it were pork, given you’re dining with a pig. Oink, oink, Lily. And to think you’ve been turning me down all these years. I didn’t know you needed cuffs and a badge, sweetheart. We could have played…”
“You’re watching me?” Lily interrupted his flow of creepy consciousness.
“You closed the bar,” he said. “I was supposed to be doing business there tonight.”
“Sorry,” she said. “I…”
“Oh, I know what you’ve been doing,” Jasper’s voice purred down the line. “And I’m afraid that means there have to be consequences.”
The line went dead. Lily stared at her phone for a split second. “We have to go,” she said, answering Gareth’s unspoken question. “Something’s happening to the bar.”
“Let’s go,” Gareth said, stuffing a wad of notes under his plate, more than enough to cover the meal and a generous tip.
She had never been so grateful to be with Gareth in that moment. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t slow proceedings down by wanting to know the whys and wherefores. He read her expression and that was all he needed to know.
“What makes you think he was threatening the bar?” Gareth asked the question as they drove, lights on and at full speed back to the bar.
“He always strikes out at the thing people care about the most. He wouldn’t dare touch Gammy. That means he’s going after the bar.”
She was right. The Fox and Stoat was well ablaze by the time Lily and Gareth got there. The entire top floor was gone, and the bottom was a towering inferno being battled by firemen with long hoses. Plumes of water were gushing into the charred innards, making some headway, but it was too late. The bar was gone.
“Is there any chance you were insured?”
“No,” Lily said, her eyes welling with tears. There was no insurance. There was no nothing anymore. Just charred embers of what had once been her life.
Her phone rang. She answered it more out of reflex than anything.
“You got lucky, sweetheart,” Jasper purred. “I don’t need to tell you what usually happens when one of our places is compromised. Have a nice life. Try to stay out of court.”
The line went dead. With a shriek of rage she threw her phone into the fire. Why have that when she had nothing else? Why have anything?
“Hey!” Gareth caught her before she could throw anything else. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, making gentling sounds as she raged against his chest, sobbing at the top of her lungs. Her life was burning. The world was in flames, and she was left in a dress and nothing else.
“I’m of no use to you anymore,” she sobbed. “It’s done. He’s taken everything. I’ve got nothing left but this stupid dress.”
“Shhhh,” Gareth said. “It’s okay, you’re not alone.”
“Yes, I am!”
“You’re not,” he repeated. “You’ve got me. Now come on.”
He bundled her back into the car and drove her… somewhere. Lily didn’t know and she was too numb to care. They left the city and started driving through suburban neighborhoods, where normal people lived. It was alien terrain to her. She had always grown up in the bar. Her whole life had been lived in what was now nothing but charred struts and ash.
“Is this where you live?” She sniffled the question.
“Mm-hmm, 32 Maple Grove.” He turned onto a tree lined lane so perfect and tidy Lily didn’t quite believe it was real. It looked like something out of a movie set. When he pulled into a drive next to a perfectly mowed lawn bounded by a white picket fence, she couldn’t help but let out a snort.
“You live in wonderland.”
“It’s just a house,” he said. It wasn’t just a house. Somebody tended the bed of flowers out the front. She had a flash of him on his hands and knees tugging weeds. It struck her as amusing, and she let out a faintly hysterical little giggle.
“You’ve had enough for one night,” Gareth said, getting out of the car. She got out of the car too and
“You’re watching me?” Lily interrupted his flow of creepy consciousness.
“You closed the bar,” he said. “I was supposed to be doing business there tonight.”
“Sorry,” she said. “I…”
“Oh, I know what you’ve been doing,” Jasper’s voice purred down the line. “And I’m afraid that means there have to be consequences.”
The line went dead. Lily stared at her phone for a split second. “We have to go,” she said, answering Gareth’s unspoken question. “Something’s happening to the bar.”
“Let’s go,” Gareth said, stuffing a wad of notes under his plate, more than enough to cover the meal and a generous tip.
She had never been so grateful to be with Gareth in that moment. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t slow proceedings down by wanting to know the whys and wherefores. He read her expression and that was all he needed to know.
“What makes you think he was threatening the bar?” Gareth asked the question as they drove, lights on and at full speed back to the bar.
“He always strikes out at the thing people care about the most. He wouldn’t dare touch Gammy. That means he’s going after the bar.”
She was right. The Fox and Stoat was well ablaze by the time Lily and Gareth got there. The entire top floor was gone, and the bottom was a towering inferno being battled by firemen with long hoses. Plumes of water were gushing into the charred innards, making some headway, but it was too late. The bar was gone.
“Is there any chance you were insured?”
“No,” Lily said, her eyes welling with tears. There was no insurance. There was no nothing anymore. Just charred embers of what had once been her life.
Her phone rang. She answered it more out of reflex than anything.
“You got lucky, sweetheart,” Jasper purred. “I don’t need to tell you what usually happens when one of our places is compromised. Have a nice life. Try to stay out of court.”
The line went dead. With a shriek of rage she threw her phone into the fire. Why have that when she had nothing else? Why have anything?
“Hey!” Gareth caught her before she could throw anything else. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, making gentling sounds as she raged against his chest, sobbing at the top of her lungs. Her life was burning. The world was in flames, and she was left in a dress and nothing else.
“I’m of no use to you anymore,” she sobbed. “It’s done. He’s taken everything. I’ve got nothing left but this stupid dress.”
“Shhhh,” Gareth said. “It’s okay, you’re not alone.”
“Yes, I am!”
“You’re not,” he repeated. “You’ve got me. Now come on.”
He bundled her back into the car and drove her… somewhere. Lily didn’t know and she was too numb to care. They left the city and started driving through suburban neighborhoods, where normal people lived. It was alien terrain to her. She had always grown up in the bar. Her whole life had been lived in what was now nothing but charred struts and ash.
“Is this where you live?” She sniffled the question.
“Mm-hmm, 32 Maple Grove.” He turned onto a tree lined lane so perfect and tidy Lily didn’t quite believe it was real. It looked like something out of a movie set. When he pulled into a drive next to a perfectly mowed lawn bounded by a white picket fence, she couldn’t help but let out a snort.
“You live in wonderland.”
“It’s just a house,” he said. It wasn’t just a house. Somebody tended the bed of flowers out the front. She had a flash of him on his hands and knees tugging weeds. It struck her as amusing, and she let out a faintly hysterical little giggle.
“You’ve had enough for one night,” Gareth said, getting out of the car. She got out of the car too and
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