The Vow by J S Donovan

Author:J S Donovan [Donovan, J S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-19T22:00:00+00:00

10

New Life

Clyde parked the 1980s Lincoln outside the duplex. The sounds of traffic sounded into the cool winter night. Car off, Clyde sat in the shadowy front seat. The bag of money slouched on the seat beside him. Clyde parted the bag and drew out a stack of cash. He brushed his thumb down the stack, swiftly leafing through the money. All Benjamins. He slipped out a random bill and shined a small flashlight through it. He saw Ben Franklin’s invisible face on the right side. The dashed blue stripe slightly offset from the middle and the fine detail on the portrait spoke to its authenticity. He tossed the stack back into the bag and grabbed another. He randomly pulled a hundred-dollar bill from the middle and compared it to the first one he pulled. Both were legitimate. He tossed the stack aside.

He tilted his back on the head cushion and gently slapped the stack of cash on his thigh. His mind played dozens of scenarios of what his life could be now. New house, new car, better office, and more savings to fulfill his calling. Doubts quickly overshadowed potential prospects. What if the money was stolen and traced? How would he deal with taxes? Would he need to launder it? He felt icky. He decided not to leave the car until he knew how to handle the money. Ten minutes of contemplation led him to a simple solution: save. No one needed to know how he got it. If he only spent a few bucks every now and again, none would be the wiser.

He silently entered the duplex.

Riley curled up on the couch. Drool trickled from the side of her lip. She was deeply dreaming. Pathfinder rested near her feet. The husky’s ears perked up at the door’s click. She raised her head, yawned, and followed Clyde.

“Back to bed,” he whispered to the dog as he unlocked his door.

“Yeah,” Riley mumbled.

The nineteen-year-old sat up. One side of her hair spiked outward. Her heavy-lidded eyes scanned the room. “What time is it?”

“I don’t know,” Clyde fumbled with his keys. They fell. He reached for them when Pathfinder snatched them up. “Hey!” Clyde yelled.

The dog playfully ran through the room.

“Come on, girl. Give ‘em back!” Clyde said.

He neared her, but she bolted the other side. Her tail wagged like crazy.

Riley got up from the couch. “You go that way, and I’ll go this way.”

They chased the dog around the couch. Pathfinder slipped right by Clyde. Riley reached for her but ended up hitting Clyde instead.

He lost his footing and ended up on his back. The pain tingled across his body. Riley rested on top of him.

“You okay?” she asked, laughing.

“Ugh,” Clyde said.

Riley raised herself up. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I thought you’d be a lot harder to take down.”

“You caught me by surprise,” Clyde rubbed the back of his head.

Riley reached over and grabbed a stack of cash. “You dropped your—holy mackerel! You got a few thousand dollars here!”

The bag had opened during the fall.

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