Chapter 23 – Rendezvous

Burlington, New Jersey

Stopping outside the coffee shop and parking the car in the alley, as he had instructed, she turned up her nose and cut the ignition. The place he had told her about looked more like a dive bar than a strip club. The wood structure looked like it had started to rot and decay about a hundred years ago and had been repainted brown when the wood had weathered to a perfect gray. That paint was now peeling, making the place look dingy and dirty.

This wasn't the type of place that she would frequent – but she would expect it out of him.

She knew why he had chosen this location. It wasn't the type of place that cops would frequent, or anyone else that may recognize him. It had been difficult to keep a low profile lately, for both of them. This would be the perfect place.

Not to mention, he was a pig who liked naked women.

She sighed, grabbing the wig from the passenger seat. She sat it down in her lap, lifting her arms to pull her blonde hair back with the ponytail holder around her wrist. She reluctantly pulled it over her head, turning her shoulder-length blonde hair into a dark brunette bob. She flipped the car's visor down to reveal the small mirror, checking and fixing the wig she now wore to perfection.

She immediately caught a glance at her eyes, pale and lifeless. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately; who could sleep with a guilty conscience? All she knew was she'd better get what she deserved out of this deal, because of all he had put her through already.

Fixing the wig once more, she flipped the visor back up and pulled the keys out of the ignition. The door of the old Buick creaked open and she stepped out, one slender leg right after the other. She fixed her tight black skirt and blouse, closing the door as she situated the dark sunglasses over her eyes.

She crossed the street carefully and walked up to the front entrance, eyeing the large sign above it flashing the club's name in neon lights.

“Dear God,” she whispered to herself, taking a deep breath before she pulled the door open.

Once inside, the difference between the two environments couldn't be more different. The bright blue sky and clean, sea-smelling air from outside had turned to a darker, mustier environment. The stage was bathed with neon, the flashing lights in the club the only thing lighting it. She willed her legs to move forward on the carpet, her stiletto heels digging into the fibers.

She saw the heads turn as she walked down the pathway toward the back. Barely dressed women, some topless, danced all through the place at various tables – but despite it, every man getting a lap dance turned their heads away from their dancer to look at her as she walked by. They eyed her from top to bottom, letting their eyes roam from her ample chest to the long, bare legs. Despite her mood and anxiety, she felt her the corner of her mouth turn up into a slight smile.

At least she knew she could still turn heads.

She saw him at the back of the club, at a table against the wall, getting a lap dance from a busty woman, her ass bare in the thong she was wearing as she gyrated in front of him. She rolled her eyes. Not a single feature of that woman's could be found in nature – only in the form of saline in a plastic surgeon's office.

He barely looked up from the woman as she came up and sat down in the chair across from him.

“Took you long enough to get here,” he said, his eyes never leaving the woman's topless breasts as he blew cigarette smoke out of his mouth in a long stream.

“Hour and a half drive from Atlantic City to Burlington,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Doesn't look like you got...bored.”

His eyes finally left the woman to look over at her, but he didn't speak. He sucked in another breath of his cigarette, blowing it towards her face. She didn't flinch or give a reaction; that's what he would have wanted. When she only stared at him, he snapped his fingers towards the front of the club, signaling to the dancer. She immediately walked away, eyeing the new “guest” with her long eyelashes hiding seductive eyes.

“I'm sure you've heard,” she said.

He smiled. “There was a wedding,” he said. “Of course I've heard. How...grand.”

“They decided to elope.”

“I'm sure it was a beautiful ceremony,” he said.

“The plan didn't work,” she said.

“He's too smart for his own good,” he said. “I may have underestimated him.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. It wasn't like him to admit a fault.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“We move on,” he said. “To Plan C. What did you expect?”

“At some point? For you to give up.”

“I don't give up,” he said with a smile. “It's not in my nature.”

“How far are you going to take this?” she asked. “You've tried twice – they go back to each other every time. One person is already dead--”

“He was collateral damage. He got in the way. If he'd have stayed out of it, I wouldn't have had to blow his brains out.”

“The fire didn't work either. He didn't die.”

“I accounted for that possibility,” he said, tipping the glass of amber-colored liquid into his mouth.

“Not very well, obviously,” she said.

“I didn't count on her inviting him back into her life.”

“You mean you didn't count on her turning up pregnant.”

He looked up at her from his drink, his eyes turning dark.

“Life's little snags,” he said. “It won't affect the new plan.”

“Do you really want to go that far?” she asked.

“I'll go as far as I have to.”

She paused. She could look forward to another sleepless night, tossing and turning with guilt.

“What's the new plan, then?” she finally asked.

He chuckled.

“First the baby,” he said, his voice deepening. “Then him.”