Beckett
10 Years Ago
“That’s her.” Clay gazes at a blonde girl with a smoking-hot body and a tan to match.
I whistle. “Now, that is the type of girl you go back for seconds with.”
Clay laughs. “Don’t worry. I’ll be getting my next round in soon. Already stocked up on condoms.”
I snicker and give him a fist bump.
“She’s coming over, so zip it.”
“Hey, Clay.” She bats her eyes.
“Hey, Veronica. Tonight still good?”
She flips her blonde hair behind her shoulders. “Eight o’clock, right?”
“Yep.”
Her friend comes up behind her. She looks like a replica of Veronica but with darker hair.
“This is Stacy,” Veronica says.
“Clay.”
“Beckett.” I give her the signature expression I’ve reserved just for hot girls like her and let my eyes wander down her body then back to her face.
She blushes. “Hi.”
“We’re going down to Coquina tonight for a bonfire. You want to come, Stacy?” Veronica asks.
“Sure.” She glances at me then quickly looks away.
Hook, line, and sinker. I’ll be banging her tonight.
“Well, Beckett and I have to get to our workout. See you tonight,” Clay says.
“Nice meeting you both.” I check Stacy out one more time then wink at her as we leave.
When we get to the parking lot, Clay arches his eyebrows. “Stacy looked good.”
“Yep. I’m claiming her for tonight.” I open the passenger door and get in.
Clay opens his console and tosses me a strip of condoms. “I think I owe you.”
“Nice.” I throw the strip in my gym bag on the floor.
“We need to make a quick pit stop.”
“Where’s that?” I ask.
“The Kmart parking lot.”
I groan. “It’s going to take forever to get across the bridge.”
“I know, but it has to be done today.”
“What does?”
“The errand.”
“For Skates?”
“Yeah.”
“Dude, I told you not to be running errands for him. He’s bad news.”
“I only have to drop off some items to the restaurants on the island. He doesn’t want to deal with traffic.”
I suspiciously glance at Clay. “What kind of items?”
“All legit. Napkins and shit.”
While Skates is an avid skateboard junkie, the rumor is he got his nickname because he always skates close to the edge of going to prison. I don’t like Clay anywhere near him.
“Dude, really not a good idea.”
“Listen, I just need to do this one job. I don’t have time to get hired anywhere with our pre-season football workout schedule coming up, and I can’t keep asking my grandparents for money. Mia’s braces cost an arm and a leg, and I heard them stressing about it. What Skates is going to pay me will be a month’s worth of flipping burgers.”
“For one job?”
“Yep.”
“Doesn’t that seem a bit odd to you?”
“His time is valuable. You know how crappy it is to sit in island traffic during season. He’s got better things to do.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Beckett, you worry too much. Chill out. I always have your back on all your shit. Let me earn some cash.”
I take a deep breath. He’s right. He always has my back. “All right, man.”
We spend the trip talking about girls and sports. The Kmart isn’t far off the island, and Clay turns toward the back of the parking lot.
“Where is he?”
“He’ll be here,” Clay insists.
“How many of these have you done now?” I ask him.
“I don’t know. A handful. It’s easy money.”
Uneasiness fills me. “Promise me you’ll be done after today.”
“Dude, stop freaking. It’s paper products.”
Anger flares through my bones. “You’re playing with fire.”
A black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows and chrome wheels arrives.
“Jesus. He screams drug dealer,” I mutter under my breath.
“Chill the fuck out.” Clay gets out of the car.
The window to the passenger side rolls down. Skates has leathery skin from too many days in the sun, blond hair, and blue eyes. A scar runs from his right eye down to his mouth. A tattoo of a twisted heart on a skateboard adorns his forearm.
The two of them slap hands, and Skates motions to the back of the vehicle.
Over the next two minutes, Clay moves boxes between Skates’ and Clay’s vehicle then the Escalade takes off.
Clay gets back in the car.
I try to contain my rage. “Dude, how the hell did you get hooked up with that guy?”
He turns on the engine and drives through the lot. “He watches our practices. Haven’t you ever seen him?”
“No. Should I have?”
“I’ve talked to him quite a bit.”
“Where have I been during these talks?”
“Probably behind the bleachers licking some girl’s pussy.”
I chuckle and shrug cockily. It’s possible.
“So, he came up to you and asked if you wanted a job?”
“No. We talked several times, and he asked if I was from Bradenton, and I told him I live on the island. Then he asked me if I would be interested in helping him out.”
“Was this before or after you knew he was Skates?” Skates had a reputation around the area.
“I didn’t know until my first run when his driver called him Skates.”
“What did you think his name was?”
“He introduced himself as Jimmy.”
“Jimmy?”
“That’s his actual name.”
“Jimmy what?”
“Cline.”
My eyes widen. “Cline, as in Casey Cline?” Casey owns half the restaurants on the island.
“Yep. He’s his dad.”
“Shut up.”
“Yeah, I was surprised, too. But he’s involved in his businesses, and that is why he needs me. It really is easy money, and it’s just paper products,” Clay insists.
“Have you ever looked inside the boxes?”
Clay jerks his head at me. “Why would I do that?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “God damn. Sometimes you’re an idiot.”
“Dude. My job is to deliver paper products, not open boxes.”
“Pull over.”
“What? No.”
“Clay, pull over now,” I demand.
He sighs and parks in one of the spaces on the causeway. The turquoise water sparkles, and people are riding horses along the shore.
I open the door and get out.
“Beckett. Don’t be fucking with their stuff.”
“Dude. I bet you a box of condoms there is something illegal in here.”
“Going to Casey Cline’s restaurants? No way. You know Casey. He runs legit businesses.”
“His son is Skates. You don’t know shit. Open the trunk.”
Clay rolls his eyes but complies.
The boxes aren’t even taped shut. They are folded in so anyone can open or close them.
I open the box in front of me.
“See, told you. Paper products,” Clay says in an annoyed voice.
I remove bundles of napkins.
“Don’t mess their shit up,” Clay says.
I’m removing the last stack of napkins when I feel it taped to the bottom. Shaking my head at Clay, I hold the bundle out to him and turn it over.
“Fuck sake!” I yell out. “Is that heroin?”
The blood in Clay’s face drains. “Put it back, now.”
“You fucking idiot!”
He picks up a pack to put back in the box and stops. “Shit.” He turns it over to see a similar package taped to that one as well.
As we turn over each bundle, we find every one has heroin attached to it.
“Put it back in the box.” I pack everything the way it was and shut the box and trunk.
“Fuck. Beckett, this is bad.”
“No kidding. Did you really believe this wouldn’t have anything illegal in it? It’s Skates.”
“Beckett, I didn’t think. I just wanted to earn some cash so I wouldn’t be a burden on my grandparents. You know I wouldn’t have done this if I had known. My mom died from overdosing on this junk.”
I take a deep breath and calm my voice. “I know, man. Listen, you need to get this stuff dropped off and be done with Skates.”
He scrubs his face. “I’m done. After this, I won’t ever do another job.”
“Okay. Let’s get this out of your car. Come on.”
I go with Clay to all five of the restaurants. I wait in the car while he drops a box off in each place of business. When he finishes, he looks at me. “Beckett, I’m sorry. Honestly, I wouldn’t have said yes if—”
I hold my hand up. “Dude, I know that. No more calls from Skates. No more jobs. No more talks on the sidelines.”
“Okay.”
I let out a deep breath and grin. “But you still owe me a box of condoms, and instead of the sidelines, you should focus on getting some ass in the bleachers.”
He laughs and fist bumps me. “Done.”