Bad to Be Worthy (Bad to Be Good #2) - Andrew Grey Page 0,14

on the apartment door, and Tucker answered with Joshie once again behind him.

“I got some cold and flu stuff for Cheryl and a few goodies for this guy.” A cough reached his ears from the other room. “How is she?”

“She’s coughing and sleeping a lot, but she’s eaten and says she feels better.” Tucker stepped back, and Gerome entered. The apartment was even cleaner than it had been that morning. Gerome reached into the bag and handed Joshie a box of animal crackers. He ran off with them, climbing onto the sofa holding the box as though it were some sort of prize. Gerome smiled as he watched him, wondering at the situation when so simple a gift had brought such an expression of excitement.

“Do you want something to drink? I have water and some of the juice you brought earlier,” Tucker said, closing the door behind them.

“I’m fine,” Gerome told him and sat at the snack bar. “I need you to answer a few questions for me.”

Tucker sat down. “Are you a cop or something? Is that how you knew to help us get out of the camp last night?” he asked, picking up a napkin and twisting it in his fingers.

“No. I’m not a cop. I work at a gift shop down the road.” Gerome wondered how he could get to what he needed.

“Then who are you and why do you know what’s happening?” Tucker asked.

Gerome knew he had to be more careful. He had assumed since Tucker had agreed to find that package that Tucker was naïve, but maybe he had just been desperate.

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” He leaned closer. “This is a nice community, relatively quiet, with vacationers, some locals, and seasonal people. They come here because it’s quiet and peaceful. No one wants shady things to happen here.” They certainly didn’t.

“What about the police?” Tucker asked. “Won’t they help?”

Gerome met his gaze. “Do you want to call them and explain what happened?” He already knew that answer. Tucker and his friends wanted to stay under the radar just as much as Gerome did. That was pretty obvious. Not that they had done anything wrong, in Gerome’s opinion, but indigents were targets, easily manipulated and abused simply because they were vulnerable. “I didn’t think so. Can you tell me what this guy looked like? A really good description. I only saw him at the bar and last night.” That wasn’t the total truth, but maybe Tucker had noticed something Gerome hadn’t.

“He was smarmy. Both times I saw him he was in expensive clothes. I was down at the marina looking for cans to recycle so I could get some money to buy a little bread for Joshie when he pulled up in an Audi. He asked if I wanted to earn some money. He handed me a few bills and told me what he wanted and where to meet him. Said I was to bring the package to the bar and he could give me three hundred dollars.” Tucker shook a little. “I knew I was probably getting into something shady, but it was a lot of money that could feed the three of us for a month or more.” He lowered his voice. “Do you know what it sounds like when a five-year-old is going to bed hungry?”

Gerome did know. He had done exactly that many times when he was a kid, and yeah, it was terrible. “So you were desperate.”

Tucker shrugged. “There aren’t many opportunities for upward mobility in a tent camp, are there? Of course I was desperate. I still am. The only reason we have a roof right now is because of you.”

Joshie laughed, and Gerome realized he was watching cartoons, shoveling the crackers into his mouth.

Tucker turned and smiled himself. “God, that’s a beautiful sound.” He shifted his attention back to Gerome.

“Do you know what was in the bundle you were supposed to find?” Gerome asked.

“No. All I know was that if I brought it to him at the bar, he would pay me, and that I wasn’t supposed to look inside. That’s all. I figured it was probably drugs or something, but I don’t know. I figured I would get it, hide it somewhere, and then tell the guy at the bar where it was and that would be it. The less I handled it or was seen with it, the better.”

Gerome nodded. “I suspect our friend is going to be looking for his package pretty closely, and he isn’t