Page 21 of About the Green

"Look, I appreciate what you did for me back there," she says looking up at me. The words are genuine but I hesitate to accept them.

"What I did for you?" I repeat, unsure that I like where this is going.

"Yeah. You had my back."

And there you have it. She did get the wrong idea. "So, do you just pick what things you're hearin’ when I talk, or—"

She nods, and continues walking toward the boat. "Yea, remember how I have that thing where it's, like, mostly a roaring sound?"

I finally get the man positioned in a way that seems feasible, that seems far enough away from where we need to get back onto the boat and out of here. "Yea, when I offer to do somethin’ for you, you can certainly hear that."

Nina nods as I suspected she would. "Oh yea, that breaks through that roaring noise for sure."

I hold the boat steady for her to step back into it and untie us.

As soon as we get towards the middle of the water, the splashing sound of the gators having their dinner picks up louder and louder, though we're getting farther away.

We're in no danger, and honestly, we weren't to begin with because they recognize our boat, and they're smart enough not to bite the hand that feeds them.

I can say that much about the alligators.

I don't know if I can say that about the woman who daintily steps out of the boat, back into her stride towards the car.

Chapter 9

Who could have guessed that there would be a swole, brown skin man coming to take me away?

Oh, I would have.

Since I requested a ride to our first stakeout now that we’re in Atlanta. He’s taking what happened last week pretty well considering we’re now officially partners.

In crime.

Technically, we were before now because our families are also in partnership but nothing beats hard evidence, am I right?

I sit in the passenger seat, today in a lilac and white pleated mini skirt with matching cropped jacket. My platform, ankle-strap shoes are the most fun part because they look like fancy cakes, complete with cherries and sprinkles over the toes. Resisting the urge to put them on the dashboard to be able to see them better I choose a different method of getting under Vert’s medium brown skin.

“I don't know if you know this, but someone pretty high up in the ranks of Dupont was working with whoever is trying to cause dissent in Lafayette.” Of course he knows, but he hasn’t said a word since I got into the car. Not even when he could clearly see how great my legs look and how well everything goes with my sharp purple eyeliner.

Though Vert says nothing, his stare says just about anything that you could imagine, and since he doesn't comment, I continue.

“It's pretty sad when you think about it, especially considering he was like, what, number four? And now y'all still don't actually know, like, who all is involved in this because… like, it's not just Lafayette, I'm sure, especially if Geno was doing whatever he was doing. I mean, come on, that's like–really bad.”

“Don't pretend that you know what's good and what's bad,” he finally says under his breath but with how small the space is, I hear him clearly.

“Oh, I know perfectly well. I actually have zero issues with deciding what's good and bad. I think it's whether or not I care what's good and what's bad.”

He rolls his eyes before deciding to give me some patience, I guess. After a long suffering sigh, he spells out, “Look, these guys are supposed to be some of the group that we are lookin’ into, and we really need to be payin’ attention–”

“Paying attention to what—it's not like they're going to hold up some sign that says, ‘Hey, we hate Racquelle.’”

“Doubt they'd be that polite, doll.”

“Exactly. I still think my plan's the most effective plan.”

“Your plan being goin’ over there and tryin’ to, what? Seduce the answers out of them?”

Checking that the little bow charms on my nails are still intact, I say, “It has worked so far.”