Page 27 of Midnight Curfew

Milo seethes across from me. “They can have that bitch,” he spits out. “I already did.”

Krisjen’s husband leans in for a kiss, reaching out his hand, and she darts back out of his reach. They proceed to play, him trying to touch her as she escapes the car grease on his fingers, which are going to fuck up her nice clothes. He smiles, finally grabbing her by the back of the head, both of them sinking into a kiss.

I can’t say I’ve ever seen that guy smile before. How fucking happy they all are.

“Married or not,” I say, as if her husband can hear me, “Jerome can still have a piece of her.”

I look to our friend who grew up at the same time as Macon and didn’t give a shit that Milo had her in high school. He wanted to marry Krisjen. Unfortunately, her pussy wanted a roughneck, as most pussy does.

“There may come a night when Macon Jaeger isn’t home,” I taunt.

If my plans go right.

Milo coos as Jerome’s eyes light up; he’s itching to know more. He shouldn’t want to marry her anymore. She’s probably been run through pretty good in that house by now, but he can still have some fun.

Macon Jaeger will kill anyone who touches his wife. I don’t need to know them now to know that, but I don’t care about that, either. Jerome and Vincent are useful, but Milo is a hassle and if the Jaegers haven’t hatched a plan to go after him for slapping around Krisjen when she was a teenager, they will for the time we kidnapped Liv back in high school. If they take care of him, they’ll be doing me a favor.

“Come on,” Milo whines. “Tell us.”

“Tell you what?”

“We’re home,” he points out the obvious. “They’re all home.”

Including Iron Jaeger, the convict.

More car doors slam outside as people get on with their day, and a motorcycle rumbles past us.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Milo.” I brush off invisible lint on my suit. “But it’s a dangerous time of year, you know? The rain and floodwaters bring a lot of wild animals and a lot of empty houses.” I meet each of their gazes. “I don’t think these Swamp Rats will be able to resist temptation, do you?”

A couple of silent chuckles go off as realization starts to dawn.

“You mean, would Iron Jaeger be able to resist?” Jerome clarifies. “Not a chance.”

“And his favorite brother?” Vincent grumbles. “Nope.”

No, Dallas won’t let Iron go anywhere alone.

Clay Collins steps out of the house, once Krisjen has departed, and I watch the woman who used to be one of us run through the rain, hand in hand with her girlfriend, as they jump in their car.

Aracely Diaz drifts into the garage next, clipboard in hand as she nods at whatever instructions Macon gives her. Her red lipstick still makes her mouth the first thing you notice about her, her long brown hair blanketing her naked back in her red halter top. She manages their businesses now.

“Mmm,” Milo coos, looking through the window. “I think it’s time we start taking some of their women.”

We’ve had their women, but it’s certainly time to get back to normal. Their wives and girlfriends have gotten far too comfortable not dreaming about what our money smells like.

“Go have some fun,” I tell him.

Milo and Vincent jump out of the car and head down to the bar, which is always open and attached to their shitty swamp motel. I’ll send the car back for them.

Macon Jaeger looks over Aracely’s head to us parked on the street. He might know it’s my car and my driver. He seems to always know everything, but he can’t be sure, and he’s not going to kick us out if he thinks it’s a tourist.

His eyes focus intently, unblinking and steady, and I smile to myself knowing he knows.

Punching the roof twice, I send our driver off, keeping my eyes on the Jaeger house as the car takes us back out of the Bay.

Jerome will have to get to the office, and I still haven’t decided if I need one. There are no investment firms in St. Carmen, if I wanted to join one. I would need to go to Miami, and I didn’t turn down offers in the international market to stay in the South but not be in St. Carmen.

I could just keep tending to and growing my own money and using it to fuck up things here.