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mouthful and says, “Fine. I moved in with Mimi while we’re waiting for Manman to get better.”
    I shake my head. I’m not sure what Mimi has told him. He could be in full denial or misinformed.  
    “Living with Mimi is nice,” he says.
    I can see in his eyes that he would probably be more enthusiastic if he didn’t feel as if he were betraying his mother by saying how great Mimi was. I try to make light of it with a joke. “You’re such a weird kid. You really like folding your stuff?”
    His eyes go wide, and he frowns. “How do you know Mimi likes folding stuff? You’ve been to her place?”
    I wink at him. “No, she’s never invited me, but I can see she’s very neat and organized. She would kick me out after half an hour because that’s about how much time it takes me to mess up a room.”
    “Then your time is almost up,” Super Waiter tells me. He’s hovering over me and bending slightly, an extended arm toward the door.  
    I decide to ignore him and ask Toussaint, “All good with the math?”
    The man coughs and insists, “Sir.”
    Toussaint’s eyes dart from the man to me, more annoyed than scared.  
    I stand and tower over the waiter. “I’m keeping my young friend here company until his aunt returns. I trust this won’t be a problem.” I use the icy tone I perfected talking to the very drunk soldiers who returned to the base after curfew. I add a touch of contempt to my voice for good measure.  
    The man realizes I’m taunting him. He steps back, and out of the corner of my eye, I see some of the staff would cheer me on if they weren’t afraid to lose their jobs. I’ve always loved to bully a bully. Does that make me one? I guess so.
    I sit down again, and the man leaves the room. I wonder if he’s going to call security to have me removed. I’m betting against it—that would make him look like an idiot in front of his crew—so I chat for a few minutes with Toussaint.
    Mimi returns. “He’s waiting for you outside.”  
    I stand and pull out the chair for her. “I’m sorry we interrupted your lunch. It was cool seeing you, kid,” I say to Toussaint, who waves good-bye at me.
    As I leave the hotel, I find Slider waiting for me on his bike. He’s in a foul mood.
    “I offered her a minimum pay, and she told me to go fuck myself,” he says, kicking his engine alive. “Literally!”
    “Well, she could very well come around soon,” I tell him. “Her boss wasn’t happy about our visit, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t diplomatic enough when I told him to get lost, so I’m betting he’ll need to fire her tonight to assert his authority for the rest of the crew.”
    “You devious bastard!” Slider says with a wicked smile.
    I take that as a compliment. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do to get the job done.”  

CHAPTER NINE

    I meet with Brian under the pier at six. We have a couple of tequilas and paddle away from the shore on our body boards. The waves are big. The first storm of the season is approaching, and all the sane people are safely at home. Some are even boarding up their windows in case it turns into a hurricane.
    “You know sundown is feeding time for the sharks,” he jokes.
    “Yeah, but I couldn’t figure out another way to see your ugly mug,” I tell him. “It’s not I. A. that I’m worried about; it’s the Knights. I’m working at their strip club, and I could get into all kinds of trouble if they saw me hanging out with an Iron Tornadoes member.”
    “I hear you,” he says. “How’s being a bad boy working out for you?”
    “I’m not sure. Yesterday I enjoyed being uselessly rude to someone.”  
    Brian laughs. “Tell me more! That’s so unlike you. I wish I could have seen you do it.”
    “There’s this girl who refuses to come back to work for the club, and we’re kind of in a rut with the talent search right now, so Slider and I—”
    “Slider? As in the V. P. of the Knights?” Brian cuts in.
    I nod and continue.