for battle.

“Fine,” Cold said, well, coldly. He disappeared into his closet to finish getting dressed unseen.

“Okay.” Jimmy frowned and decided to roll back over to doze. Cold was not in a talkative mood, and Jimmy was a bit offended by his brusque attitude. Last night had been full of so many special moments, and Jimmy thought he’d made a crack in that icy armor of his.

Apparently not.

Sighing, he pulled the blankets up over his shoulder and closed his eyes. He heard Cold come back toward the bed, but he remained as he was, set on ignoring him.

“Don’t sleep all day,” Cold’s voice rumbled in his ear, so close it startled him along with the fingers petting through his hair.

Jimmy couldn’t help but smile in surprise, and his cheeks warmed at the sweet affection. Maybe he had made a little more progress than he first thought. He opened one eye to peek up at Cold standing over him. “I can make no such guarantee.”

Cold scoffed, pulling away to adjust his tie. “Rowena will come by to see you later. She’ll have paperwork for you to sign.”

“Paperwork?” Jimmy rolled back over to face Cold.

“You’re a new employee. There is a standard contract for all our performers. There are also tax forms you need to fill out and vital statistics that we need for your employee file. Driver’s license, social security card.”

“Seriously?” Jimmy . “This is what you meant by a new deal?”

“I do run legitimate businesses, Mr. Poe.”

Laughing at the idea of Cold being concerned with W-9s, Jimmy grinned.

Cold rolled his eyes. “I’ll text you later if anything changes. Keep your phone close.”

“And thank you for that, by the way. I never did get a chance—”

“I’ve added the purchase price to your balance. Once you’re more fiscally stable, the monthly bill will also be yours. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Cold turned to leave. “Goodbye, Mr. Poe.”

“Bye.” Jimmy sighed, flopping around in bed. He couldn’t fall back asleep and ultimately sat up with a loud groan. Cold had left him a small card as usual.

$223,208.18

I’ll see you soon.

-RL

Hardly a love letter, but Jimmy smiled anyway. He dressed in his tux, slinging the jacket over his shoulder before grabbing his mother’s jewelry box. On his way out, he paused to get a better look at Cold’s den. Last time he was there, Rowena had been waiting for him, and he hadn’t stopped to look at anything. Before that, it had been dark. Now that he had a moment and the chance to explore, he was curious.

There were a few photographs and vintage concert posters, framed and hung with great care. One was a picture of a little girl and Cold, perhaps in his twenties and his hair already showing gray. The girl was sitting in his lap and she was grinning, showing off a missing tooth. Jimmy smiled when he recognized the little girl as Rowena.

Another photograph showed Rowena as a teenager, dressed for a formal dance of some kind. Her hair was a giant brown bouffant of teased-out curls, and she wore a neon blue sequined dress.

The last photo was tiny, but the frame was thick and heavy, as if to help protect it. It was an old Polaroid of a young Black woman with smooth dark brown skin and a smile that reeked of mischief. Her thick hair framed her face like a smoky cloud, and she had white lilies pinned behind her ear.