Drawn to Light

Chapter Four

There was nothing to do except wait after she set the timer on her phone. And Jay hated waiting. She paced across the room only to cast occasional glances at the timer. Minutes turned into an hour and only then did Jay make enough of a calculation to realize she would be sitting for hours waiting, given what Tilly said last time.

To distract herself from the worry gnawing at her stomach—and it was worry, not hunger—she hauled out her laptop. Jay needed money, and the faster she worked, the faster she would get paid. She had two contracted finds on the go, one for a rare copy of Aleister Crowley's private diary and another for an old antique. The antique, she would have to hit up the thrift stores for but the book, she could manage with online searches for now. Jay shook her head. The kinds of shit rich people pay to find. At least it kept the bills paid. But now she needed to think beyond bills and booze.

"Ah ha!" She came across an eBay auction and made note of it. Because of course, eBay. But that also meant she had to ensure that the merchandise was the only real thing. She hunted for the seller's contact information and once found, fired off an inquiry asking very specific questions about details that her client had provided. Tricks of the trade.

That done, Jay checked her phone again. If her hypothesis for their time difference was correct, she still had a few hours before Tilly even had a chance to come back. And she'll need other things, like food, for when she returns.

With a last glance at the space Tilly had faded from, Jay slammed her laptop shut and rushed into motion. She grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on before she crossed the room to a beat up but sturdy old chest. There was only the slightest hint of hesitation before she opened it and extracted several bills from a white envelope. With a shake of her head, she stuffed them into her zippered pocket. Screw the rent.

The only thing open on a weekday night in a neighbourhood like this was the gas station store. She half-ran to it, concerned that her hypothesis was wrong and that Tilly would return to an empty apartment. Or worse, Jay would miss her entire arrival and subsequent inevitable departure. It was for that reason she flung open the door a little too hard and found three pairs of eyes staring right at her. Two of them turned back away to mind their own business. Just like she'd preferred.

One pair remained as the cashier swept his gaze up and down her body in appraisal. "Hey, what's up Jay?" The pimply kid at the cashier squinted and jutted his chin out to look cool. But it just made him look high, or constipated. Jay wasn't sure which.

"Shut it, Stu." She had no time for him, even more than usual. In general, she loathed coming in as the kid never stopped trying to flirt with her, but this was the closest place with food. Or sorts.

Jay made a beeline straight for the freezer where she grabbed a stack of microwave dinners. She balanced those in a precarious pile with one arm as she made her way back up the aisle to grab three boxes of granola bars.

With both arms full now, she walked back over to the cashier and deposited her stash on the counter.

"Woah, pay day?" Stu rang up her purchase and bagged the boxes.

Jay flashed him a sarcastic smile and rummaged through her pocket for the money.

"Hey, you know..." Stu leaned forward and folded his arms on top of the counter. "...the pizza place down the block is still open."

She stopped and looked up at him. "What? It is?"

Stu straightened. "Oh yeah, they extended their hours. What say you and I...?"

Ew. Definitely ew. Jay grabbed the grocery bags and tossed the bills on the counter. "Keep the change."

One detour. She couldn't wait to see Tilly's face as she bites into her first pepperoni pizza.