The Polka Dot Affair

∞ II ∞

I took a moment to chew on that. In my line of work, someone was always trying to kill somebody else. It seemed to be an occupational hazard for claiming a stake, in the big city. But I decided to dig a little deeper and see if she was worth my time—and saving.

So I asked her, "who's trying—" But cut myself short, seeing that she had drifted and was no longer hearing my words. I decided to save some air and took another hit from the bottle. Then waited. But I didn't have to wait long.

"Oh, I'm so, so, sorry Mr. Cartwright. I've made a terrible mistake." We both paused for a moment to consider what that mistake could be but when nothing clicked, she pushed on.

"Please forgive me," and went to get out of her chair. But the laws of gravity had other plans for her. As she turned to make for the door, her body doubled back, doing a free fall straight towards me—the way they teach you to do it in those trust exercises. Well, we both passed the test. I caught her by the shoulders. She didn't struggle, but instead, slowly twisted herself up and in towards me—our faces now only inches apart. That's when I first noticed the smell of freshly picked lilacs with a hint of honey rising from her pores. It was intoxicating. All I had to offer back was another question.

"So? Who's trying to redefine your future, Miss, Mrs..."

That's when she told me her name was Mrs. Veronica Stone and that the guy trying to kill her was Matt Sanders. Sanders ran the Polka Dot Club—a two-bit strip and poker joint on the south side. I asked what gave her the idea that he was trying to kill her. She told me that a friend of hers had overheard him saying so.

So I asked why not go to the police and she said. "He owns the damn cops." I thought about that for a moment and volleyed back with another question.

"And what exactly do you want me to do about it? I'm a one-man outfit, with no accidental or death benefits. And I'm not in the market for any, anytime soon."

"Please James." She gave me a pout that could melt even the most hardened of men. "I want you to stop him. I want you to protect me. I want you to—" She finished the last sentence by planting me with a long wet kiss. I returned her offer without the slightest protest. I knew then and there that it was going to be one of those nights and one long journey down the rabbit hole.

I finally managed to pull back for some air and a reality check. I sensed deep down that things didn't add up. I wasn't so lucky, that is, having a dame like her waltz in and fall for a guy like me. I decided to check out her story first so that maybe, we could continue this conversation at a later date. And I told her so.

"Fair enough." She threw back.

It was the first time that night I saw her smile. Before driving her back to her place, I called an old buddy of mine, by the name of Andy Tibs—an ex-cop and asked him to stake her place out till morning.

NOTE: Due to the absurd amount of ADS on Wattpad and how they interfere with the ability of readers to enjoy the story I've decided to only publish a small portion of the story here.

You can find the complete story of Amazon. Click the link on this page or on my profile.