Shame on Me

Right when I think Kennedy is going to punch me in the face, she wraps her arms around me and pulls me against her.

“If you wanted more work, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t need to go hunt down a fucking mobster,” she whispers against my hair.

“I just wanted you to see I could do something other than sit there and look pretty,” I admit.

My friends know the whole story about the way Andy used to parade me around. I’ve never really admitted to them how deep it hurt me, though. Until now.

Kennedy lets go of me and pulls back to stare at my face. “Is that seriously what you think? Paige, I trust you. I know how smart and courageous you are. I would have never asked you to be part of this business when we met in that self-defense class if I didn’t believe in you. I just wanted you to get your feet wet with easy stuff before I let you kick some real ass. I never once doubted your abilities.”

It’s very rare to hear Kennedy say something so heartfelt. She never wears her emotions on her sleeve. I feel a tear slide down my cheek before I can stop it. I should have trusted my friend to have faith in me.

“Oh, fuck. Don’t cry. You know I don’t do crying. It gives me hives. Where the hell is Lorelei?” Kennedy complains, looking around the room.

“She’s in court, most likely cutting off another set of balls to store in her purse,” Dallas replies sarcastically.

“One of these days, Dallas, she’s going to have your balls in her purse,” Kennedy tells him smugly.

“When pigs fly, dear Kennedy. When pigs fly,” Dallas laughs.

“Can we please go over the details one more time so I can stop freaking out so much?” Matt asks, interrupting Kennedy and Dallas’s back-and-forth over Lorelei.

“Melanie is already with Vinnie. He doesn’t usually take her on jobs, but she used her powers of persuasion to convince him to take her this time,” Ted explains.

“So you’re saying she spread her legs. Got it,” Kennedy adds. She turns to Matt and shrugs awkwardly at him. “Sorry.”

“No apology necessary. Why do you think I’m divorcing her?” Matt informs Kennedy.

“Anyway,” Ted continues. “Paige will go in with the money and make sure Andy is still alive. Melanie is going to start up an argument with Vinnie about his crush on Paige in an attempt to get him to admit to some of his recent activity so we can get it on tape. Otherwise, with his contacts, he’ll easily find a way around doing less time. He’ll be in and out of jail in no time, and then we’re back to square one. This is going to be our only shot to put this guy in prison for the rest of his life and we’re going to take it. As soon as we get something concrete on tape, we’ll come in and arrest Vinnie and get everyone out safely.”

The room is silent for a few minutes after Ted finishes his explanation.

“See? Piece of cake,” I tell Matt, trying to keep the nerves out of my voice so he doesn’t worry any more than he already is.

“So how do we know Melanie is actually going to do what she promised? She isn’t exactly the most honest person,” Kennedy asks.

“Last night, I took her on a trip to the women’s correctional facility. We had a little tour. She was still crying when I dropped her off at home an hour later, mumbling about bitches with the most packs of smokes and how she doesn’t want a prison tat,” Ted tells her with a smile. “I may or may not have told her that as soon as she walks in the door, she’ll be considered fresh meat and the words ‘she’s my bitch’ will be tattooed on her ass.”

Kennedy pats Ted on the back and looks at him with respect. “I knew there was a reason why I liked having you as a brother.”

“How can we be sure that Paige isn’t going to be in any danger? I mean, this is the Mob we’re talking about. What if they know she’s been in contact with the police and this whole thing is a setup?” Matt asks worriedly as he wraps his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on top of my head.

“There’s always that risk, Matt. I’m not going to lie. But we have a couple of informants on the inside who swear there hasn’t been any talk about this drop being a setup. They all just assume Paige is a ditsy model coming to bail out her ex,” Ted explains.

“Dammit, now I’m jealous. Paige gets to go in there, act all stupid and giggly, and help take down one of the biggest crime rings in the state, and I have to go back and finish delivering a boring subpoena,” Kennedy says.

“Wanna trade places? I can do your makeup and hair and put you in something really cute. We can practice your giggles,” I tell her with a smile.

“On second thought, Paige is a much better choice for this job. Good luck.” Kennedy gives me a thumbs-up and takes a seat at her desk.