Page 32 of Below The Surface
The guys are just shooting the shit, so I being the fabulous investigator that I am, go looking for the truck I left my phone in.
The guys stand in front of the damn garage door, so I test the side door to the building and it’s unlocked. The shop’s dark and a little creepy. There’s all the things I expect to find in a flower shop, but the smell is a way off. There’s a hint of rotting flesh under the scent of fresh flowers.
I know flower shops usually have refrigeration units and I cross my fingersandtoes hoping I find something to make my reason to murder them. Aside from harassing Cindy’s kid, anyway.
I tiptoe to the upright fridge unit and crack it open. Nothing but flowers which makes me pout. I want a dead body damnit. Or body parts. I’d even take an animal, but rather not.
I check the next unit and the next only to find more flowers. Where the fuck is the smell coming from? I wander the shop a little longer until I find what appears to be a break room with a chest freezer.
I look around before running over. The scent is stronger here. I lift the lid, only to smash it back down and fight a gag. A bad freezer and processed meat. Why the fuck do they have a broken freezer of rotten meat?
I back away slowly and rush from the room, hoping for fresh air. They have an entire showroom full of roses, so I check what I’m hoping is the final refrigeration unit.
Half a dozen single blue roses with different notes. All for Dallas.
My heart pounds. Aretheystalking him, or are they just the delivery for someone else?
I look around for a computer. Register. Anything to try and find the order and who the hell made it. I want to give them a piece of my mind.
“I told you,” One of the guys yell, “The fridge in the pink room you have to press hard to make it shut.” There’s a slam of a door and I assume it’s one of them shutting it.
“We know,” says another voice.
“In fact, I know I shut it exactly how you told us,” a third voice says.
Everything goes silent. The lights go on in the entire shop.
“Come out, come out little mouse,” a new voice singsongs.
Oh, this could be super fun. Or super annoying. I make sure my balaclava is in place and step right out in front of them.
The guy on the right bursts out laughing. “Just some kid. What do you want?”
“Excuse me?” I stand taller. “Kid? I’m twenty-four. Probably.”
“Probably?”
“The birth year’s a little fuzzy, but that’s unimportant.” I grin, showing as many teeth as possible, not that they can see that. I take a step forward. One of them takes a step back, while the other three stand their ground.
“So, this is what’s going down,” I say, but the guy in the middle, well, the inside guy on the right anyway, snorts. He fucking snorts at me! Who the hell does he think he’s dealing with? I take another step forward. “Pay attention.”
Headlights brighten the far wall.
“Shit. They’re finally here. Doug, deal with him.” Middle guy from the left waves towards me and the guy that had stepped back shakes his head.
“It’s always the little guys that are the freakiest. Tony can take him. I’ll get the delivery.” Doug follows the other two.
“Tony?” I wiggle my brows, but I’m sure he can barely see the action.
“Anthony, but everyone always calls me Tony. And you?”
“Are we really doing intros or do you wanna fight?” I rush him and slide right between his legs. See, that’s the problem when you take a wide stance.
“Hey! Get back here!”
I tap his shoulder. “Tag you’re it!” And race to the next room.
“Sonofabitch.”
