Dangerous Conceit by Ali Lee
Chapter 10
It was around ten the next morning when Rafa decided to take his car to Reggie's for maintenance. The Lexus was due for an oil change and a few other checks. As annoyed as he was with the dealership owner, he could not avoid the tune-up.
Rafa was going over a few scenarios in relation to Lexi and sat inside Reggie's office, ignoring the hordes of people in the waiting room. He enjoyed the VIP treatment he received and the advantage of not having to mingle with potential buyers.
Rafa winced as he sipped from a cup of poorly brewed coffee and set it back down. He thought about his conversation with Angelo the previous night. He knew the precautions that Angelo insisted upon were in everyone's better interest. He thought over the situation all night. Angelo was right about her nickname Cinderella. Rafa knew the nickname was not exclusive to Royce by the way he had said it, which meant Lexi had an alias. Aliases were given to those who dealt personally with problems. Either that, or she was a prostitute. Rafa would have discerned those attributes right away if that were the case.
Why was Moretti using a woman? Did he recruit women to do his work? Maybe women were easier to disguise. Since she was working at the Sandy Shores, the Tomassi Group could very well be the problem that Lexi was sent to handle or gain information about. They could have a possible sharp shooter on their hands in a woman's body.
While Rafa dwelled on his thoughts, the woman in question entered the large dealership. If she was looking for a used car, it did not surprise him that it would be there. As obnoxious as Reggie came across, he had the best reviews in Miami as far as price and reliability.
Behind the one-way glass window, Rafa watched her wait for a salesperson. She was not alone. A woman even taller than Lexi with long red hair was standing beside her. The redhead looked exactly like a woman he hired at their new gentlemen's club that opened a month ago. Both looked anxiously around the large building where a couple of nice cars and SUVs were set up as displays.
After a man from sales finally approached to talk to them, they seemed in a heated discussion, attempting to reason with the salesclerk. Five more minutes passed when the clerk gave up and walked away. Lexi started talking with the woman beside her until Reggie walked up to them. Rafa cracked the door to the sales floor to hear what they had to say.
“Hey there, I'm Reggie. Ted over there tells me you wanted to talk to me about buying a car. He said you have two grand and you don’t want to finance. Is that right?”
“Yes, that's right.” Lexi stared at the man with a confidence that she certainly lacked in Rafa's presence.”
“Listen, we don't run a charity here. Do you see the lineup out front?” He pointed through the front windows at the used cars.” Even the least expensive car out there cost over six grand. What do you want me to do with pocket change?” Reggie shrugged and shook his head. “I can't help you if you don't want to finance, ladies. I have a business to run.”
“Look.” Lexi would not take no for an answer. “I know how this works. You must have some junky vehicle in the back that you repossessed or something. Not everyone honors the payments you stick on them. Let me take one of those repos off your hands. We’re desperate here.”
“Listen, sweetheart. Once a person’s delinquent on their payments, I report it to a collections agency. Then I make a claim to my insurance. Those cars aren't my problem after that. The only cars I have are what you see.”
Lexi sighed and glanced at the redhead, not ready to give up yet. “Isn't there anyone you can call, anyone at all who would have something for our cash? Certainly, you could do that for us. I know you don't have to, but we really need a car today. So please, just make a call.”
Reggie exhaled, biting his bottom lip and looking to the ceiling in thought. “All right, all right, geez.” Lexi and her friend smiled in response. “Hey, don't get too excited, cause I'm not promising anything, but I can at least make a call. Wait out here. It could be a few minutes.”
“Thank you.” Lexi let out a breath.
“Yeah, yeah…oh, what did you say your name was again?” Reggie asked when Lexi looked at the redhead who gestured her to say something on their behalf. Rafa wondered why she hesitated, but eventually she muttered through her teeth.
“Emmalyn.”
Emmalyn? He thought about the name and sat at Reggie's desk, pondering it in his mind. “Emmalyn.” He repeated the word again and speculated further, tapping his fingers on the desk and said the name again.
Rafa narrowed his eyes to the window, looking out into the lobby with a new plan in mind. “Emmalyn,” he said. “If that’s your real name, love, we’ll know what’s going on very soon.”
“Hey. Mr. Paolini. Your car is ready.” Reggie's loathsome voice brought Rafa back to the present. “What the hell has you so tense? Been watching you for five minutes staring at that window.”
Rafa held up a finger to shut Reggie up and pulled out his phone. “Hey, I have an idea for the woman in question. Tell you about it later.” Rafa did not give Angelo a chance to object when he stood and looked at Reggie. “Give that woman out there a car. Not some beat up piece of shit, either. A good working vehicle.” Then he took out his wallet and threw a credit card on the desk. “Take this. Use whatever you need, but don't make me come kill you over it.” He pointed as he neared the back door of the office. “Oh, and bug it before you let them drive away.”
Reggie frowned. “Damn you people think you can order me to do whatever you want like you own the place.”
Rafa’s brow rose. “We can order you to do what we want. That was part of the deal you signed. You remember who helped you get the place to begin with, don’t you?”
“Right,” Reggie sighed. He would never live that down. It was as if he owed Tomassi endless favors for the loan.
“I'll come back for my card later…and take a thousand for your trouble.”
Reggie grinned wider than Rafa cared to see and gave a quick wave after him. “Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Paolini.”