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CHAPTER1
DESTINY
Yonder, Texas
“Destiny,go ahead and head out. We can take it from here,” her boss said easily, and she hesitated. She really didn’t want to leave early because a large group of men had just walked in.
Large groups either meant great tips - or you’d get stiffed… but if it was all men – and if she laid the charm on thick? Perhaps they would pony up and line her pockets with a fat tip.
“I’ll get them,” Destiny volunteered – only to see Harvey frown at her.
“That’s Debbie’s table and we both know it. She’ll flatten your tires if you take her customers. She handles the flyboys since Meredith had the baby.”
… And she swallowed nervously. The other waitress had already done that once before, and conveniently the camera on the parking lot was ‘down’ that night.
That was when Destiny started looking for a job. She wanted to better herself, but unfortunately - no one wanted to hire a washed-up, dive bar waitress without a GED. She was good enough to serve drinks, but not good enough to pull herself out of poverty.
Nodding, she grabbed her keys and ignored the feeling of eyes on her as she exited the building. Walking to her car, she offered up her daily prayers to the Mopar gods that her 2013 Dodge Dart with over 200,000 miles would start – and shift.
“Please start. Please just start. Start and shift. Shift and start…” she sang under her breath, slipping into the driver’s seat and inserting the key.
Nothing.
“Nooooo,” she gritted out between her teeth. “Please? Please!”
She turned the key again a few times, and then sighed. There was no clicking, no flicker on the dash, nothing… which meant that Tomas at the ‘Buy here, Pay here’car lot had activated the module –again– because she was late on her car payment. Getting out of the car, she grabbed several quarters from the door pocket and headed for the payphone inside located by the bathroom doors.
Walking through the front door, she nodded, and made a bee line back there, shrugging and making a face, causing Harvey to roll his eyes in understanding.
He thought she had to go to the bathroom.
Nope.
She needed the payphone because she was about to grovel and beg some mean, condescending guy to enable her car… hopefully getting him to take a partial payment over the phone.
Dialing the cell number written on the back of the business card she’d pulled from her worn wallet that was fraying, she held her breath, hoping Tomas would answer.
“Hello?”
“Tomas, it’s Destiny Richards – the lady with the Dodge…”
“Oh yeah,theDestiny Richards that is two car payments behind? Yeah, I remember you. Is there a problem?” he asked innocently.
“You know there is.”
“I’d be happy to shut off the device, if you want to make the last two payments - plus this month’s car payment.”
“Threepayments?”
“The other is due on Friday – so yes. Three payments.”
“But I just paid the mortgage, and I was going to get some groceries.”
“Can’t do it without a car, now can you?”
“Tomas…” she said quietly in a hushed voice, cradling the phone to her head in sheer embarrassment and desperation. “Please? Please just give me a break. I can make one payment now and…”
“Threepayments, Miss Richards.”
