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We pass the guardhouse and Casanova waves us off. While she’s distracted while checking traffic I drop her cell phone into her open purse on the seat of the truck.
“I have an open tab with a clothes boutique. Let’s go there. They serve anything you want while you shop and try on clothes.” She gives my borrowed sweats and T-shirt a good once over before turning out onto the main road that will lead us toward New York City.
“You do the whole dripping wet kitten look well, but it’s probably not a permanent look you wanna go with, huh?”
She’s teasing and it makes me smile.
“You’re right about that.”
I know for a fact this old-timer can haul ass when someone puts their foot into it and Avery, bless her heart, reads my mind the second she pulls out onto the interstate and pushes the truck to the maximum. We’ll be hitting the city limits in no time.
I throw the sun visor up and look at her. I know the price tags that go with words like private shop and boutique.
She catches on quickly.
“Yeah, I know right? I never saw myself shopping at anything other than thrift stores or the big W. But Ares and Nova made sure I had credit cards and accounts in any store I wanted. Wild huh.” Her smile is contagious.
“Plush living. I like! They are good people. So yeah, let’s do that.” I shake off the gloomy murderous vibe Hark shoved onto me and try to be sunshine and rainbows for my new, albeit temporary, friend.
Without knowing it, she’s right. Dripping wet probably isn’t the best stealth mode option I can go with. Leaving behind a trail of water for my enemies to follow is basic 101 of how to get caught breaking and entering.
Our luck holds. There’s not a state trooper in sight between us and our destination. Avery swings the truck into a parking garage just as the clock rolls over to six in the afternoon. Ten minutes later we are stepping into the fresh air of a tiny boutique with chilled piña coladas being pressed into our hands, despite looking like a hobo.
A small chalkboard on the countertop tells me everyone who walks through their doors gets the house special. I’m tempted to ask for another, but opt to follow Avery around elegantly dressed mannequins and cases of expensive jewelry.
“Hey, baby girl. Who’s your friend?”
“Hey, Di. Asena just needs a change of clothes. Is that something we can put on my tab?”
A woman in leopard print legging, red heels, and hair everyone on this earth would envy greets us with a sultry smile and a wink.
“Of course, baby. Welcome to my shop, To Di For.”
“Thanks. We’ll be in the back, okay?”
“Go on, sweetness. Just call me if you need anything.”
Avery takes my hand and leads the way to the left.
“How big exactly is your line of credit here?” I ask when we are out of earshot. Not a single salesperson on the floor follows us toward the changing rooms. But I can feel their judgmental stares pinned on my sweatpants and lack of shoes.
Avery gives a tiny single-sided shrug. “Riot said for them to never show me a price tag and Ms. Di makes sure that holds true no matter how many times I ask. If you’re wondering what started it all, one time I tried to buy clothes at Walmart. Riot nearly had a cow.” There’s a playful glitter to her eyes at the mention of Riot’s name.
“He threw me on the back of his bike and made a couple of calls and that is how I met Ms. Di. He didn’t let me leave until I had a month’s worth of clothing.”
I don’t have to be a math whiz to add up those numbers. We’re talking north of five hundred grand easily. Every penny I’ve ever spent was my father so I didn’t exactly buy on my dime just like Avery. And when I did shop, I made sure to buy “extra” and donate to shelters as a way of removing the Titan stain.
I don’t think it worked.
“Now that is a friend. Holy shit.”
Designer bags line the tops of shelves and the shoe department does not lack. I’ve shopped in one hundred places like these so I know there’s nothing in here under a thousand dollars.
Di seemed like a clever woman. Pairing clothes and alcohol seems like the best recipe for high sales. And just what I need. I take a few sips, loving the coconut and pineapple mixed with a bit of rum.
“Here, take this.” Avery shoves a pair of canary yellow skinny jeans, red sneakers and a black T-shirt with the caption:Prove you’re a good kisserin the same yellow as the pantsinto my hands.
Notstealth mode clothes.
