Five
1234 Words
“No. I don’t believe it.” McKenna gasped. She took a sip of her margarita and slipped some down the front of her.
“Oops,” she giggled.
“Yeah. The whole place was perfect.”
“So, why are you still worried about it?”
“I-“
“Wait. Hold that thought. Gotta pee.” McKenna stumbled toward the ladies’ room. I bobbed my head to the beat of the Latin dance tune that played on the speakers.
Las Mujeres was our favorite place to hang out on Friday nights. The margaritas were cheap, the music was always playing, and we could enjoy ourselves without being continually accosted by the boys from the local college. They preferred the dance club down the street over Las Mujeres.
McKenna set two more frozen strawberry margaritas down on the table top and fumbled her way back into her booth.
“Back.” She picked up the almost-finished margarita from before and dumped the rest of it in her mouth.
“I thought you went to the bathroom?”
“I did. And I got us another round. This one was on the house. Drink up! Free drinkies!”
“How? Who—“
“Does it matter? Some guy. Just drink! Anyway, finish telling me about your tour of the Menagerie and why you’re so worried.”
“Right. Anyway, he really wanted me of there.”
“So? You were there as an inspector. Can you blame him?”
She had a point.
“I guess not. But there was this area that he wouldn’t let me see. He said it was just for trash. I mean, why hide that?”
She shrugged and flipped her blonde hair back behind her shoulder.
“I still don’t get why you’re so worried. The animals looked healthy. Isn’t that why you were there?”
“Yeah, but-“
A tall man approached our table, smiling. “Ladies. How are the drinks?”
He looked so familiar but I had a hard time placing him. He was handsome with dark hair and a toothy smile.
“Beth! This is the guy who bought our drinks! Isn’t he cute?” She smiled at me.
McKenna had no interest in a relationship but that never stopped her from enjoying the attention.
The man clapped and realization hit me. Niaz.
“Beth. I thought that was you.” His eyes narrowed and focused on my face.
My heart pounded in my chest and I felt my face flush.
What was he doing here?
“You know each other?” McKenna asked.
“Forgive my rudeness,” Niaz said. He extended his hand and shook hers. “I am Niaz. The owner of The Menagerie. I had the pleasure of meeting Beth earlier today.” He reached for my hand again and kissed the back of it. I pulled it back into my lap.
He was dressed sharply in a tailored suit that clung to his form in just the right places. The colored lights from the dance floor moved on his face. I couldn’t deny that he was a gorgeous man.
McKenna grinned and I fumbled to say something. As beautiful as he was, he was hiding something.
My silence didn’t seem to phase him. “Do you ladies come here often?”
Uh, what a cheesy line. I tried to contain an eye roll.
“This is our Friday night hangout. We’re here every Friday!” McKenna shouted above the music. She looked from him to me and back again several times.
“What a coincidence. I have business with the owner. I hope to see you both here when I come in again.”
He winked at me, turned on his heel, and went back to the bar.
“He’s cute,” McKenna gushed. “I see why you want to spend more time with him.”
I scoffed. “It’s not that. I-” I stopped, afraid that he could overhear our conversation. The music was so loud, but. . .
“What?”
I grabbed my phone and motioned toward it. I opened the notepad and started typing. When I finished, I showed it to her.
I’m afraid he can hear us.
McKenna read the words and rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be silly. It’s so noisy in here. There’s no way.”
She was probably right. I was being paranoid.
I looked over at the bar. Niaz had found a seat at the end of the bar and smiled as a gentleman talked. I recognized the gentleman as the owner of Las Mujeres, an animated man. Tonight he wore an electric blue button down shirt with sequins and silver pants. The owner was just as flashy as his restaurant.
As he talked to Niaz, he waved his arms. It looked like the my might be arguing. Niaz nodded and pointed a finger at the man.
McKenna kicked me from under the table. “Don’t stare. Then he’ll really know we’re talking about him.” She glared at me.
She moved over the my side of the booth.
“Scootch,” she demanded.
I moved over so she could sit.
“I have an idea,” she said into my ear.
“OK?”
“He’s here. That means he’s not at the zoo.”
I leaned away from her and scrunched my face so she could see my face.
“What?” I mouthed. If he was here, of course he wasn’t there. I didn’t see her point.
“Let’s go. We can see what he’s hiding while he’s out.”
She grinned and looked like she was proud of herself.
“Are you crazy?” I mouthed at her.
“What?”
“You’re drunk.” I laughed.
“It’s still a good idea. How else are you going to find out what he’s hiding?”
I looked over at the bar. Niaz still sat at the bar. His conversation with the owner looked like it was getting pretty heated. The owner’s face had turned beet red and he waved his arms wildly. Niaz shook his head and crossed his arms. Whatever the problem was, it didn’t look like it would be resolved any time soon.
I leaned over to put my mouth to her ear. “If I get caught, I’ll lose my internship. I can’t. I need this for my application. Vet school, remember?”
“So don’t get caught. Come on. It’s dark. The zoo is closed. Who is going to know?”
I’d been worried about the welfare of the zoo’s animals since I took that weird phone call.
Maybe it was the tequila talking, but McKenna’s scheme was starting to make a little bit of sense.
“Fine. I’ll do it. But I’m going alone. You’re too drunk. You’ll only get us caught.”
- Writer
