Hotel Key
Chapter 19
"Yer sure yer alright ta drive yerself home?," Daryl asked. RickyJo nodded. But he wasn't convinced. She still seemed a little shaken up after their conversation at the diner. She only picked at the salad she ordered. And she kept clenching and unclenching her hands. "I could use some help with the purchase orders," he added.
"Liar," she teased. Daryl smiled. He was lying. Sort of. He hated doing paperwork and was happy to let Merle take care of it when he was there. And since the man hadn't shown any sign of interest in returning to work, Daryl would be even more happy to push the paperwork off on RickyJo. But he didn't really need the help. He just wanted her to stay and hang out with him. So he could keep an eye on her. As their conversation in the diner reaffirmed, she could not be trusted to act rationally when she was upset. And Daryl wouldn't put it past her to call her cousin, or even worse, his brother and gush out everything that was going on to the both of them. Something that he was sure RickyJo would never do once she calmed down and let the reality of the situation sink in.
"I'm not lyin'," Daryl insisted, "...ya know I hate that computer." She giggled, leaning across the front seat of the car and pressing her lips to his.
"I'm not gonna call Jess I swear," she said, swiping her fingers across her chest in the shape of an X. "But I'll come in and help ya out with the paperwork if ya want." Daryl nodded, pulling her back towards him and kissing her again.
"I want," he joked. He hopped out of the car, snapping his door shut. Before they headed into the shop, he caught RickyJo by the waist and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He wasn't sure if he needed the comfort of her body or if he wanted to offer her his. But having her in his arms did make him feel exponentially better than he felt a moment before.
A loud wolfish whistle broke them out of their shared embrace. Daryl glanced up and laughed. Shane was heading in their direction, away from the hunk of junk car he towed up to the shop for Daryl's inspection. RickyJo waved at him, hurrying over to see what she heard was the estate sale find of the century.
"You only paid three grand for this?," she asked, pulling the car door open and taking a better look at the interior. Shane nodded. He almost felt a little bad, paying so much less than the car was worth. But the woman that sold it assured him that she just wanted it gone. Her husband passed away. And there were three giant pole barns full of his shit for her to deal with. So Shane paid her in cash like she asked and hauled away the e-type classic jaguar without any further conversation. After that, his problem became what to do with the car. Shane could do basic maintenance. Like changing his own oil or tires. But putting in a whole new engine or heavy body restoration work was not only beyond his purview, but he didn't have the tools or the space to do a project like that even if he could. His first thought was just to re-sell the car. He could make upwards of thirty grand easily. But he didn't want to sell the car. He wanted to keep the car. And drive the car. And pick up women in the car.
"Sure ya don't wanna sell it?," RickyJo teased. "I'll give ya double what ya paid fer it. In cash." Daryl snorted out a laugh. Shane might have been born at night, but Daryl suspected it wasn't last night. This car was worth at least thirty grand, even in its dilapidated condition. And fully restored, it would sell for over $200,000.
"Ya wanna sell it once it's done, or are ya gonna keep it?," Daryl asked. "If ya wanna sell, I'll do the work fer free and we can split the profit." Shane considered the proposal. Restored, the car was probably worth more than he made in a year. Or even two years. And that was after he split the profit with Daryl. But after a moment, he shook his head.
"I wanna keep it," he admitted. RickyJo whooped and clapped her hands.
"You should paint it up in a super bright color," she suggested. "...like lime green or orange. It would be so badass." Shane snickered at the look of disgust on Daryl's face.
"Don't listen ta her," he said. "The only color fer this car is the original silver." RickyJo flipped her middle finger at him before heading away into the shop, announcing that she was going to do some paperwork since her opinion clearly wasn't wanted.
"Ya should see what she did ta all the classic bikes she bought," Daryl grumbled. "Look like they're fit fer a clown ta ride." Shane laughed again, deciding not to add his opinion on the matter. Because he was about to say that he would gladly let RickyJo paint his entire apartment like a circus if that meant he could get her tight body under his every night. And Shane didn't think Daryl would take kindly to a comment like that being made about his soon to be wife.
While the guys maneuvered the car into the spare garage bay, RickyJo snatched up Merle's laptop from his desk. She didn't want to sit at his desk. Because she knew he fucked some girl there. Gross. And Daryl's desk was a pigsty. So she schlepped the laptop into the little reception office and plopped down in the extra chair next to Carol.
"You don't mind if I set up camp in here?," she asked. Carol shook her head, glancing nervously at her daughter, who was playing with a toy tea set on the floor near her feet.
"She didn't have school today," Carol said, clearly nervous that she was about to get in trouble for having her daughter at work with her. "...I didn't have a sitter." Really, she couldn't afford a sitter. She was saving all her money to get herself and Sophia away from her husband. But she didn't say that. RickyJo shrugged.
"Just keep 'er away from the mechanics," RickyJo warned, "they're all a bunch of criminals and sex felons." Carol nodded.
"Daryl told me the same thing," she admitted. Actually, Daryl warned her to keep herself away from the mechanics. And to tell him right away if anyone was hassling her. But so far, no one had. Axel brought her coffee a few times. And sometimes lingered in the office doorway, chatting her up. But she wouldn't consider that harassment. He was just being friendly.
RickyJo nodded, powering up the laptop and clicking through it to find the programs she needed. She was grateful that it was Merle's computer. He kept everything well organized and was actually good at running the place when he could be bothered to show up. Daryl really only liked to work in the garage. After she filled out the first few forms, RickyJo glanced at Carol. God only knew when or if Merle was ever coming back to work. He married Jessica. And moved in with her. Over an hour away. And while she probably couldn't help out in the garage like Merle did, Carol looked quite capable of doing paperwork.
"How'd ya like a promotion?," she asked. Carol looked up from her own work, a look of surprise on her face. "I can teach ya how to do all this invoice order and purchase order crap," RickyJo added, "...and how ta do payroll. And if ya think yer okay ta do all that, I bet we could switch ya from receptionist ta like an office manager or somethin'."
"Oh," Carol exclaimed, "...are you sure?" RickyJo nodded. The stuff wasn't really hard to do. It was just tedious and time consuming. And Daryl hated it. And since she didn't think they needed to keep paying salary to someone that hadn't been there in weeks, they had plenty in the budget to give Carol a raise.
RickyJo slid the laptop between them, starting with the purchase orders and walking Carol through the different programs. She could tell the woman was catching on quickly. And had no problem answering the phone, taking an appointment, and switching right back to the order they were working on.
"Hey girly," Shane hollered, sticking his head into the office, "...I'll see you guys down at the bar later fer drinks?" Instead of turning her chair around, RickyJo tipped her head all the way back so she was looking at him upside down.
"How'd ya like ta be my new best friend?," she asked. He laughed, assuming she wanted something from him. "Go get me and Carol coffee from the cafe a couple doors down before ya go and I'll buy you a cup too," she offered. Shane nodded.
"I gotcha," he said, waving her off when she tried to get her wallet out. RickyJo was hot. But the woman sitting beside her was no slouch. From behind, Shane assumed she was much older than him. Her hair was almost all gray. But when she turned to look at him, her face was much more youthful than he would have guessed. And she was pretty too, with a fit petite body under her matronly clothing. The little girl at her feet leaped up, asking if she could go with him and get a lemonade. Shane nodded, looking to the little girl's mother for permission. The woman seemed hesitant, but RickyJo assured her that it was fine and that he was a cop.
"I guess it's okay," Carol acquiesced, "...but you stay with him and come right back here when you're done." Sophia lunged forward, grasping Shane's hand. RickyJo smiled after them as they headed outside and out of view of the front window. She turned her attention back to the laptop, but with the little girl gone, she noticed she could hear a weird buzzing noise.
"Is that yer cell phone?," she asked. Carol shook her head.
"I don't have a phone." Ed wouldn't let her have a phone except for a landline. Because he said she had no business leaving the house in the first place. She had to lie and say she was volunteering at Sophia's school so she could come to work. RickyJo cocked her head, listening for where the noise was coming from. She wheeled her chair over, plucking Sophia's backpack from under the counter and unzipping it. Stuffed in the bottom was a burner style cell phone. It began vibrating in her hand. She gave Carol a questioning look, handing her the phone and noticing that Carol looked even more confused than she did.
"Hello?," Carol said, flipping the phone open and holding it up to her ear. The phone was not on speaker. But the man on the other end was screaming so loud RickyJo could hear him.
YOU LYING FUCKING WHORE! I KNOW RIGHT WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE! YOU'RE IN FOR IT THIS TIME!
Carol gasped, the phone slipping from her hand and clattering to the floor. Her eyes were wide and her body was frozen in terror. RickyJo glanced up just in time to see a large brawny man with a crew cut charge in through the shop door. He walked up, slapping his hand against the glass window that they thankfully kept shut to keep the papers from blowing around every time the front door was opened.
"Let's go," he said, directing his words towards Carol.
RickyJo watched in terror as Carol slowly rose from her chair. Before she could get too far, RickyJo got up, pushing ahead of the woman and heading into the small waiting area.
"What the hell do ya think yer doin' bargin' in here like this?," she asked. She'd seen the bruises that Carol worked hard to keep covered. She could only guess that she was now seeing the man that put them there. Carol's husband Ed.
Ed ignored her, stepping to the side and reaching around her to grab Carol's arm. RickyJo heard the woman tell her that it wasn't worth it. But she didn't agree. If Carol chose to go home with this pig and let him abuse her there, that was her business. But it wasn't going down under her watch. RickyJo shoved him, trying to get him to break the hold he had on Carol's arm.
"Back off asshole!," she hollered.
"Stay the fuck outta this ya little smart mouth bitch," Ed hissed. "Don't think I won't knock you on yer ass too."
RickyJo turned her body, throwing an elbow into his ribs. Ed momentarily released his grip on his wife, snatching RickyJo up by her hair and yanking her out of his way. When he released her, she hit the floor on her knees and he grabbed Carol again.
"You lying little whore," he hollered, slapping her across the face. "I just saw my daughter walking down the street with your goddamn boyfriend!" Carol had her arms up as she desperately tried to reason with her husband. That man wasn't her boyfriend. She just met him. He was only making a coffee run for them while they worked. But RickyJo could tell Ed wasn't trying to listen. He was twisting Carol's arm painfully, dragging her towards the door. RickyJo propelled herself up off the floor, running at him and slamming the side of her body into him as hard as she could. Ed lost his grip on Carol and fell back, bumping into one of the reception chairs as it clattered to the floor. Carol screamed as RickyJo pushed her back.
"Wanna find out how it feels to hit a woman that hits back for a change?," RickyJo offered, turning her attention back to Ed. She moved her fingers, gesturing for the man to come at her. Then she braced herself for the impact when the large man barreled into her, slamming her against the wall. RickyJo rocked her head forward, slamming her forehead into his nose with a satisfying crunch. Then she brought her knee up into his crotch, smashing his balls. He groaned in pain. And RickyJo figured most of the fight had gone out of him. But she was wrong. Ed lifted his hand, preparing to backhand her across the face. She brought her arm up to block the hit. But then suddenly the man was being dragged backwards and away from her.
Shane was back from his coffee run. And he was gripping Ed by the back of his shirt. He tossed the man on the ground and leaned down, delivering a hard punch to his face. Then he rolled him over and pinned his arm behind his back.
"Call 911," he hollered, "...tell them there's an officer here making an off duty arrest." RickyJo nodded. She put her arm around Sophia, pulling the little girl away and into the office with her. Then she grabbed the phone and did what Shane said, giving the woman on the phone her name and the address of the shop. When she hung up, RickyJo darted down the hall to the garage bay door and started screaming bloody murder for Daryl.
"What in hell?," he cursed, dropping his tools and running for the door.
"Carol's husband showed up and started roughing her up out in the waitin' area," she gushed. Daryl took one look at RickyJo's disheveled appearance and took off running down the hall. He was relieved when he got around the corner and saw that Shane already had the man pinned down on the floor. Carol was sobbing nearby.
"Keep her back," Shane instructed. Daryl nodded, putting his arm around Carol and leading her through the door and back behind the glass where her daughter was. "Is this the same guy that was causing problems at your apartment?," Shane asked. Daryl shook his head. That sure wasn't Merle pinned on the floor. Though he sort of wished it was. And that he was about to be arrested. And not bailed out this time.
"Never seen 'im before," Daryl said. "RickyJo said he's Carol's husband." Shane nodded, wondering if RickyJo was having a bad few weeks or if she was just a magnet for trouble. Between the apartment disturbance guy, the girl RickyJo smashed the slushie on, and this asshole, she had quite the run of luck lately.
"Go ask her if she's pressing charges," Shane suggested. The man on the floor was still struggling against his hold, so Shane didn't want to let go of him. But when he glanced up, he saw RickyJo had joined Daryl in the doorway.
"Ya bet yer goddamn ass I am," she announced.