Free A Dangerous Game by Rick R. Reed Page A

“Hiya, kid. Counter or table?”
    Wren stepped a little farther into the blessed coolness, reveling in how quickly it was drying the sweat from his brow. “Actually, I’m supposed to meet someone.”
    As he spoke the words, his eyes adjusted more, and he spotted Davidson Chillingsworth as he stood up in a booth near the back of the restaurant.
    “Right here, Wren.”
    The woman behind the counter looked from Wren to Chillingsworth and back again. Wren thought some of the light went out of her dark eyes. Her smile definitely vanished.
    “Okay,” she said softly. “Go on back and I’ll bring you a menu.”
    Seated, Wren smiled at Chillingsworth and tried to play it cool, as if he met with professional pimps every day to discuss the possibility of working for them. Dave, not surprisingly, looked every bit the televangelist, as he had the night they met. Today he wore a pair of cream-colored slacks, loafers, a blue-and-white-pinstriped shirt, and a blue blazer, in spite of the temperature already hovering around ninety-five outside. Wren noticed he had even put a brightly patterned orange and cream handkerchief in his front breast pocket, folded almost origamically into three neat triangles.
    “Venus, my dear, how are you today?” Dave said to the woman Wren had seen earlier when she showed up with menus and a coffeepot.
    “Fine, Mr. C, just fine.”
    She set down menus and poured coffee for both men. There was something about her demeanor that was different from when Wren entered. When he had first come in, she had a big grin. She was open. Now all that had shut down. Wren felt as though she’d rather neither of them be there. He shrugged; it was just a feeling.
    Because he was hungry, and to delay the forthcoming conversation, Wren ordered quickly. “I’ll have the Greek omelet, a side of bacon, crispy, and rye toast. Hash browns too.”
    Dave smiled, but it came out more like a grimace. “Hungry?”
    Wren wanted to say he wasn’t sure where his next meal would come from so he might as well get while the getting was good. But instead he just smiled at Dave. “Growing boy.”
    Dave nodded and ordered only black coffee.
    While they were waiting for Wren’s food, Dave launched into what Wren supposed was his pitch.
    “Wren, I’m so glad you could find the time to come see me. I wasn’t sure you’d call, so you can imagine my delighted surprise when you did.”
    “Yes, I can just imagine.” Wren busied himself pouring three packets of sugar and two containers of cream into the steaming liquid, maybe because he didn’t want Dave to see him rolling his eyes.
    “You’re being sarcastic.”
    “No. No. I’m sorry. I didn’t have a very good night, and I’m just tired.”
    “Anyway, I wanted to say that a young man such as yourself can have limitless potential in my business. Limitless potential for money and the leisure time in which to spend it. Most people go through life wishing they could somehow figure out a way to marry that particular combination. Most never figure it out. But I can give it to you, Wren.”
    “And all I have to do is fuck?”
    Wordlessly, Venus set the plates down before Wren and refilled their coffee. She hurried away.
    Dave shook his head. “I wish you would refrain from using such crude language around me. It offends me, and it doesn’t become you at all.”
    Wren didn’t apologize. He took a bite of his omelet, which was a delightful blend of spinach, egg, and feta.
    “Whatever. I can see you need a little work. The phrase ‘diamond in the rough’ comes to mind when I look at you.”
    Maybe because he was tired and his tolerance for bullshit was low—he’d had more than his fair share the past several days—Wren cut to the chase. He figured he had nothing to lose. Part of him very much wanted to destroy any possibility of a deal.
    “You know, Dave, all the rosy talk and blue skies in the world doesn’t change what we’re here to talk about, so why don’t you just