Page 32 of Thirst

“Does he have a lot of friends?”

“No. He's a bit of a loner.”

“A rich loner who doesn't spend his money? Usually rich people have all the friends in the world because everybody wants a piece of them.”

“Yeah, Mr. Goddard doesn't like leaches,” Shawn says. “And he's a very good judge of character. He can read those types of people from a mile away. All it takes is a little bit of eye contact. He's very intuitive, and it has made him put up lots of walls to protect himself. He's very private. The most private person I've ever met.”

“Oh. I see,” I say, nodding to myself. “Well, privacy isn't a bad thing. I guess it’s best to keep himself out of the public eye, being rich and all. It’s hard to trust people out here.”

“Facts.”

“How’d the two of you meet?”

Again, Shawn looks at me in the mirror, and I can see the contemplation on his face. I believe what he's saying about Amari, but there's a feeling in my gut that tells me he's leaving things out. Now he's debating what he wants to say to answer my question.

“He saved my life,” he says.

My eyes double in size. “What?”

“When I was twenty,” he begins, his eyes back on the road. “I got into it with some guys over a woman. I guess I was hooking up with this guy’s wife. Well, I don't guess. I was hooking up with this guy’s wife. I was single, and she wanted it so I gave it to her. It went on for a while, but then her husband found out. Got his hands on her email messages to me. Rightfully, he was mad as hell and decided to get with his friends about it, and they caught me slippin’ one night as I was coming out of a club. They forced me into an alley and went to work. I got hands and all, but there were five of them and they were wearing brass knuckles. They beat me nearly to death. It just so happened that Amari walked by as it was coming to an end. Umm … they ran off, and he got me help. He, uhh, took me to the hospital as I was slipping in and out of consciousness. If he had been only a couple minutes later, I would've died. We grew close after that, and he brought me on to work with him. Been tight ever since that fateful night. I owe him my life.”

My eyebrows stay raised to the top of my head, because I can't believe the story I just heard. It seems like everything about Amari is a story worth telling. Rich, attractive, loner, green flags, and a literal life saver. Goddamn.

While my mind swims in a sea of awe, Shawn turns the car into the parking lot of Black Coins Casino. The building looks somewhat like a coliseum, with large black columns that run along the outside like sentinels standing guard. The building itself is painted black, but the lights are a dark orange that make the entire place look like the perfect spot to celebrate Halloween. Glass doors line the outside, and each of them has a bouncer standing in front, watching every person that comes and goes. We pass by the main entrance and drive around back, where the parking lot is much smaller and the cars are far fewer. Shawn then drives into a garage and parks the car in the spot closest to the single elevator.

“This is his private entrance,” he says, shutting off the ignition. “I’ll take you to the elevator, but then I’ll stop on the main floor while you continue up to the penthouse. Mr. Goddard will be waiting for you at the top. Stay put. I’ll come around to let you out.”

Shawn gets out and quickly walks to my side of the car, opening the door for me and offering a hand to assist me out. We walk a few steps to the elevator and he puts his face up to a black square that scans his eye to open the door.

“Damn. An eye scanner?” I say, blown away at the level of security.

“Private elevator,” Shawn explains as we step inside. “Like I said, he's very private.”

“I see.”

The elevator starts to ascend and we reach the main floor quickly. The doors open and Shawn steps off. From here, I can hear a low roar from the people inside, and there is a line of occupied slot machines right in front of me. Before the doors can close, Shawn holds them open with his hand and faces me.

“Okay, you’ll head on up, and I’ll see you later when it’s time to take you back,” he says. “Have a good night, Aaliyah.”

“Thanks, Shawn,” I reply. We nod to each other and Shawn lets the doors close, leaving me in the elevator all by myself. As it goes up, my nerves come back in full force. This is it. A new adventure beginning. Hopefully, it’ll be a moment good enough to lock in an unshakeable memory that could last a lifetime.

I really hope he isn't too good to be true.

I feel the elevator come to a stop, and I blow out a long breath to relax myself. My heart hammers in my chest like a construction site as the doors slide open, and I'm immediately greeted by Amari.

He stands in front of the doors wearing an all-black Gucci shirt with long sleeves, and white Gucci pants with a black stripe down the sides. His necklace is gold just like his bracelet and watch, and he smiles with satisfaction as he looks me up and down.

“Good evening, Aaliyah,” he says, extending a hand for me to take as I step off the elevator. “You look incredible. Welcome to the penthouse.”

Twenty-One

The penthouse on the twenty-third floor of the Black Coins casino is gargantuan. From the moment I step off the elevator, I'm almost overwhelmed by its size. To my right is a long hallway leading to multiple rooms on the sides, before opening up to a room with a pool table and a bar. To my left is a short hallway with gray walls and pictures of Philadelphia in black frames perfectly decorating it all. As my eyes scan what I'm able to see from here, I realize each picture of Philly is from a different era. Some of the images look like they go back as far as the early nineteen hundreds, as the city looks much less built up and the photos are in black and white. He must've gone to city hall to grab images that old.

“I hope your ride over was pleasant,” he says, still holding my hand as I step off the elevator. The place smells like food is cooking, and I'm shocked at how neat it is. Amari must be a virgo, because he seems to really focus on tidiness. The place is spotless, just like the car Shawn drove us over in, and just like everything I've seen Amari wear.

“It was,” I say with a smile, loving the fact that he's still holding my hand, but surprised by how cold his fingers are again. “Shawn is really nice.”

Amari smiles. “Indeed. He's a good friend. I depend on him for a lot. Let me show you into the dining room.”