"So what is this job you wanted us to do?"
"Us?" Franklin repeated. "Man, I don't remember telling you nothing."
"Well, homeboy," Trevor began, slapping Franklin on the back harder than necessary. "If my lady goes, I go. Comprende, hombre?"
"Man, whatever," Franklin dismissed, waving his hand. Turning back to Karen, he continued. "I got some towing jobs to do and I wanted to see if you wanted some extra cash, seeing as to how we both quit Simeon, and on the same day. So, how 'bout it? I'll go in half with you."
"Half? Okay, that's fine with me," Karen said with no hesitation.
"Wait, wait, wait," Trevor interrupted, both of them swinging their heads to look at him. "That's it?"
"What you mean is that it?" Franklin asked.
"I mean, is that the extent of the deal making? Where's the threat of bodily harm if Franklin here doesn't pay you, Karen?"
Karen simply tilted her head and smiled at him. "That's it, Trevor," she repeated back to him as she thumped on the tow truck's frame. "Now get into the truck."
Trevor waited for her to settle in before sliding in and shutting the door. He watched as Franklin handed Karen a clipboard and turned over the engine.
"The first one listed is at an address it looks like," Karen told him as she rattled off the location. Trevor watched as she wrote down a few notes, including the date and time they were starting the pick up, and then she messed with a few dials on the CB radio, picking up the microphone to it. "Jay, we're going to be going down the list on the board today."
"Who's with you?" the man asked.
"Franklin."
"Okay, I'll put that down on the schedule. Thanks."
"No problem," she kindly replied and snapped the microphone back into its place.
"This should be an easy pick up," Franklin informed her. "I know these people. They're cool."
"Yeah, until they eat your face off for taking away their car," Trevor noted.
"They're not you, T. I think we're safe from that happening."
"Yeah, because I don't owe on anything, kid. Paid in full with cash."
"I highly doubt that robbing people qualifies as legit source of income."
"Income is income, no matter how you try to spin it, Franklin."
"Boys, no bickering please," Karen interrupted. "This job can be crazy all on its own. It doesn't need the likes of you two to make it worse."
"Damn, it's like, Kar?" Franklin laughed out as he turned onto the street they needed to be on.
"Just like that," she said with a smile. She grabbed Trevor's hand, giving it a squeeze.
"I know we don't normally knock, but I think I will considering I know the folks," Franklin told her as the tow truck came to a stop. "I'll be back in a minute."
Trevor popped open the passenger door, Karen following him to the back of the truck.
"Stay in the cab," he told her. "I can hook this up."
"You sure? I know how to do it if you want some help."
Franklin emerged from under the awning, a worried elderly lady following him. The woman was crying, speaking so quickly in Spanish that Karen barely caught it.
"I explained to the grandson what was going on," Franklin said as they approached Karen. "He's fine with it, but couldn't make his grandmother understand. Will you speak with her, Kar?"
Trevor looked on as Karen spoke with the woman in Spanish, showing her the clipboard.
"Always gotta be something," Franklin said as he started on the opposite side.
Trevor was tightening down the straps as he caught the woman giving a gracious hug to Karen. "She's fucking amazing," Trevor thought out loud.
"Who? Kar?" Franklin questioned as his eyes followed where Trevor was staring. "Yeah, she cool."
"Listen, Frankie," he began as he leaned on the boom arm. "You never, uh, thought of dating, have you?"
"Me? Date Kar?" he asked as he tightened straps. "Nah, dude. I guess in the beginning there was a possibility, but that could be for anyone."
"And, uh, what about Lamar? Know anything there?"
"Lamar? Man, he would date anyone."
"Does he have a... thing for Karen?" Trevor asked as they finished up securing the vehicle to the boom.
"No, he does not," Karen commented as she walked around Trevor. "What did I tell you, Trev? There's nothing." Turning to Franklin, she showed him the clipboard. "She understands now, and that it's quite simple to get their vehicle back. I even offered a pro-rated price if they get it within a certain time. You know, for storage fees and such."
"Good work, Kar," Franklin said as he headed back to the driver's side door.
Karen took up her seat in the middle, checking a few things off on a paper on the clipboard and grabbing the receiver for the radio. She informed their dispatcher that they would be on their way with a repossession, and Franklin quickly found the way back to the drop-off area.
"Man, we need a bigger yard," Franklin said as he stepped out of the tow truck.
Trevor held out his hand for Karen, helping her out of the truck. "What about the scrapyard?" she asked as she rounded the back of the truck. "I heard it's up for sale."
"What, you want to buy it for me?" Franklin asked with a small laugh as he proceeded to unstrap the vehicle.
"Hey, maybe we could," Trevor put in as he undid the other side of straps.
"Man, are you serious?" Franklin asked as he stepped back. "You know what, never mind. I don't want to have to owe you for anything."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Trevor questioned in a flat voice. "Am I not good enough for you, Frankie?"
"Guys, come on," Karen said. "If we're actually going to think seriously about this, the bickering should be at a minimum."
"Hey, I'm as cool as a cucumber," Trevor told her. "It's your boy Franklin over here that doesn't want to work well with his fellow employees."
"Whatever, man," Franklin said with a wave of his hand. He was momentarily distracted as his cell phone began to chime out.
Karen turned to look at Trevor as Franklin answered his phone.
"What are you really working out?"
"To purchase?" he asked to clarify. With a nod of her head, he shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. They're going to want something up front. And perhaps to keep some of deal – "
"What the fuck you talking about, Lamar? I just started working, dog."
Karen and Trevor both turned their heads to Franklin at the outburst.
"Alright, dude, calm down. I'll be right there."
"What's wrong, Frankie?" Karen asked, approaching where her friend stood.
"It's fucking Lamar. He caught up in some bullshit. I have to go help him."
"Want us to come with?" Trevor asked.
"Nah, homie. I got this. You and Karen can do more pickups if you want. Karen knows all the shit."
"Sure thing, homie," Trevor said as he walked towards the driver's side of Franklin's tow truck. "We got you covered."
"Thanks, dog. And no sexual encounters inside of my truck, dude. I gotta sit and work in there."
Karen let out a short laugh as she slid into the truck from the passenger side and grabbed the clipboard. They watched Franklin drive away in his white Buffalo as they settled into the truck. Trevor watched her write on the clipboard for a few minutes before speaking.
"Why don't we go over to the scrapyard? See what the deal is?"
"Sure," she answered softly as she continued to write.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him shift the truck into gear, and they barely drove out of the towing lot before Trevor was reaching for her hand.
"What are you doing?" she asked him, concerned even more when he cut a vehicle off as they came to the red light.
"I wanna hold your hand," he calmly said.
"You can't."
Trevor's head snapped to look at her for a few long moments. The car behind them honked its horn, notifying Trevor that the light had turned green. With a heavy foot on the gas, he continued to the scrapyard. Karen could tell his feelings were hurt, but she couldn't help the smile on her face at the innocent look on his.
"You're driving, and I'm left handed, my dear," she explained, her voice still soft. "I'll hold your hand as we walk around the junkyard, I promise."
"You better," his gruff voice said, making Karen laugh.
"""""
"So," Karen said, giving his hand a squeeze. "What do you think? Should we venture into this?" She looked around once more, feeling more at home here than she anticipated. "It could come in use."
"It would be handy to have a place to do dirty work," he said, confirming her thoughts.
"Trev, don't say that out loud," she chided, slapping his chest.
"What? No one's around us. The guy is so happy to finally get someone interested in this graveyard of machinery, that I'm sure he'll overlook anything." He, too, looked around the area. "Where'd the guy say he wanted to go?"
"Retire to Vice City, I think he said. His daughter wants him to move in so she can watch over him now that he's older," she informed him. "And the son doesn't want to take over the business. Some uppity business dude."
"Good, then we shouldn't have any problems haggling this guy down if the heir doesn't want any bother."
"This is all your deal, though," she told him. "I have enough going on financially narrowing down what house to get."
He turned to face her. "But your name will be on it."
"Why would it be? I'm not contributing anything to it."
"Kitten, we go into things together."
"You don't have to, Trevor," she said calmly, smoothing her fingers over the side of his face. "It's okay, honey. Really."
"We're doing this together," he insisted still. "Alright? Because we're going to get married one day, and it'll just make things easier."
She let out a laugh, although she had a feeling he was completely serious. "What?"
"You heard me," he said, pulling her flush against his body.
"Marriage, Trev? Don't you think it's a little early to even consider that?"
"Thanks for stopping by! Come on, right this way," a tired, haggard voice said in their direction. Karen immediately looked towards the elderly man, but Trevor kept his eyes steadily on Karen. When she started to pull away from him, he brought her right back.
"Hey, I'm serious," he told her. "I'm not playing around here."
She froze, slowing down her breathing as she looked into his gold eyes. "I know." Grabbing his hand, she looked down at it, her manicured thumb rubbing over a scar. "Let's do this."
"""""
He could feel her nails digging into his flesh. Her body began shaking as he gripped her sides, feeling as though he couldn't possibly press against her close enough.
"Fuck, Karen."
Her soft hands grasped his face and brought him down to her. The second her lips touched his, he could feel himself explode. She moaned into his mouth as she felt the hotness within her, only spurring on his emotions. She gasped for breath when he lowered his head to her chest, his own breathing heavy.
"I'm glad we bought this place," she said, wiping away the sweat from his forehead. "Exploring it might be the best thing we do."
"Oh, sugar tits, the only thing I want to explore is you."
He leaned over her for one more kiss before stepping away from the back of the truck.
"I can't believe we just did that," Karen said, hopping down to pull her jeans up. Trevor tucked himself back into his pants before going over to the passenger door and opening it.
"Franklin said don't do anything inside the truck," he reminded her. "He never said anything about the outside."
"You are so bad," she laughed, remembering her friend's words.
He kissed her, their lips lingering together. The musky scent of him drove her wild, and she felt like she couldn't get enough of him. Her hands ran down his arms, memorizing every imperfection. When he lifted away, she studied the tattoos decorating his arms. She could feel him watching her as she fingered over the ink present on his skin.
"What?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that sometimes I think about things from years ago."
"Maybe you need some closure."
She pressed her lips together, placing her hands on his chest. "I've accepted that things went the way they did. But that's the thing. I feel drawn to this life we live for a reason, and I haven't quite figured out why exactly."
"Hey, why don't we go down to Vice City when the club is finally done?"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, it'll be great." He held her hand as she stepped up into the truck.
She waited for him to hop into the driver's seat before asking, "You'd really take the time to go all the way to Florida with me?"
"Of course I'd go with you," he said, starting up the truck. "We'll be going together, Kitten. It'll be fun. We'll go sight-seeing and eat out every day. What do you say?"
She squealed with excitement. "You know I've been wanting to go. But everything has to be completed and running smoothly before we leave, or I'll never relax."
"Sure thing, Kitten." He grabbed her hand, lifting it to kiss her soft skin. "You know, we own stuff together now. Properties and assets."
She thought, nodding her head at the fact. "A couple of things."
"So," he continued slowly. "That means we should probably get married."
"That is the second time you've said that today, Trevor. What is going on with you?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. "What's wrong with wanting to blend our lives together forever?"
She patted his hand on the steering wheel as they navigated out of the scrapyard to the highway. "I think we're about as integrated as we're going to get right now, my dear."
"Marriage and about seven kids would be enough for me."
"Seven? I'm not Snow White, Trevor. I don't think that'll happen."
"They weren't her kids. They were random men she invaded. These will be our kids."
"So we'll be invaded for the rest of our lives?"
"If it means you'll stay with me, I don't mind."
Karen looked at him as he continued to drive. Anyone who didn't truly know Trevor would be shocked by his words. She realized early on, by observing his odd relationship with Michael, that once he was emotionally attached to someone, he clung to them. And if he felt like he wasn't getting it in return, he'd wonder for the rest of his days what he did wrong.
She didn't want to leave him wondering. She didn't want to make him think that he wasn't the one she chose. She wanted him to always know that she loved him and cared for him. He was slowly becoming her world. There wasn't even a question that she was his. He had made it known to her from the start of their relationship. Only she had been too guarded of her past to assure him of anything.
But she would now. She'd stop letting past relationships determine her future one. She only wanted Trevor now, and nothing would change that. The closeness she felt between the two of them wasn't simply infatuation. It was something they'd both been looking for; Two hurt souls trying to heal together. And that's what she would give him, because she knew he'd give it to her.