Page 8 of Between Brothers

I rarely drank alcohol, or soda. It was hard to have your water spiked. Especially when your father owned the bar and called the shots in the MC. Still, I wasn’t taking chances with any of those asshats.

I flashed a forced smile at the cashier and shifted from foot to foot until she spat out a ridiculous total.

“Forty-three dollars and ten cents.”

“Forty-three dollars,” Bootsie scoffed, a laugh climbing from her that carried no humor at all. “Unbelievable.”

I tried to shush her, but Bootsie shook her head, “Nah, that’s crazy. Look at that one guy… He traded to California and they dragged the racks out into the plaza and gave his jerseys away. Forty-three dollars.”

She flubbed her lips, but the cashier remained unmoved as she lazily added, “And ten cents.”

I swiped my card and steered Bootsie back out to the plaza before we ended up being escorted out of a dying mall.

“She was so damn serious. Did you see her face?” Bootsie peeked over her shoulder and lost it all over again. “Employee of the month potential right there. That one is going places.”

“Hold this for me while I run?” I asked, offering the bag out as I nodded toward the hallway leading away from the food court.

Despite having next to nothing to offer by way of stores, the food court had never died. Thankfully it wasn’t that full yet, since the kids were still in school at such an hour.

I left Bootsie with the bag and zig-zagged between the various tables before taking the hallway. I could feel Bootsie staring at me all the way to the entrance of the ladies’ room. She was a good friend.

Always had been.

I took the second stall and didn’t waste any time. I hated public bathrooms, even when they weren’t in such an environment. The entrance door creaked while I was midstream, but I didn’t pay.

My thoughts were kind of blank, until I stood in front of the mirror washing my hands, and realized there were no shoes to be observed at the bottom of the stalls behind me.

I gave a quick, curious look over my shoulder to further investigate.

The light flickered, and I shot away from the sink. I didn’t understand my sudden wave of panic, but I didn’t stick around to question it either. I darted down the hallway with my hands still dripping with water.

My heart was hammering like I was being chased, but I kept my pace even, and quick. I didn’t stop for a second glance until I passed the pizza stand on my right.

When I glanced back, I stopped in my tracks. Confusion pinched my features slightly, as I stared back at the empty hall, suddenly questioning my own sanity.

“You okay?” Royal’s voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke up from behind me, but it was loud enough to rip a soul-shattering scream from me.

Everyone in the food court was instantly invested in our interaction.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I shoved him before my mind could even process what the hell had happened.

“Whoa. Easy!” He laughed.

“Were you just in the fucking bathroom?”

His eyes widened so fast it looked painful, “What? No! What the fuck?”

He looked past me like he was ready to take on whatever had upset me, and I relaxed a little.

“You should be careful. There are a lot of weirdos in places like this.”

“Obviously.” I spat, unable to cork the venom before it brewed right out of me.

He smiled like I’d paid him a compliment, and it took all I had not to growl with frustration, “I have to go.”

I shot past him only to grow more irritated when I discovered that Bootsie was no longer waiting outside the Hot Locker.

Chapter Five