Zotzed by the Ghosted

Zotzed by the Ghosted

Theo dropped the bag on the coffee table, letting out a long sigh. It fell on its side, the bundles of cash spilling out but he didn’t bother to correct it. All six of the locks on the door had been secured, and no one was getting in here. And even if they did, Theo’s roommate Alec could take care of them.

Speaking of which, the specter appeared beside the table, reaching out to take one of the stacks of bills. “It’s twenty thousand, you don’t need to check,” Theo commented, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He didn’t expect that to stop his roommate from counting it all, he really had a stick up his ass. Maybe it had to do with his background in organized crime, but he was always expecting someone to fuck them over in this.

He’d started to doze off when the rich voice shook him awake. “It’s all there. Twenty large. That for a single chump?”

Opening his eye, Theo grinned at Alec, who was half sitting, half sinking into the coffee table as he thumbed the money. “Yep. Premium target, so a premium price.”

“That’s a lot of cabbage. So who’s the egg I’m cutting down?” Alec set the money down and looked at him, so Theo reached to grab the bag, tugging it over so he could pull the black notebook out with a flourish.

Flipping it open he tapped a page and held it out. “So he’s a judge, aiming for the supreme court. Client doesn’t want him making it any further then the cemetery. Apparently he’s hired three other guys before us, one got killed by police outside the courthouse, one was caught trying to fuck up his car, and the third . . . remember that news story last week on the letter bomb that went off at the post office? Yea the third guy’s fuck up. So the judge is way on edge and has pretty good security. Guess that’s why the client finally decided to cough up our fee and come to us.”

Alec took the book in his transparent hand, looking through the pages of notes. “So you have a plan? Get to preaching.”

“Kinda.” Shrugging a shoulder, Theo glanced to the money. “Client wants it clean, so he can’t be connected. So I thought doing it while he was with the police guard will make it seem more like natural causes. Guy doesn’t seem to be the healthiest, so a heart attack wouldn’t raise suspicion.”

“Ha! Right under the buttons’ nose! Bird will think he’s safe and sound and then I’ll come in and he’ll be blipped off.” Crackling with delight, Alec stood, brushing his suit as he did out of habit, despite the fact it’d been around a hundred years since his clothes had been capable of getting dirty. “Can you hand me a gasper?”

Pulling the pack of cigarettes out of his jacket, Theo held it out. Once one was taken he watched as Alec snapped his fingers at the tip and it caught fire. He’d watched a dozen times but it never ceased to amaze him how the ghost could do that. Of course, lighting a cigarette was less impressive than his more fatal abilities, but Theo preferred not to see those up close.

“The address of his office is in there, and his home. I’m not sure which you’d prefer. I think he’s going to have police around him no matter where.” It would certainly be a deterrent for most criminals, but it worked well for their purposes. “Once you deal with him we can look into new apartments. I know you’re getting tired of this one.”

“I’d like something ritzy, and something away from the rattler. With that scratch we shouldn’t have a problem. Ya feel?”

Laughing a little, Theo nodded. “Course. If I’m never in an apartment next to train tracks again it will be too soon.” He’d honestly been surprised that the noise bothered Alec as much as it did him, but he supposed just because you were dead didn’t mean train whistles in the middle of the night weren’t annoying. “I’ll start looking tonight for a new place. Maybe somewhere upstate . . . ” The payout from this job would cover first and last month’s rent and then some.

“Good. I’m going to take the air. Get ready.” Alec flashed a smirk before he began to walk from the room, fading from sight after only three steps.

“Oh, okay. Bye . . . ” Theo frowned a little at the abrupt departure and went to gather the money back in the bag when he felt a chill on his neck. Turning his head he saw Alec only a hair away. “Alec?” he started to question but was cut off by the feel of cold lips on his.

“Don’t fret daisy. I’ll be back soon.” Alec’s hand rested on Theo’s cheek a moment before the ghost vanished again, this time leaving Theo with a smile on his lips. Cheeks a little flushed, Theo collected the money and walked to the bedroom to put it all in the safe and await the news of a contract closed.