“Why leave your life?”
“Things got bad and I got ghost.” She shrugged. “Home’s more than a set of coordinates. So, I’ll go make that call and get back to you. You have anything to wear, if he tells you to come in tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Hmm, we might need to go shopping then,” she said more to herself than to Taffy.
She watched her face as her eyes narrowed. She could practically see the wheels turning in Chase’s head.
“I’ll work it out. Give me like fifteen.” Chase turned around.
“Wait.”
She paused and glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Why are you so nice to me?”
Chase's eyes widened. “All I did was give you a shot. Everything after that is up to you. This is the same agreement the Dueling Devils offered me once. I figured I’d pass that along. Unless you object.”
“No.”
“Good, I’d hate to find out I was already wrong about you.” She winked and strode to the door with a confident strut that made her long legs seem endless. The red tennis shoes she sported were a splash of color against the landscape of black she wore from head to toe.
Part of her wanted to think she’d found her a new friend, but she refused to be that gullible. Time will tell if Chase is friend or foe. For now, she’s a means to an end. If I’m going to start this off right, I need a new identity….Symone. I always loved that name.
* * * *
“Did you hear…we’re getting a new girl?”
Monster glanced up at his brother and shook his head. “Wasn’t it enough you ran Sarah off? How about you take a breather on the girls we have to work with?”
“Oh, come on, dude. Sarah was fun while she lasted.” Pan grinned roguishly. Aptly named after the never aging child-king, Peter Pan, his brother always looked to the bright side of things. His birth certificate might say thirty-five, but Monster would pin his mentality at about eighteen. They’d both dealt with the fire in their way. Pan decided to focus on the fun things in life, no matter what that cost everyone else.
Monster didn't have that option. It’s easy when your face isn’t completely fucked. Sometimes, looking at Pan was painful. Seeing the once identical face that now mocked him with its pristine condition. He’d been lucky to get out with his life, but the price he’d paid to live was high. He ran his fingertips over his textured cheek.
“You need to lighten up, Monster. It’s like you’re a fifty-year-old trapped inside a younger man's body.”
“Maybe it’s to balance out your younger man in a young man’s body syndrome.”
“Touché,” Pan joked. He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
Monster shook his head. Despite being identical, there were night and day.
“Seriously, though, I’m worried about you.” Pan’s voice dropped an octave.
“What’s to worry about?”
“Plenty. When’s the last time you smiled, or got laid for that matter?”
“I didn’t realize my sex life was so concerning.” Monster tightened the bolt, gripping the wrench hard enough to turn his knuckles white.
“No, your lack of one is.”
Not so easy to get laid when half your body disgusts most women. “Not all of us need it on the daily.”
“Bullshit, this isn’t about frequency and you know it.” Pan pointed at him.
Monster growled in the back of his throat. “Can we not do this? Your argument is wea