Money Can't Buy Happiness

Chapter 3

"I'm not really from around here," Kozik said with a sunny smile. He had been chatting with Katie, more so out of his usual friendliness than anything else, after finishing with Tig in the ring.

Katie nodded, offering him a cold water as he tossed his rag into the laundry bag. "I spent some time here as a kid but I'm not either."

"Where do you call home, sweetheart?" Tig asked, draping his arm around Katie's shoulders from behind.

Shrugging him off her, Katie raised an eyebrow as she turned to face him. "DC, actually."

"You work in politics, huh? Rubbing elbows with those dirty politicians?" He was undeterred by her brush off and continued to flirt just to have some new competition with Kozik.

Laughing, she nodded, "You could say that."

"And what do you do when you're not at work?" He asked, his upper lip curling a bit.

"Rub elbows with myself," she winked playfully. "Speaking of, don't you have work to do?"

"We're takin' a personal day," Kozik said. "We're gonna stick around, help Lumpy out and shit."

Katie smiled at that. "Well, guess that means I can go since that's usually my job."

"Then we don't wanna stay," Tig shrugged. "So, you better stay."

She huffed, feigning annoyance and disappointment, but Katie quickly went on with her list of duties while Kozik and Tig played around, providing quality laughs for the day. As the sky grew darker and Lumpy saw himself out, Katie prepared to close up for the evening. Kozik followed Lumpy, partially due to his frailty in general but also because of the tense situation.

"What are you doing after this?" Tig asked, leaning on the door frame, as she sat at the desk in the office.

She looked up from the cash box. "Going home," she smiled.

"Why don't you come hang out with us," he suggested with a devilish smirk.

"Oh, you know," she sighed, "I have to wash my hair."

"Looks clean to me," he crept around to the desk. "Smells clean too."

"You better back up," she said lightheartedly. "You'll have to pay if you move any closer and I don't think you can afford me."

Tig's brows furrowed for a second as he looked at her, thinking she was serious at first, but he eventually laughed. "Probably not," he joked.

"Are you ever going to tell me what the threat may be?" She looked up at him, shadows playing on her face from the tiny desk lamp. "Or am I supposed to think you're hanging out for fun?"

"Just a precaution," he shrugged. "I wasn't sure if you were dumb or just didn't care."

"Little bit of both," she stuck her tongue out. "I appreciate it. You guys are good to my pop."

"Lump's been around for a long time, he's a good guy."

The front door opened and Tig tensed as he moved from the desk toward the office door. It was probably the move that saved his life. Salazar opened fire and sprayed the gym with bullets, the steel file cabinets with years of paperwork blocking both Tig and Katie from any harm. Once the firing stopped, Tig slipped out stealthily and began firing back at him. Salazar zig zagged, spraying lighter fluid around the ring, before lighting the match and heading for the exit. He caught a bullet in the leg but still made it to the car where his girlfriend waited to drive them both to safety.

"Mother fucker," Katie shouted as she grabbed the cash box and ran toward Tig on her way out of the building. "Are you alright?" She asked as they rushed toward the street.