said Maddox, checking his watch. "I have a hot date with the drive-through."
I drained my glass and stood before wobbling a bit when my heel caught the edge of the barstool.
Lily stopped as she walked past me with a tray of empty glasses. "Did you drive here?" she asked.
"I did."
"Keys?"
I fished them from my pocket and handed them over. "Take her home, please," she instructed Maddox. "She definitely wobbled."
"I would never drive drunk!" I protested. "I'm not even drunk. I have heels on!"
"I can't breathalyze you so I need to be sure you don't drive. Your car can stay in the lot overnight or you can send someone over to pick it up. Sorry, the police visited all the bars on this street last week and laid down the law. They warned me I could get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law so now I have to be extra careful."
I was too tired to argue. That, combined with the two glasses of wine, meant Lily was probably right. Plus, it was nice to have a friend watching out for me. "I can get an Uber," I told them both.
"I'll take you home," said Maddox.
"You drank the same amount as me."
"I'm bigger than you. I metabolize alcohol faster."
"Fine, but we have to get two burgers on the way because I’m hungry," I announced as my stomach gave a small but ominous rumble.
"You're buying, and I want a large order of fries," said Maddox.
"Fine, and two chocolate milkshakes."
"You drive a hard bargain. Deal."
We waved to Lily and Ruby as we walked out the front doors, turning left. Before we even walked a full block, we got to his car. I texted Solomon that the pool car was invited to a sleepover behind the bar and I'd be home with hot burgers soon. Then I buckled up.
"We'll hit the drive-through off Century Street," said Maddox. "Then I can take you home. Hey, have you ever thought about getting a normal job?"
"I think you asked me that already."
"Yeah. One day I hope the answer will be yes."
"You've seen me doing a normal job. I’ve never been successful." I smiled as I thought about all the creative ways I devised to assuage my boredom when temping.
"Fair point."
My cellphone rang and I smiled as I answered, "I knew you'd want a burger too."
"I do but it'll have to wait. We found the vehicle," said Solomon.
"I know. It's at Lily's. My sneakers are on the floorboard."
"No, not that vehicle. The getaway vehicle from the bank. Lucas located it and managed to track it a few blocks. It was listed as being stolen so there was no address on record but I've had people searching the neighborhood where it was last sighted and we found it. We've had it under surveillance for an hour. No movement."
"Where are you?"
"Harbridge. We seem to be in the one part that hasn't been gentrified yet. Looks pretty rundown."
"We? Who's we?"
"Me and Delgado. Fletcher and Flaherty are watching the back. You should be here too."
"What about their strip bar case?"
"This takes precedence."
I checked my watch. "I can make it in less than fifteen minutes."
"Look for my car and try to be inconspicuous."
"Got it." I stuck my phone in my pocket. "They found the getaway vehicle. This could be it! Case solved."
"From the bank? Let's go," said Maddox. "Call it professional curiosity but I want to see how this plays out."
"I knew you couldn't resist."
Maddox hung a right and we sped onto Century Street, turning before we got to the drive-through. That was disappointing but I figured the perps would not wait for us to eat dinner before they engaged in their criminal activities. We drove a few blocks at normal speed, spotting Solomon's car and parking around the corner a block away. We hurried over, and I slid onto Solomon's unoccupied back seat.
"This is a surprise," said Solomon, glancing at Maddox. His arm rested casually on the open window.
"He was giving me a ride home," I explained. "Lily took my keys."
"Thanks," said Solomon. "Are you drunk?"
"No!"
"No problem. Lexi was buying the burgers," said Maddox.
Delgado twisted in his seat. "You bought burgers?"
I held my hands up. "Nope. Solomon called before we could get there."
"Man," sighed Delgado, "I'm hungry."
"If this goes well, I'll buy everyone a burger. Now stop thinking about your stomachs," said Solomon.
That was hard to do since I'd been craving greasy carbs ever since the matter came up. "Which house are we looking at?" I asked.