“Are you guys hiring?” I needed a job that paid enough, so I could rent a place or buy something, eventually.
All my money went to car repairs, insurance, and liquor. Maybe I was staying out too much.
“Not the bar…” his voice trailed off.
That caught my attention. “But you know someplace that is?”
He reached for the empty shot glass and took it away, not refilling it with another drink. “Jayden?”
He glanced around before he leaned closer.
What was he worried about?
There were a few patrons in the bar, but it was loud and difficult to hear anything over the pulse-pounding music.
“Come with me outback.” Jayden gestured to another one of the staff members that he was going for a break.
I followed Jayden through the darkened hallway and then out the rear exit of the bar.
The loud music seemed distant from behind the closed door. My ears rang.
“You know someplace that’s hiring?” I asked again, my voice louder than I intended.
His answer was a whisper, his voice quiet, his tone making it clear that we needed to be quiet about it. “I need a partner for an off-the-books type of job. It pays in cash.”
I liked cash, especially if I could avoid claiming it with the government.
“What’s the gig?” I asked. “I’m not going to be a drug mule.” I’d seen enough movies to know that never ended well for the mule.
Besides, I had no intention of spending any time behind bars.
Jayden snorted under his breath. “Drugs aren’t involved, but it’s not any less dangerous.”
“Okay.” I could handle danger.
He stared at me with sharp eyes. He glanced me over from head to toe, twice. “You can’t tell anyone about the job.”
I pretended to lock my lips like I did as a kid. “Don’t worry. It’s not like I have friends around here.”
“That includes your brother and his girlfriend,” Jayden said.
I shifted the weight on my feet. “You know my brother?” That made me a bit uncomfortable.
What else did he know about me that I wasn’t aware of?
He gave a silent nod. “You live with him.”
“How the hell do you know that?” I pointed at his chest and poked him in the process.
He didn’t so much as flinch. “Your driver’s license has his address.”
Oh. He was right. I had changed my identification after I moved into town. “You know my brother.” It was more of a statement than anything else.
How did the two of them know one another? I’d never seen them converse, and Jaxson never mentioned Jayden.
Jayden didn’t elaborate further. “Can you keep a secret from him or not?”
“He doesn’t know I come here after work every day,” I said. That was a secret I kept from him. There were a dozen or so more.