Jamie Schlosser [Schlosser - MAGIC MAN: A Good Guys Novel

Magic Man

Copyright 2019 Jamie Schlosser

All rights reserved.

This novel is for your enjoyment only and may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without permission from the author except for brief quotations in a book review. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

This novel is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are a product of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to locations or incidents are coincidental.

Due to language and sexual content, this book is intended for readers 18 and older.

Cover design: More Than Words Graphic Design

Formatting: Champagne Book Design

Proofreading: Deaton Author Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS

To Gus,

No matter what, I promise to always love you on accident and on purpose.

Ive been putting my son first for so long that Ive forgotten how to be me. Each monotonous day bleeds into the next, and I feel like Im struggling to keep my head above water.

But a kiss at the top of a Ferris wheel with a man I barely know changes that.

Jay reminds me that I used to be bold. Vivacious. Funny.

Strong.

Now if only I could convince him his past mistakes dont define the man he is today.

I can perform over a dozen illusions with a simple sleight of hand, but I cant make the felony on my record disappear.

The last thing I should be doing is hanging around a young single mom and her kid.

But Casey doesnt know that Ive been watching her. That I want her for myself. That Im addicted to her dimples, her tenacity, her fierce love for her child.

If I was a better man, Id leave her alone, but she pulls off the biggest magic trick of all time: making me believe Im a good guy.

T he first time I met Casey Maxwell, I told her two lies and a truth. After all, deception was one of my best talents.

Knocking on the screen door of her doublewide trailer, I stepped back on the rotted wooden porch. I studied the faded yellow siding while mentally rehearsing the answers to the questions she would ask.

Shed be curious about the stranger on her doorstep with a mysterious wad of cash, and I had the lies locked and loaded on the tip of my tongue.

Seconds ticked by, and I knocked again.

I knew she was home.

I knew a lot of things about her I shouldnt.

Like the fact that shed turned sixteen two months ago, her favorite color was blue, and she worked at the diner down the road. She rode her blue bike everywhere because she couldnt afford a car. She got straight As in school, and she lived in this piece of shit trailer with her mom. Her dad had been out of the picture since before she was born.

And, if she hadnt gotten knocked up by an abusive psycho, she wouldve been going into her junior year at Brenton High School at the end of the summer.

I heard the rattling of locks before the door opened a little. One apprehensive blue eye peered at me through the crack.

Can I help you?

So, I started, my tone jovial as I raked a hand through my hair. Last night was a shit show, huh?

A quizzical quirk of her eyebrow was the only agreement I got, and I could read the sarcastic comment running through her mind.

Ya think?

My assessment of the events that led me here were accuratean illegal fighting match at an abandoned farmhouse, bloodshed, and the biggest drug bust this small corner of the world had seen in decades.

And Casey was at the center of it all.

Although my memories from the past twenty-four hours were hazy, I remembered seeing her last night. Out of place, too young to be there, heavy makeup meant to make her look older.

After her boyfriend got knocked out, shed fallen to her knees next to him and quietly admitted she was having his baby.

Jaxon didnt even tell me where he was taking me last night. Caseys jaw worked with annoyance. Im not a fan of violence.

Well, she was dating the wrong guy then.

She probably didnt even know what a bad guy Jaxon Meyers was.

But I did.

Casey wasnt the first vulnerable girl hed pursued. At least that fucker got the ass whooping he deserved, courtesy of my buddy, Jimmy.

Jimmy had been blood-thirsty on behalf of his girlfriend, Mackenna. Shed been a victim of Jaxons abuse years ago. The bastard almost killed her. In the couple months since Jaxon got released from prison, hed been harassing Mackenna with threatening letters.

And apparently also getting a sixteen-year-old girl pregnant. Busy guy.

Hi, Im Jay. I offered Casey my right hand.

Without opening the door further, her skeptical gaze landed on it, then flitted back up to my face. No handshake then.

She was afraid of me. Good girl.

I dropped my arm. Im a friend of Jaxons.

That was the first lie. The words felt wrong coming out, but I needed Casey to trust me enough to accept the gift I wanted to give her.

What does he want? Her voice was hard. Im not bailing him out. Even if I had the money, I wouldnt do it. If Id known he was dealing drugs, I wouldnt have been dating him. Im not that kind of girl, so if he gets out you can tell him to stay away from me. I already told him its over.

Okay, so maybe being friendly with her ex wasnt the right angle to play. Unfortunately, it was the only angle I had.

No bail for him, I reassured her. Thanks to the meth the cops found in his pocket, I dont think Jaxon will be seeing life outside bars for a long time.

A relieved sigh left her and some of the worry vanished from the one eye I could see. She opened the door wider, and then I had a full view of her heart-shaped face.

That trust I was seeking? I could sense Caseys defenses coming down a little.

But I wasnt innocent eithernot when it came to drugs. Id been selling and using for years, and it was only a matter of time until I got caught.

After the fight was over, all hell had broken loose when wed heard the sirens approaching. High on painkillers and panic, Id tried to outrun the police.

I just wasnt fast enough.

My biggest regret was almost taking Jimmy down with me. Instead of pulling my car over and keeping my cool like any sane person wouldve done, I drove into a ditch then took off on foot into a cornfield, leaving Jimmy behind to deal with the consequences.

While searching my car, the cops found my stash and took Jimmy in for questioning. It was probably a good thing he was oblivious about my pharmaceutical occupation. He gave his full cooperation and walked out of the station a free man.

I wasnt so lucky.

There was a warrant out for my arrest, and it was the final nail in the coffin of my downward spiral.

After this last good deed, I was going to turn myself in.

Id been on the wrong path since I was too young to know better, directed there by the one person I shouldve been able to look up to. I was my fathers son. Hed made sure of it, and now I was going to suffer the same fate as hima dark, lonely cell.