A Hand of Spades

Chapter 16. The Other Thing

It's a little less-than-glamorous that part of my espionage mission against Hoyt involves scrubbing the toilets at the Stella, but what can I say? Shit happens.

My phone died blasting tunes to try and keep myself distracted from the stench, so for the last hour of cleaning I passed the time by making a list in my head of all the atrocities that can be found in a strip club bathroom. I'm just glad there were no UV lights in there.

The first order of business when I get back to the safehouse is a shower and then sleep. It's almost six in the morning by the time I pull up. I practically sprint for the bathroom, relishing the hot water. I find myself intensely grateful for Cash's body wash. The sharp mint and spice suds are a welcome relief from the bleach and urine I've been exposed to for the last few hours. 

I sigh, finally starting to relax despite my exhaustion when the bathroom door busts open.

"Jesus Christ!" I shriek. I can just make out a familiar hulking frame through the frosted glass. I know he can't fully see me, but my arms still fly to cover myself. "What the hell, Cash?"

"Where the fuck have you been?" He barks over the sound of running water.

"What?"

"You're hours late getting back. Your phone was off"-

"It died. Can you get out?"

"Where. Have. You. Been?"

"The Stella!" If he's this mad about me getting home late, he's going to hate the part about snagging a key. I'd better get it out of the way now instead of later. "I stayed late to clean up the bathrooms so Hoyt would give me the back door key."

A pause while he lets that sink in. 

"Can you please get out and I'll explain it when I'm done in here."

I watch him retreat silently and the bathroom door closes behind him. I exhale a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Cash in close proximity is not something I think I'll ever adjust to. Cash in close proximity while I'm naked and covered in his body wash is another thing altogether. 

I turn the water from hot to cold before my thoughts begin racing. 

~~~

Time to face the music.

Peering around the corner, I spot Cash waiting for me on the couch. Sucking in a deep breath, I sit next to him and place the key in his outstretched palm. He blinks at it incredulously for a few moments before glancing back at me.

"You should've told me you were going to do that."

"Little hard when you avoid me like the plague." I grumble.

To my surprise, he lets out a bemused kind of laugh, running a rough hand across his face. "Jesus, Dallas. You know you work my last nerve, don't you?"

"Then we're evenly matched."

He holds up the key in front of my face. "What are we even going to do with this?"

"You Spades have a hardware store, don't you?"

Realization crosses his face, and suddenly he's grinning. "Clever girl. You want to cut a copy."

I try not to let his praise go to my head - or anywhere more Southern. "This gives us access to the Stella at any time. It's not much, we would still need to get into Hoyt's office for records without tipping him off somehow."

He stops me with a wave of his hand. "This is good, Dallas. We'll figure out the next step, but this is a damn promising start." He hesitates and brushes his palms nervously against his thighs. "I want to apologize."