My legs buckled as the room continued to spin slightly around me and warmth flowed from his arm into my back and the surrounding chatter faded. In that fleeting moment, all that was left was the music and our gentle swaying, rocking me into a comfortable tempo.
Slowly, he lowered his head and his lips brushed my ear. He spoke in a deep but tender tone, “Are you having fun?”
I nodded unable to formulate words.
“By the way,” he breathed. “You look beautiful.”
Mentally, I assessed my clothes. It was nothing special, just a simple floral dress.
“Thank you,” I managed not wholly accepting his compliment.
During the dance, I imagined his perfect lips ripe for kissing on mine and … oh my God! I popped my eyes open and shook my head, trying to disregard the thought.
When the song ended, I breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone clapped and a break was called. The kids ran to the tables and the volunteers followed after them.
“I should go help,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Sure.” Ezra squeezed my shoulder ever so tenderly. “Go ahead.”
The back of my knees trembled and I had to pause, steadying myself, before taking a step.
Two hours later, we were packing and clearing the hall. The children were gone and the only voices left laughing and chatting were those of the adults.
“I noticed what you and Frank did,” I said to Stacie, tossing empty cans into the trash bin.
She shrugged, not a trace of regret on her face. “You make a beautiful couple. You should have seen yourselves dance.”
“The two of you should just cut it out. Ezra and I are friends, and barely that. Nothing more.”
“When I said couple, I meant dance couple, honey.” She smirked. “But if the thought has crossed your mind then, who knows?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Nothing crossed my mind.”
“Whatever you say, girl.”
“When’s the next event?” I asked to change the topic.
“Not entirely sure. There is a sign-up sheet and you get an email with the date and stuff. Usually, Ezra reminds me a few days before.”
“He’s really invested in this project, isn’t he?”
“Sure is. Last month, he donated twenty thousand to help offset the costs.”
“Wow!”
“I know, right?”
“He’s very generous,” Sienna said, making her presence known. “I asked him about it, and he said it was some cash he’d been saving.”
“He cares about the kids,” Stacie added. “He’s affectionate, kind, considerate—”
Rolling my eyes, I cut her off. “Stop singing his praises.”
I scanned the room, searching for him but Ezra was nowhere to be seen.
“Ezra’s gone.” Stacie chuckled. “Left about five minutes ago.”
“I wasn’t looking for him.”
“Sure.”
On my way home, I typed out a message to Erica and Melissa.
Christina: You guys won’t believe what happened tonight.
Christina: Ezra’s a nice guy!
Christina: he helps poor kids and all.
My hands hovered over the keys debating whether to send the next text. I knew they’d freak out but I wanted to grasp Melissa’s reaction.
Christina: I thought about kissing him.
Before I could change my mind, I hit send.
Tonight had been full of surprises. Even with everything that I learned about him, I tucked my emotions away. I couldn’t afford to let those feelings strengthen only to have my heart crushed yet again.
Instead, I looked at my phone, expecting to find a swarm of text notifications from my friends, but there were none. I opened my last sent message. My eyes flew open and my neck heated as a ball of embarrassment grew inside of me to an overwhelming point. I prayed for the earth to swallow me whole.
“This didn’t happen,” I mumbled.
Chapter Ten
Ezra
Christina: You guys won’t believe what happened tonight.
Christina: Ezra’s a nice guy!
Christina: he helps poor kids and all.
Christina: I thought about kissing him.
The messages were on my phone’s screen but I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Either the texts weren’t meant for me or it was some kind of practical joke. I read them again. She thought about kissing me? I smiled despite myself. The thought had crossed my mind especially after our dance tonight.
She was so docile and meek, allowing me to lead her across the dancefloor unlike the force of nature I’m used to. I always suspected there was much more to her. I locked my phone, placing it on my side.
Tapping my foot, I sat on a wooden bench at Azalea Community Park. Darkness had robbed the daytime colors from the park. Agaves and lavender complemented whimsical sculptures, while brickwork paths and benches encouraged lingering. It was a peaceful space, completely at odds with what I was there to do tonight.
A murky silhouette strode towards me like a piece of the night. The large frame slipped next to me. “Ezra, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Without turning to face me, he thrust his hand in my direction. I shook it catching a whiff of cigar from his breath. “You say you’ve got somethin’ for me?”
Nunes was a detective in the narcotic’s division. I reached out to him promising intel on how drugs were being trafficked into the city. I chose him after extensive research, he seemed like a standup cop, unlike a lot of his men who I’d seen trading favors with Rowan.
“I can help you take down an extensive drug operation,” I said, “I can give you names, accounts, tell you how and when the drugs are getting in and out, and how the cash is being cleaned.”
He whistled. “That’s some big talk, kid. Got any proof?”
“I’m working on it.”
He scoffed. “You got me out here, in the middle of the night, for I’m working on it?”
“No. I got you here because I need you to promise me that once I hand over everything I’ve got; my family will be safe. I need you to get them out of here. When I turn on these people, they will come for me, guns blazing, and when they don’t find me, they’ll go after my family.”
“Listen, if you had somethin’ solid, I could’ve considered the possibility but you’ve got nothing.”
I retrieved a piece of paper from my pocket and handed it to him. “This shipment will arrive tomorrow. The inventory says that they are shoes and most of them are but some will have thicker soles where the drugs will be hidden. If this comes through, do we have a deal?”
“If this comes through.” He took the paper. “I’ll reach out to my friends at the DEA. Then we’ll talk about your options.” He rose, adjusting his jacket. “You said you want protection for your family but you didn’t include yourself?”
“I have it figured out.”
“I hope you do, ‘cause this is no game.”
Nunes’ words caused the hairs at the back of my neck to stand on attention. In life there are rules, but with every rule, there was an exception. In this case, I was hoping to be the exception. I planned to snitch on a drug cartel and walk away alive, while the rules stated death as the penalty for betrayal.