Page 36
“But you’d be willing to risk breaking international laws for a living?”
“Working, what? Fifty days a year instead of every single one?” he asked, shrugging.
“That’s fair,” I agreed, leading him back out of the prospect room. “So, aside from partying, what is there to do around here?”
“The beach isn’t far. The city is just a train or ferry away. Best bagels and pizza. Chinese is great. Decent bar scene. Fallon and his wife own Redemption, so we go there the most often.”
“Seems busy around here.”
“Yeah. It’s a populated state. What’s the population where you live?”
To that, Briggs shot me a smirk. “Roughly two people per square mile.”
“Jesus. This is gonna be a culture shock for you. I think Navesink Bank is sixteen hundred per mile.”
“I like my quiet, but it will be a nice change for a bit while you guys decide if I’ve got what it takes.”
“Do you have a group of guys in mind to tap if you get the go-ahead?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a few.”
“They holding things down at the lake?”
“Yeah.”
“Even though you could be here for a year?”
“I trust them to handle shit the way I would. How long until everyone gets moving for the day?”
“Probably got an hour or two. Then they’ve got a few hours of cleaning to get this shit cleaned up. You gonna head out and explore?”
“Could go for coffee if you point me in a direction.”
“If you leave the driveway and turn right, you will walk right into She’s Bean Around. Some of the best coffee in town. There’s a bunch of little shops around to check out. But I would advise you to turn back when you hit Third Street.”
“Why’s that?”
“That’s territory of another crew. They’ve been pretty unstable internally for years now, but we generally just stay out of their area so we don’t start shit in town. It’s been relatively peaceful around here for a while. No one wants a street war.”
“Alright. No Third Street. Any other advice?”
“Careful who you hit on. A lot of the pretty women in this town are linked up with bikers, loan sharks, the mob, or are the offspring of those same organizations. Like this hellion right here,” I said as Aviela came walking through the front door.
“Aw, your nicknames get sweeter every time I see you,” she said, pausing to give me a saucy smile before focusing on poor Briggs. “And who do we have here?”
“An untouchable,” I told her, getting another smile.
“You know how well I obey rules…”
“Yep. And that’s why he also knows that you are untouchable.” She rolled her eyes at that. “What are you doing here?”
“Zora thinks she left her earrings here. I volunteered to dig through the club chick lost and found for her.”
“You know where to find it,” I said, waving behind the bar.
“So, what’s his deal?”
“Prospect. Potential new club president.”
