The Long Game
THE LONG GAME
J. L. Fynn
THE LONG GAME
Published by J. L. Fynn at Smashwords
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Copyright © 2013 J. L. Fynn
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 1301377206
ISBN-13: 978-1301377206
To Max. You make everything possible.
CHAPTER ONE
JIMMY BOY LEANED on the counter and flashed a
sweet smile at the cute blonde working the register.
“I’m sure glad y’all were open this early
‘cause our pa wanted to have the new deck done this weekend.”
I kept my head bowed, eyes trained on the
scuffed tennis shoes I’d pulled on in a rush to make it to the
truck before we hightailed it to Slidell.
My brother and I hadn’t made the ten-minute
drive to the hardware store to get parts for a new deck, and we
certainly weren’t building one with our da. But, for some reason,
that’s what Jimmy Boy’d come up with—as if visiting a hardware
store for a box of screws was so unusual it required some kind of
grand explanation.
Lying for lying’s sake never made me
uncomfortable. If there was one thing I knew about being a
Traveler, it’s that Travelers didn’t truck with being honest with
country people, even when being dishonest wasn’t strictly
necessary. Besides, it was difficult switching between talking from
both sides of your mouth out on the road to being straight with
people once you got home. There was just no point in trying to keep
track of who you’d lied to and who you hadn’t.
The girl grinned, taken by my brother’s
charm. “Well, I’m sure glad y’all came in.” She batted lashes
almost too pale to see.
I fought the smile pulling at the corner of
my mouth. Most Traveler men had their fathers or uncles to show
them the ropes. I really only had my older brother, but he’d been
enough. Jimmy Boy could piss on your leg, tell you it was raining,
and then sell you a broken umbrella. And he’d taught me everything
I knew.
“I’m glad you’re glad,” Jimmy Boy said. He
leaned in further, his elbow inching across the counter so his face
moved closer to hers.
She blushed and dropped her eyes, and I saw
my opening.
“All right, lover boy, move it so I can pay,
and we can stop wasting this girl’s time.” I nudged him aside with
my hip and shoulder as I pulled a ten from my wallet and handed it
to her. Her eyes only flickered to me for a second as the money
moved from my hand to hers. So far, so good.
The blonde watched Jimmy Boy through lowered
lashes as she counted out my change. A five and three ones. It
couldn’t have worked out better if she’d been in on the scam.
I opened my wallet, making a show of getting
ready to put the bills away, then snapped my fingers as if an idea
had just dawned on me.
“You know, I’ve got a ton of ones in here. I
wonder if you might be able to change them for a ten?”
I didn’t wait for her response but slid
several ones from my billfold and added them to the change she’d
just given me. I left the five on the counter where she’d laid it
but handed her the ones.
“Sure thing. I could always use smaller bills
for the register.” Her eyes never left Jimmy Boy’s face as she took
the bills from me and handed me a ten, which I put into my wallet
right away.
Jimmy Boy leaned in just a hair closer. “You
are sweeter than a speckled pup and twice as cute. Anyone ever tell
you that?”
Splotches of crimson appeared on the girl’s
cheeks as she shook her head.
“You better count that. Can’t never be too
careful, darlin’,” he said, and her eyes moved to the money in her
hand as if she’d only now realized there was a transaction being
made.
I knew exactly how many bills there were and
so did he, but this was the best part of the game.
“Oops, there’s only nine here.” She counted
through the stack of ones a second time to be sure. The poor girl
actually looked apologetic, as if it had been her mistake.
But I didn’t miss a beat. “You’re kidding.
Sorry about that, hon. Here you go.”
I pulled out another one and laid it on the
counter. She reached for it, but Jimmy Boy laid his hand over hers.
“You know, on second thought, I’m sorry to be a hassle, darlin’,
but this one owes me twenty bucks.” He jerked his head at me. “And
serves him right for betting against the Saints. I’d rather not
have all those bills in my wallet since it’s already so full I can
hardly sit down.” Jimmy Boy paused to let that sink in, and I
didn’t miss the spark of comprehension in her blue eyes. Her smile
broadened a little.
“Fine then,” I said, coming in right on cue.
“How about you give me a twenty instead since Mr. Moneybags is too
good for small bills?” I added five more ones and nudged the five
dollar bill still on the counter closer to the pile.
She giggled and let her hand linger under
Jimmy Boy’s for a second before scooping up the bills I’d added to
the pile.
“Sorry for eating up half your day with this
nonsense,” I said.
“I can’t say as I’m sorry,” Jimmy Boy said.
“It’s been awfully nice taking up your time.”
The girl was positively scarlet now, and her
grin seemed to stretch across her entire face. “It’s been no
trouble at all.”
“You promise?”
“Promise,” she said and handed a twenty to
Jimmy Boy. “I haven’t much minded you taking up my time neither.
Maybe while you’re working on that deck, you’ll find you need a few
more supplies and come on back to take up a little more of it.”
Jimmy Boy pocketed the twenty and slid the
small plastic box off the counter. The screws inside rattled as he
shoved it into his pocket as well. “Oh, I’m willing to bet there
might be one or two more things I’ll have to run on back for.”
Jimmy Boy winked at her before pushing himself away from the
counter. “You have yourself a lovely day, miss.”
“That’s Tracy to you,” she said. “And I’m
here ‘til we close up, so you make sure to ask for me if you need
help finding anything.”
Jimmy Boy nodded and crossed in front of me
as he strode to the door. With one last smile to the blonde, he
pushed it open, jostling the silver bell that punctuated his exit
with a metallic jingling.
“I hope y’all enjoy that new deck,” the girl
said before I had a chance to follow after him. “Maybe I’ll even
get to come by and see your handy work.” She gave a shy smile. “You
should tell him that I’d love to see it when it’s all done.”
“I surely will, Tracy.” I tipped my head to
her and followed my brother through the door.
Jimmy Boy was halfway to the battered old
pickup truck when I stepped from the air-conditioned store into the
heat of the late August morning. It was not yet nine, but the
temperature neared ninety degrees. I jogged across the parking lot
to catch up, and within seconds, the fabric of my white T-shirt
clung to the damp skin of my back.
“Get in the damn truck so we can get out of
here,” Jimmy Boy said as I circled around to the passenger
side.
The good ol’ boy accent that had tinged every
word he’d said to the store clerk was gone, replaced with the
typical Traveler cadence: a clipped Southern brogue. Travelers
liked to retain a connection to their Irish roots even in their
speech. Still, after living in the South for so long, we couldn’t
help but let a bit of a drawl seep in, even when we spoke amongst
ourselves.
Jimmy Boy could move from a Cajun inflection
to a country twang to a smooth Midwestern accent and back in the
same sentence. I didn’t have quite the same talent for it, but
then, I hadn’t had as many years of practice either, being cooped
up in school until just two years ago.
We both climbed into the truck, and Jimmy Boy
jammed the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine made a
hacking noise. He tried the key again, and the truck sputtered and
kicked but still refused to turn over. The statue of Jesus glued to
the dashboard trembled with the violent motion. Jimmy Boy wasn’t a
devout Catholic like most Travelers (the colorful language that
spewed from his mouth every time the old truck refused to start was
proof of that), but he’d kept the figurine because it was our da
who’d put it there to begin with.
“This piece-of-shit truck,” I said as Jimmy
Boy twisted the key again. “Eddie Sherlock rolled back into the
Village with a brand new F-150, and we’re still driving this thing
around. Do you know how embarrassing that is? We’re grown men
taking a full cut, and Maggie still won’t let us buy a new
one.”
Jimmy Boy laughed. “Aren’t you cute, thinking
Maggie would let us buy a brand-new truck. Our mam is a lot of
things, but careless ain’t one of ‘em. Sometimes I think you don’t
have the sense God gave a goose.”
“You’re one to talk. You couldn’t pour beer
out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel.” Satisfied
I’d gotten the better of the exchange, I settled back against my
seat only to be jabbed in the ribs by a spring that had worked its
way through the upholstery. I swiveled around to glare at the
offending piece of metal. “I know you love this piece of crap, but
you have to admit she’s ready to be put out to pasture.”
Jimmy Boy petted the steering wheel. “He
don’t mean it, love. He’s just jealous he doesn’t have a girl
pretty as you.”
“There you go. Sweet talk her like you did
Tracy, and we’ll be out of here in no time.”
Jimmy Boy went back to fiddling with the
ignition. “Why’d you do that anyway?”
“Do what?” I watched him wriggle the key back
and forth.
“You quick-changed that girl.”
“We
quick-changed that girl and did a damn fine job of it. Half of
that is mine, by the way, so don’t get any ideas.”
Jimmy Boy looked up. “Someone had to save
your ass, but if Pop Sheedy finds out you pulled something like
that so close to the Village, he’ll have your hide and no mistake.
Seems like a big risk for a lousy ten bucks.”
My stomach twisted at the mention of our clan
leader’s name, but I recovered quickly. “Which is why he ain’t
gonna find out, is he? I’m just trying to keep my skills fresh.
Where’s the harm in that?”
Jimmy Boy hooted with laughter a second time.
“Your skills? A clever six-year-old could pull off a quick-change
and do it with more finesse. Like I said, you ain’t got no
sense.”
I aimed a quick jab at his bicep but couldn’t
help chuckling. “Shut it. You’re just sore she didn’t write her
number on that twenty before handing it over.”
“You might be on to something there,” Jimmy
Boy said. “That girl was sex on two legs.”
“That girl was a buffer. Country people don’t
bring anything but trouble. Besides, you’re the one who always says
to never let a pretty face get in the way of a good con.”
He winked. “That don’t sound like me at
all.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just get this thing
started before your girlfriend thinks you’re hanging around to take
up some more of her time.”
Jimmy Boy leaned into the steering wheel as
he turned the key again. The engine rumbled to life.
“There she goes,” he said. “See? You take the
time to find her sweet spot, and she’ll purr like a kitten.” His
mouth spread into a wicked grin. He wasn’t talking about the
truck.
