"Jace, my man, it is 7:24. I believe you were supposed to be here nine minutes ago," I said.
"I-I'm sorry, Saturn. I had to pick up my daughter from her ballet class. I'll be there in ten," he said.
"Perfect, I'll see you in five," I said, hanging up the phone before he could counter me. I wasn't someone who waited. Especially not for people like Jace.
His red mini van pulled up into the salon's parking lot. I saw the silhouette of who I could only assume to be his daughter in the back seat. I smirked at his bold decision to bring her with him.
I made my way over to the car and opened the door by the seat the kid was sitting in.
"Hey, princess. What's your name?" I asked.
"I'm Kira. I'm five and three-quarters. I just left ballet practice," she said. I loved how little kids always shared more than they meant to. I wish adults did that, too.
"Well, my name is Saturn and your daddy is really important to me. He's the best plumber in town, did you know that? I need him to fix something inside for me really quick. We'll be right back, I promise, okay?" I said to her. She gave me a big smile, revealing the lack of her two front teeth.
"Okay! I'll be right here," said Kira.
"Perfect. It was nice to meet you, Kira," I said. I gave her a wink before shutting the door. I waited until Jace and I were all the way inside the empty salon before turning around to face him.
"Fifteen thousand," I said.
"Whâyou said it was only ten!" he argued.
"And you said you'd be here at seven fifteen," I replied. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Did you want that number to go up, or can we drop the attitude?"
"Sorry," he said quickly.
"Fifteen. Now," I said.
"But you only gave me seven in the first place," he argued.
"You're fully aware of how interest works, no? I wire you the money, you pay me back and then a little extra for my efforts," I said.
"A little extra? Five thousand is not a little!" he exclaimed. I crossed my arms and looked at him.
"Twenty," I said. I didn't tolerate arguing, either.
"Are you fucking insane, Saturn? You want twenty thousand dollars in return for seven thousand?" Jace said, his voice rising.
"You're the one who plays games, Jace. Not me. I win them. Unlike you, apparently," I said. Jace had been a client for years. He had a serious gambling addiction, and only went to off-the-grid clubs that exclusively accepted cash. Getting $7,000 out of the bank in cash every few weeks was a little shady. But I had my own ways of getting that money.
"I don't even have that much," he said. He started popping his knuckles, his nostrils flared ever so slightly, and his jaw clenched.
"You know, for a gambler you sure are a shitty liar. So many tells. Even if you didn't have the money, I bet that pretty wife of yours already has a college fund set up for your little angel out there since she knows a certain someone will take all of the money he can get his hands on," I said. "Twenty. Now."
"I'm getting real tired of your shit, Saturn," he said. I chuckled.
"Funny, I feel the same way. Twenty now, or that little girl out there never gets to see her daddy ever again," I said. His jaw dropped.
"You wouldn't dare," he hissed.
"Do you want to test me?" I asked, raising one eyebrow. He paused for a second, as if he was legitimately considering his answer. I stepped closer to him. "No, you don't. This is my territory, this is my county. If you want to leave here without a bullet in your goddamn head, then I need twenty. Now. After that, I don't give a shit what you do. But we both know that you have to drive over two hours to find anyone else willing to make this kind of deal with you."
Jace clenched his jaw again and reached into his pocket, then held out a white envelope stuffed with cash.
"Here," he grunted. I smiled at him. If he was going to be a little bitch about it, then I would treat him like one.
"Count it," I said.
"What, right now? You don't believe me? I've never been short before," Jace said. I knew it would be absolutely humiliating for him to have to stand here and count it all out in front of me, showing me just how much his mistakes were costing him. I could hear him swallow.
"Yes, right now. You've already kept me waiting long enough. And little Kira, out there. If you're short so much as a single dollar or you give me attitude one more time, either that little girl grows up without a daddy or you don't get to have a daughter anymore," I said. "I don't know who you think you are, coming in here to argue with me. You know I will win. I always win. Now count."
He nodded his head and walked over to one of the salon tables and pulled out the stack of cash. I leaned against a wall, my arms crossed, and fiddled with my nails while he counted it. I wasn't even listening. I knew he wouldn't dare give me less than he said he did. I just wanted to put him in his place, let him know that I ran things around here. Not him.
"There. That's it. That's all of it," he said.
"Perfect, I'll be seeing you next month after your next four paychecks," I said. I wasn't demanding that he come back. I knew he would choose to.
"Yeah, next month," he mumbled, ashamed. As he should be.
"Wonderful. Let's have a meeting in which I don't have to threaten you or your daughter's life next time, yeah?" I asked.
"Yeah. Thank you Saturn," he said quietly.
"Mhm. Now get out," I said. He did what he was told and I waved at Kira through the window as he drove away.
I walked into the back. This place wasn't actually a salon. Not really.
It was just a front. The place was a brothel, an extremely successful sex club, that I'd stumbled across last year. Trixie was a smart woman, naming the place 'Trix's Foot Massage Parlor.'
It seemed legitimate enough to be a real business, but I knew the idea was too specific and dumb to not be a front for something. I'd walked in one day, headed straight to the back and pointed at all of the prostitutes sitting around. I'd told Trixie that either her cover gets blown or I get 30% of the stake. The place made a decent amount of money, so I was making a pretty hefty income every week, all in cash. I used the salon for my business dealings when it wasn't open. It was a Saturday night. No one wanted to come buy sex on a Saturday night when their wives were home.
I sat down and wrote the date and Jace's name on the envelope before shoving it into the waistband of my ripped black jeans on the side opposite my gun. I was about to call Axel when I heard someone walk in through the front door. I hadn't locked it after Jace left.
"Jupiter? Are you here?" a deep voice called. A deep voice that I'd never heard. I walked out of the back to see an attractive man, 22 or 23, his hair tinged with blue at the edges. He had a nose piercing, a cartilage piercing, and black studs in his ears. His nails were painted black and the rings that coated his fingers were the same silver color as the chain on his jeans.
"Name's Saturn, actually," I said. "You here for a foot massage? At 8pm on a Satuday?"
"No. And you're name's not Saturn. It's Jupiter," he said. I smirked.
"And who told you that, pretty boy?" I asked. Very few people knew my real name. Saturn was my cover name.
"Axel," the guy responded. I relaxed a bit. Axel was my private arms dealer. I needed bullets that couldn't be traced by police if they were found, and Axel knew where to get them.
"And your name is...?" I asked.
"Depends. Are we using our fake or real names?" he asked.
"Do you have one of each?" I asked.
"Sort of. They're both real. I prefer one, though. I'm Wrath. Colby's what I go by," he said.
"Wrath? What, like the sin?" I asked.
"Yeah. I guess I've got a third one, too. Satan," said Colby.
"Ah. I see you think you're quite the tough guy," I said. I'd never seen or heard of him before. Not by any of his names.
"Yes, actually. I am. And you love it," he said, his bright blue eyes glinting when he said the last part. I let out a laugh, which seemed to take him by surprise.
"No, can't say that I do," I said. He blinked a few times as if no one had ever disagreed with him before. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, actually. Colby was hot.
"You're not normal, are you?" he asked.
"I think we both know I'm a loan shark who specializes in blackmail and ATM skimming. So no, I wouldn't say I'm normal," I replied. I didn't ever readily hand out information like this, but if Axel trusted him, I did too. Plus, there was just something about Colby that was... captivating? I don't know. "You're not normal either."
"No. I'm not. I told you. I'm Wrath and Satan," he said.
"Sure, buddy," I laughed. "You part of this deal?"
"Yeah. Man's got bullets galore," Colby said.
"And what might you need bullets for?" I countered. "I figured Satan would have special powers he could use on everyone."
He flashed me a smile when I said that. "Not everyone, apparently," he replied.
I felt a sudden pit in the bottom of my stomach. The glint in his eyes earlier, the surprised look when I'd disagreed with what he said. But Satan wasn't real. And wrath was one of the seven deadly sins, not a person. This guy was just Colby. That's all he could be. Right?
Axel came in a few minutes later, two cases of bullets, one for Colby and one for me.
"Payment's due, man," Axel said, holding his hand out to Colby.
"I don't owe you anything," Colby said, staring him in the eyes. There was that blue glint again. Axel drew his hand back.
"Hm. No, you don't. And you're all covered as usual, J," Axel said, giving me a small wave before leaving. I turned to Colby.
"Axel's pretty damn set with his prices. Why exactly don't you owe him anything?" I asked.
"I told you. I'm Satan," Colby said with a shrug.
"The fuck you are," I scoffed. Liars weren't worth my time. But Colby was starting to be.
"Do you party?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" I asked. Who invites the leader of the LA crime ring to a party only ten minutes after meeting them?
"You heard me. I've got some friends. We like to party. We live in a mansion. It's called the Traphouse," he said. I bit my lip. I'd heard stories about that place, but never the people who lived there. I decided I'd go. Why not?
"Yeah, I party," I said.
"Great. Starts at ten. Wear something hot. Axel can send you the address. It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Saturn," he said with a wink.
"Likewise, Wrath," I chuckled. I liked the wide array of names. Could call him a different one based on the context of the situation.
And, with that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the door, leaving me alone in the dark salon.