Trapping Wasp (Dead Presidents Book 3) Read online

  “Yeah. You know, swinging his junk around like the blade of a helicopter.”

  That one hadn’t even crossed my mind. I threw my head back and laughed.

  “This is so not funny, Wasp,” she said, but I could hear the smile behind her words. She’d been smiling more and more lately, and I fucking loved it.

  “Sure, it is. Give me the details. You said he did this in the boys’ room?”

  “Yep. One of the teachers caught him and one of his little buddies in front of the urinals with their pants down to their ankles, swinging their hips to make their little peckers flop around, laughing their asses off. I don’t know why he does this stuff.”

  “Because it’s fun,” I replied. “What little boy hasn’t helicoptered his junk?”

  “Boys are so weird.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to put tassels on your tits and swing them around.”

  She laughed. God, I loved the sound of it. I could listen to Carly laugh all fucking day. The musical sound eased the tension from my shoulders and stirred my dick to life. “Can’t say I ever have, Wasp.”

  “Dove, you gotta try it. Preferably while I’m watching.”

  “Hard pass. I take it this ‘dove’ thing is sticking?”

  “Oh, I’d be hard all right. And yep, you’re definitely dove material.”

  “I don’t know what that means, so I have no idea how to respond.”

  “Just let it happen. You might like it.”

  “That’s what she said,” Carly deadpanned.

  I about died I was laughing so hard. It was the first joke I’d heard her crack, and it was well worth the wait. I couldn’t wait to pull more out of her.

  “I can’t believe I said that.” She sounded so embarrassed, I could practically see her blushing over the phone. “You’re a horrible influence, Wasp.”

  “You needed a laugh. We both did.” Flirtatious banter with Carly always made me feel better. “Hey, you want me to pick you up and take you to his school?”

  Silence. No doubt she was trying to figure out if this crossed the boundaries of friendship. It was all fun and games until I got too close and she panicked.

  “I’m just trying to help since I know you don’t have a car. Also, I’m out and about.”

  “That’s sweet, but I’m almost there. Thanks anyway.”

  “You know, I can help you out in the future. All you have to do is ask. I could even pick Trent up from school for you if you add me to his list.”

  “Wasp,” her voice dipped. “You’ve already helped out a lot, and I really appreciate it, but I’ve known you like all of five minutes. I like hanging out with you, but you could still turn out to be a psycho.”

  The worst part about her little spiel was that she sounded like she was speaking from experience. Making a mental note to find out more about the psycho who’d fucked up her life and taken away her laughter, I tabled that conversation for now. I’d get it out of her eventually. “I get it. You want me bad, but it takes time to win you over. That’s okay, I’m patient.”

  “You mean relentless.”

  “Practically the same thing. Since you’re not gonna let me help you, I should get back to the shop and get some work done. I’ll swing by the bar tonight to see you.”

  We said our goodbyes and I climbed onto my sled and started it up, chuckling to myself about Trent’s antics. He really was the coolest little boy on the planet.

  Carly

  THE NICE THING about Trent being in trouble was that I got an extra forty-five minutes to prepare dinner and get ready for work. Unfortunately, I averaged about five dollars an hour in tips at the coffee shop, plus my eleven dollar an hour salary, which meant I’d lost about twelve dollars from his shenanigans. I’m sure twelve dollars didn’t matter to most people, but it was a big deal in our world. Especially since I’d counted on that money to help pay Trent’s tuition.

  “If you want to keep eating the good chicken nuggets, I can’t afford to keep leaving work early to pick you up,” I told Trent as we left his school. “You have got to keep your junk in your pants.”

  “Mom, I was going to the bathroom. I had to take my junk out of my pants or I’d pee on them.”

  It was a solid argument, but the kid clearly needed guidelines. “From now on, you take it out of your pants to pee, then put it away again. No more of this dancing around with your pants down in front of the mirror business. Who does that, anyway?”

  “Dancing naked is fun. And I can’t just put it away. I have to shake it first.”

  “What?”

  “Lijah’s dad says you gotta shake it. Twice. That way you don’t get pee on your underwear. You can’t shake it more times, or you’re playing with it, and you’re not supposed to do that.”

  I was in no way qualified to have this conversation, but I was determined to set boundaries so this didn’t happen again. “Okay, so pee, shake your junk twice, and then put it away.”

  Two business men had just rounded the corner. They must have overheard our conversation because they snickered and shook their heads as they passed us.

  Seriously, shoot me now.

  “Can we stop for ice cream?” Trent asked.

  “Have you lost your mind?” I asked.

  He blinked at me.

  “No, we can’t stop for ice cream. You’re in trouble and I missed work, which means we don’t have as much money as we need. We must be careful with the money we do have and only spend it on stuff we need. We don’t need ice cream.” I was probably telling him way more than his little five-year-old brain could process, but I was frustrated, and wanted him to see the consequences of his actions.

  “I didn’t lose my mind.” He pointed to his head. “My mind is in here.”

  Once again, I was losing an argument to a five-year-old. The kid was going to kill me, and ‘died of brain explosion’ would be listed as my cause of death. “You’re right, it is. But you’re still not getting ice cream.”

  Trent pouted the entire way back to our apartment while I tried to figure out where I could come up with twelve more dollars. Truthfully, I needed a lot more than that. We still hadn’t recovered from our YMCA, lunch, and ice cream splurge on Father’s Day. I needed to pay Trent’s tuition first thing in the morning or I’d be looking at a fifty-dollar late fee, which I also couldn’t afford. If I didn’t make good tips at the bar tonight, I’d be screwed.

  I sucked at adulting, but since I was already juggling my parental duties with two jobs there wasn’t much more I could do. I just wanted one day to go by where I didn’t feel like a complete and total failure. My chest squeezed as I allowed myself a quick minute to miss Robbie and Becca. Robbie hadn’t been much help with Trent, but at least he’d paid bills and could have answered Trent’s questions about how many times he should shake his junk. Becca, on the other hand, had been amazing. She used to watch Trent sometimes, so I could sleep. She’d even feed and bathe him. Now it was all me, all the time.

  How the hell do I do this without them?

  When Trent and I got home, Jessica was already there, straightening up the living room.

  “Hey, what are you doing home so early?” I asked.

  “I had a dentist appointment, so I took the rest of the day off. I was about to head to the grocery store. Do you two want to come?”

  I had no money to spare, but needed a few things, and a ride was a rare opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I grabbed Trent’s seat and we piled into Jessica’s little Subaru. The grocery store lot was crowded, but Jessica squeezed into a tight parking spot. I reached for my handle right as Trent opened his door, slamming it into the Chrysler three-hundred parked next to us.

  “Trent!” I shouted, shocked by his behavior. He never opened the door without me. Any door. He knew better. We’d gone over it more times than I could count.

  The owner of the car was putting his groceries in the trunk, and he lost it. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” he shouted as he came around to inspect the
damage. There was a tiny nick in the center of his rear driver-side door. He glared at my kid, positioning himself in the open doorway. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

  My mommy instincts had me jumping out of the car and squeezing into the tiny space between them. “He’s a little boy and he didn’t mean to do it. Look, I’ll pay for the damage, but you don’t get to cuss at my kid.”

  Trent’s eyes were bright as he fought back tears.

  “You’re damn right you’ll pay for the damage! I can’t believe this shit. I haven’t even had this car for a month and you let your kid slam his door into it and you’re mad at me for cussing? I’m not dealing with your dumb ass. I’m calling the cops.” He pulled out his phone and backed up as he put it to his ear.

  “Is that really necessary?” Jessica asked. “She said she’ll pay for the damages.”

  “Yes, it’s necessary,” he snapped. “I don’t trust some bitch who can’t even control her bad little kid.”

  “Don’t call my mom names!” Trent shouted. “And I’m not bad.”

  The uncertainty in his voice told me I’d have to reassure him later. After the threat was handled. I took a deep breath and tried to approach the douchebag again. “Look, what do you want from me? My license? Will that help?”

  “Yes. You can give it to the cops.” Turning his back on me, he spoke into the phone.

  “What can I do to help?” Jessica asked.

  Shaking my head as my stomach twisted in knots, I said, “Nothing. Thanks. Go ahead and go shopping. We’ll wait out here for the cops to arrive.”

  “I’m not leaving you with this prick, Carly.”

  I didn’t deserve a friend like Jessica, but I was so glad I had her. She stayed by my side until the police arrived and filled out their report. I handed them my Idaho license and they asked me for my address. I could have lied, could have told them I was still living in Idaho, but Trent was watching me, listening to every word I said. If I lied, he’d probably correct me and then I’d get a ticket for sure. So, I gave them my address and promised to get a Washington ID right away.

  Once the police took our statements and wrote up the report, the asshole left. Jessica went into the store, but I was too upset to even think about shopping. I climbed back into the passenger’s seat and waited, worrying about how I could pay for this new complication to my life.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Trent said, sounding pitiful.

  “I know, buddy. No more opening doors without me.”

  “I promise. I don’t want to be bad.”

  “Oh, buddy, you’re not,” I assured him. “You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. That doesn’t mean you’re bad.”

  Jessica offered to make Trent dinner, so I went to work, hoping to clock in early and make a few extra tips. I felt defeated, but knew I had to do something to keep moving forward. I couldn’t exactly roll over and let the world crush me. Not when I had Trent to look after.

  When I arrived at the Copper Penny, Flint was in the break room restocking the time cards. “You wanna clock in early and meet with me for a minute before you go on the floor?” he asked.

  That sounded ominous, and I couldn’t take any more problems today, but I went straight to my locker, answering, “Sure. Let me put my stuff away and I’ll be right there.”

  As I locked up my purse and clocked in, my mind raced through the millions of things I could have done wrong last night. Had I made sure all the glasses were loaded in the dishwasher? Had I left liquor open? Had I swept? By the time I reached Flint’s office, my palms were sweaty, and I’d second guessed every task I’d ever done for him. If I lost this job, I didn’t know what I’d do.

  The office door was cracked open, so I poked my head in.

  “Come in,” Flint said, gesturing at a chair in front of his desk. “Sit down.”

  Holding my breath, I did as I was told.

  Flint finished typing something on his laptop, and then looked up at me. “Carly. You’ve been with us about four months now, which means I missed your ninety-day evaluation. I’m sorry about that.”

  I released my breath, relaxing in my chair. A ninety-day evaluation was something I could handle. “No problem. You’ve been busy, Flint.”

  “We all have, and we couldn’t keep this place running without employees like you. So, let’s get to it.” He read over his notes for a second. “Looks like you run a little late sometimes, but other than that I have no complaints. You’re a solid, dependable employee, a competent bartender, and our customers have nothing but good things to say about your service. I’ve been looking over our budget, and I can’t do much, but we do like to show our appreciation to the employees who perform well. I’ll be giving you a fifty-cent raise, effective immediately.”

  A raise! At first, I was excited. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited about a raise? I was doing a good job, and not only was I not getting canned… I was getting more money. But then I remembered that more money was bad. Very bad. Trent’s school was for low income families and every month I received a grant that helped cover his tuition. Between my two jobs, I was already skating the threshold of what a family of two was allowed to make and still qualify, which was stupid since we were barely squeaking by.

  Regardless, fifty cents more an hour would definitely push me over that threshold and I’d lose the grant. There was no way I’d be able to pay for Trent’s school without it. “Please don’t,” I blurted out.

  Flint’s face scrunched up like he’d eaten something sour. “What?” he asked.

  “Please don’t give me a raise. I appreciate it, I really do, but the wonderful thing you’re trying to do to show your appreciation will royally screw me over. I’ll lose the grant I get for my son’s schooling. This fifty-cent raise will end up costing me over four hundred dollars a month.”

  “Oh.” He frowned. “Well, shit. What can I do for you then?”

  I had no idea. My financial situation was somewhere between a joke and a tragedy. I shrugged, once again feeling the hopelessness of it all.

  “Wait, I’ve got an idea.” He opened his top desk drawer, pulled something out, and slid it over to me.

  A hundred-dollar visa bucks card!

  Unable to believe my eyes, I blinked. Then blinked again. It was still there, staring up at me from the top of Flint’s desk, like some glowing beacon chasing away the gloom and doom of my day. A hundred dollars wouldn’t solve all my problems, but it would help me pay Trent’s tuition this month. “This is for me?” I asked, hesitant to get my hopes up until I knew for sure.

  Flint nodded. “I know it’s not much, but—”

  “Not much? It’s amazing! You have no idea how much I need this right now. Ohmigod, thank you!” I scooped up the card and slid it into my pocket before he changed his mind and took it back. Between the card and what I made in tips tonight, I should have money to spare. I briefly considered hugging Flint but wasn’t sure if that crossed any employee/employer boundaries and I still needed my job. Instead, I thanked him once or twice more, bowing to his laughter as I left his office. Then I hurried out to the front to get to work.

  I was about halfway through my shift when Wasp sat at the bar and ordered a beer. “Hey stranger. It’s good to see you, but shouldn’t you be on lunch?” he asked.

  Glancing at the clock, I realized he was right.

  “Go,” Flint said, sidling up to me so he could step into my spot. “Dana and I have it covered.”

  Wasp picked up his beer, stood, and met me on the other side of the bar before escorting me to the break room. Hurrying forward, he swung open the door for me, and stepped aside so I could precede him. About a dozen white cartons covered the table, and the smell of cooked meats and veggies made my stomach growl.

  “I hope you like Chinese,” Wasp said, gesturing for me to come in. He pulled out a chair in front of one of the two plates he’d set.

  He’d brought me dinner. My chest squeezed and my eyes burned at the sight. It was such a sweet, un
expected gesture that I had to swallow back my emotions before I could answer. “I love Chinese food,” I said, taking the seat he offered. Between the gift card and the free dinner, my day was beginning to look up. He pushed me in, and I checked out the spread, feeling completely overwhelmed. “Thank you, Wasp. This is… Wow. I don’t even know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything; just eat. You’re always too busy to go out, so I figured we could eat in. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little of everything.” He started opening containers and calling out their contents as he placed them around me. By the time he finished, I had a giant fan of delicious-smelling containers circling my plate.

  Wasp sat across the table from me and scooped fried rice onto his plate. I followed suit, trying not to drool as I piled on my favorites, which was pretty much everything.

  “My first job back home was at a Chinese restaurant,” I said, scooping out a patty of egg foo young before smothering it in gravy.

  “Where’s home?” Wasp asked.

  I almost let it slip but caught myself just in time. “Just a small town in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Fine, you don’t have to tell me. We can talk about something else.” He sounded mildly disappointed, but not surprised. “How was your day?”

  “Rough start, but it’s getting better.”

  “Rough because of the helicoptering incident?”

  I groaned. “That was just the beginning.”

  Wasp listened as I told him about the grocery store parking lot, and as I spoke he got angry. “Bastard shouldn’t have spoken to you and Trent like that. What the fuck is wrong with people? Why didn’t you call me?”

  Confused, I shrugged. Wasp and I had been talking every day and hanging out on the weekends, but this wasn’t his problem. “Why would I call you?”

  “Because you shouldn’t have to deal with assholes like that. I could have handled the situation and even offered to have one of my guys fix it for him.”

  I was so used to doing everything on my own that calling Wasp hadn’t even crossed my mind. Touched that he would come and help me, I didn’t know how to respond. So, I popped a pot sticker in my mouth.