Chapter 2
Faye's POV
"That one with the shaved head is a prick! I can't believe he said that to you about the tip! Just wait until I see them next time! Rude fucking men and I don’t care how hot they are!" Michael complains as we both clean the cafe and discuss everything that had happened that day.
All of the customers were gone now and we were racing to finish cleaning so that we could leave to attend our friends party. Or should I say Michaels 'friends' party.
Michael had been seeing this college football player for a few weeks now but the guy was adamant that he had to keep things on the down low…
Michael however, dumbly, was already head over heels for the guy... but I knew all too well that the dude would probably never want anything official with Michael.
I guess the guy was too scared for people to find out that he was gay - a common problem Mike faced in his dating life, particularly with the football players in fear of how they would be judged for it.
"I'll do the last couple of booths!" I call over to him, as he cleans the counters and dances to the radio in the process.
I make my way through the booths one by one, even wiping the ones down that hadn't been used at all today to remove any dust - before I get to the last booth where the three captivating criminals had earlier been sat.
I clean the counter, before reorganising the table contents, before lastly bending to pick up a napkin from the floor...
I pull the napkin back, jumping slightly in surprise when seeing a small silver burner phone laying underneath.
"NOPE! NOT THIS! Michael, no way! I am not doing this illegal shit! Get over here right now - come see this!" I pull the phone up from the floor quickly before tossing it onto the table as though it had burned my hand.
"Lucky for you I was just finished cleaning! What is it now you drama queen?" Michael waltzes towards me nonchalantly as I hurry him over with my hand.
"Look what I just found under THEIR table!" I gesture down to the little phone, as Michael tilts his head at the thing.
"What in the damn Stone Age is that?! I thought those men were rich?!" Michael picks it up and studies it curiously, twirling it around in his fingers.
"It's called a burner phone! Haven’t you ever watched a crime show?! That's what drug dealers use so that they don't get caught, I've seen it a million times before on the TV! They get used for all sorts of illegal shit, trust me!" I ramble, suddenly worrying that they will come after us if they knew that we found it!
"We should just wait and give them it back next time they’re here! No big deal, Faye." Michael shrugs after a moment of thought, seeming to not care as much as I do for the little gadget.
"WHAT?! No way, do you want us to die?!" I exaggerate, as he shoves my shoulder lightly.
"Girl, you need to chill the fuck out right now! I'll take it home with me, they will probably just call for it and then we can arrange to hand it back!" Michael stuffs the small phone into his trouser pocket, before walking off without a care in the world.
How could he be so calm?! We just found an illegal device and now he wants to steal the damn thing and take it home?
This is totally all on him!
I refuse to take the fall for this!
"Come on bitch, I want to go see my new man!" Michael grabs his car keys, turning off the lights as he waits by the door, as I remain frozen by the booth.
I can't believe that he is my best-friend...
I sigh, before moving to grab my keys to lock up since Sandra had to leave early for a 'meeting' with her dumb boyfriend. She promised to pay me extra for locking up which I doubt she actually will, but the atmosphere was much better with her gone anyway so I didn’t mind.
We swiftly lock up before climbing into Michaels car, whilst it takes him a few turns to start up the engine…
"Ugh! I’m tired of this piece of shit car! This will all be worth it when I'm rich - believe me!" He complains, before beginning to drive us towards his flat as soon as the engine roars to life.
"So where's the party at?" I question, seeing him perk up at the mention.
"New Haven..." He grins, as I nod, that's not too far from us at least.
"Do you think people from school might be there?" I question next, praying that we don't run into any of them tonight since it was a local college party...
"Well, I hope not..." Michael agrees with my concerns, as we both pull up in front of his apartment building.
I grab my bag from below, before heading out of the car - following him into his neatly kept apartment.
It was minimal and kept clean, with bright artwork decorating the walls. He definitely did his best with the money he had! It was better than my place anyway... although I practically lived here with him half of the time.
"Ok let me whip up some cocktails with whatever alcohol I can find!" He tosses his keys aside, heading straight into the small kitchen as I giggle at his eagerness to start drinking already.
"Remember you still have that crime phone!" I call in to him, earning a laugh before the sound of the blender takes over.
I always liked going to party's, especially with Michael... and when I had some drinks in me I liked the little confidence boost it gave me to socialise more - it was almost like pretending to be someone else for the night.
The blender came to a steady end, as I take a seat on his sofa, fidgeting with his speaker to figure out how to turn it on to provide us with some music.
I eventually hit the right button, before Michael exits the kitchen holding two large and tasty looking ‘cocktails’.
"Just what we need after a hard day at work, and don’t even ask what’s in it!" He states with a loud laugh, taking a seat beside me - seeming uncomfortable as he does so.
He shifts slightly, before removing the little phone from his pocket and tossing it out onto the nearby coffee table with a clatter.
"If they don't call then finders keepers!" He laughs, pulling his own iPhone out of his pocket before the speaker soon comes to life getting us in the party mood as soon as he connects to the Bluetooth.
We drink our cocktails, bitching about Sandra and how dreadful she makes our lives everyday, before the cocktails are soon finished and we decide to make a start on getting ready.
"I'm showering first! I call it!" Michael races out of the room, as I roll my eyes and decide to pour myself another drink in the kitchen - finding a bottle of wine in the fridge.
I crack the cap, begin to pour it in to my glass, before I pause when hearing an odd ringing sound beeping from the other room…
“What is tha…?” I begin to whisper out, before my eyes grow wide in realisation as I place the bottle down on the counter with more force than what was necessary.
Fuck it's the damn burner phone!
I freeze momentarily, before my body moves towards it unwillingly compelled by the foreign noise to pick it up...
Do I just answer? Get it over with?!
"Hello.." I press the green button and say before it was too late, as my mind screams for me to stop what I’m doing.
"Who is this?" The deep voice asks from the other end, sending that same fearful chill down my spine from before.
"Uh... well... My name is Faye... I work at the cafe..." I explain quickly, praying that he will forgive me for stealing his crime laced phone.
"So you’ve taken my phone have you, Faye?" My name in his tone almost drives me weak at the knees, as I clear my throat to mask it.
"Uhh not on purpose n-no... I found it under the table... when I was cleaning up... we decided to take it incase you called and wanted it back." I hurry my words out, listening to the silence on the other end as he processes what I'm saying.
"We?" He briefly asks, as I shiver again.
"Yeah me and my best-friend... he works there too." I confirm, earning more silence.
"And did you and your little friend so happen to look through the phone?" His words were like ice, making me feel cold and nervous with the more questions he was asking.
"N-No not at all, we would never! We only just got home, we've not even had it for long I promise!" I begin to panic, not wanting to anger the man.
"So where exactly can I pick it up? I'll be free in a few hours." He eventually states, seeming suddenly unbothered by everything I had said.
"Well... we are going to a party tonight so we won't be home... could we maybe meet you with it tomorrow instead?" I try to arrange another plan but he quickly cuts in-
"No, you can’t, I fucking need it tonight! Write down my personal number and text me the address of the party. I'll call you when I'm there!" His tone becomes harsh as I involuntarily gasp.
"O-Ok... yeah sure... just tell me your number and I'll see you tonight then..." I stumble on my words, before Michael appears by the door in nothing but a towel, his hair wet as he takes in my flustered situation - eyes growing in size.
I write down his number on the back of a supermarket receipt, ignoring Michael by the door as he gives me a thumbs up to question if everything was ok, before the man hangs up bluntly after hearing me recite his number back to him.
Something felt off about all of this...
Way off...
Who exactly were we dealing with?