The Inner Fullness Heist: Ch. 04

Carla nodded. "Go on. Anything in her file got you worried?"

"Yeah. She's going to be tuned into conflict nearby. She's always getting into fights with people."

"She's always getting into fights with women," Carla said.

"Isn't that what I said?"

Carla took a deep breath. She hadn't even met Laney already and already couldn't stand her. It was a little hard to ponder just how well her oblivious boyfriend was about to get along with that little "pick me" of a receptionist.

Well, a job's a job.

"Okay. She's a rich girl in her first year of college, used to getting her way. She was pledging a sorority, but got kicked out after some big blowup at a party. She flirts obsessively, likes big, strong men — probably even oafish ones who don't know how to read mission briefs right, and-"

"Come on," Joey said, rolling his eyes.

"And," Carla continued, "has fallen out publicly with at least two friends who strongly implied that she stole their boyfriends. Hacked emails show she's had disciplinary issues at work, and is a major fuckup or two away from Vera firing her ass."

"Being a bad worker doesn't mean she's not watchful."

"It means she's not going to be thinking about her coworkers' safety, because she doesn't care and doesn't really like other women. She'll probably be blasting her earphones, and studying or texting or something. And once she realizes what's happening, her instinct will be to try to win you over by playing us against each other, which makes our jobs really easy."

"How do you know I won't choose the girl who doesn't call me an oaf?"

Carla's eyes narrowed. "Call it a hunch. Besides, I know you only have eyes for Vera."

"Too true," he said. "What's her product code?"

Carla smiled and looked out the window.

"Come on, Carla. What is it?"

"You could have checked at HQ. Now you'll have to wait until you code her."

"It's nothing too... unusual, is it?"

Carla rubbed her chin, reflectively. "Vera seems to be a complex, modern woman. Let's just say that her entrepreneur side isn't going to be pleased, but her laid-back, sensualist side should find it quite, uh, fulfilling."

Carla sighed with relief at Joey's pleased expression. This would be a very bad time for him to develop a conscience.

"You want to hear about the others?"

"Sure."

"Well, Sammie is going to continue to be very active. Lots of running and playing for her."

"She's a WG?" Joey asked, excited. "Wow! I've never spent time with a WG. I'd love to check out the training."

"Made it too obvious, didn't I?"

"So she'll be like Fifi?"

Carla shook her head. "Not at all. I'm not sure Fifi would even know what to do with a WG. She mostly likes being around people."

She pondered. "A WG would most definitely know what to do with Fifi, though."

Joey chuckled. "I'd love to see that. What else?"

"Well, Laney you know. There's a doozy coming this afternoon, though. Hold on."

She ruffled the brief for several moments.

"Here we go, this is the one I'm worried about," Carla said.

Joey laughed. "It's the snob, isn't it? You just can't stand a snob."

Carla scowled, but otherwise ignored the comment, skimming the file silently.

"Nice tits, though," Joey offered.

"Her name is Jessica. Head of the HOA, works in real estate. Spends her spare time shopping and leaving nasty Yelp reviews, and get this — she's filed 15 separate reports with the police in the past year, most of them noise complaints or 'suspicious person' reports."

"Gonna guess 'suspicious person' is how Jessica says, 'man with dark skin,'" Joey said.

"Good guess. Ex husband is a hot shot lawyer, and she started her real estate business from the alimony checks. Three kids, including a gay son and lesbian daughter, both disowned. Ex-husband is still active in the lives of all three. The rumor is that she broke up with him because he wouldn't send them to conversion therapy."

Joey's eyes widened. "Pretty cold."

"Yep. She's a piece of work. Last year, she rallied a mob to hound the school board president out of her job because she wouldn't approve a switch to an abstinence-only curriculum, and...."

Carla held her hand over her mouth for a long moment, her skin slowly and silently turning red. Either she'd found something very upsetting, or....

She burst into laughter.

"What is it?" Joey asked.

Carla paused to catch her breath. "Let's just say that someone at HQ has either a vendetta or a very particular sense of humor."

Joey chuckled. "I'm guessing she'll have time to rethink her stance on same-sex relationships?"

"That ain't the half of it. It'll be a nice surprise in coding — if things go right, that is."

"You're worried she'll get spooked?"

Carla's face took on a serious expression.

"Yeah. She knows all the staff, and won't be happy if anything seems different. Also, she has some posh friends in the neighborhood who stop by now and then to meet her after her massage."

Joey nodded. "We should have Jan and Sprinkles by then, so-"

He looked at Carla.

"Oh."

"Yeah," she said. "She's not gonna like the look of that pair, and neither are her friends. Hopefully we can put them to work packing up. Or if there's a clover, that should keep them busy. So keep the room clear, and be ready to improvise.

He nodded. "So that just leaves your girl."

"Stephanie," Carla said, with a smile that he'd never seen before. "I think I'm gonna name her 'dancer.'"

"Not up to your usual naming standards, is it? It's like calling your dog, 'dog.'"

"I will call my dog exactly what I please," Carla said, in a tone of voice which made it very clear that he should drop it.

"And what's her background? Any idea how you're going to approach this one? She'll probably be the strongest of the bunch."

"Don't worry one bit. Dancer will be a sweet little lamb for me."

Joey nodded. "Guess I'll take your word for it."

Carla didn't answer. She was looking out the window with exaggerated ease, and an almost angelic smile on her face.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Oh nothing?" She hid her expression so quickly he missed it, but the way she blocked it with her hand was unmistakable.

His eyes narrowed.

"You're not thinking about trying it again, are you?"

"Trying what?" Carla asked innocently, as he turned into the driveway

"You are!"

"Am what?"

He could tell she was just teasing him now.

"The ... door drug something — what did you call it, again?"

"Oh, you mean the Drugged Door Dash?" She asked, with a look of innocent inquiry. "Why what an excellent suggestion!"

Joey rubbed his forehead.

"As if we don't have enough to do," he grumbled.

"All the more reason to speed things with the Triple D."

"It's just not possible," Joey pleaded. "Once the applicator goes on, they've got at most-"

"Blah, blah, blah, mister only been here three months while I've been using those applicators for three years."

"Still not going to happen," he said, maneuvering the truck behind the back of the building. "Remember when you lost the last bet?"

"Some of it," Carla said with a wink. "Care to go again?"

"It's your ass. Literally," Joey said, throwing the car into park beside the employee entrance. It was a little suspicious, but it was hidden from the road, and would make loading a whole lot easier. "What do I have to lose?"

He felt just the tiniest bit rattled when Carla got out of the truck without answering, a bland mission smile already on her face.