Only You by Jerry Cole (the top 100 crime novels of all time TXT) 📕

until he was glaring at two teen girls that had been loitering nearby, passing a bottle of vodka between them. He bulged his eyes at them and they yelped and hurried away. “That ain’t a problem, is it?”

“What? No – no, not at all.” Sherman was quick to reach into his wallet and pull the cash out. He had known how much it was going to cost him going in, and even though the price was exorbitant, this was also Australia so it was rather standard.

“He’s good for it, don’t you worry.” Nick rested his hands on Sherman’s shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “You ever heard of DreamLine Travel? This little prick basically runs it.”

“Is that right?” Mad Dog Dan tilted his head curiously as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a yellow balloon that Sherman hoped to be stuffed full of a certain white powder.

“Too right,” Nick continued proudly. “In fact, if you ever want a discounted trip —”

“Thanks for that!” Sherman just about shouted as he made the trade, cash for the balloon. As he did, he shrugged Nick off, while hoping that his tone indicated to his loud friend to keep his trap shut. Again, it wasn’t that Sherman worried anything would come from Mad Dog Dan knowing who he was and what he did... but that didn’t mean he wanted the information broadcast all over Redfern either.

“Yeah, whatever,” Mad Dag Dan shrugged as he pocketed the cash.

“So, I can just ah... anytime I need something... ah... give you a call?” Sherman pressed. This was his first time meeting Mad Dog Dan and as much as Sherman hated to admit it, as much as it nauseated him to even think it, he hoped it wouldn’t be his last.

“Chubs here gave you me number?” Mad Dog Dan indicated to Nick.

“He did.”

“That’s it then. You know what to do.” Mad Dog Dan turned to head back into the building.

“Thanks, Mad Dog.” Nick stuck his hand out for Mad Dog Dan to shake, but Mad Dog Dan was already halfway back toward the buildings entrance. Sherman got the sense that even if Mad Dog had seen the hand, he still wouldn’t have shaken it. “Classic Mad Dog.”

“Come on, let’s go. This place gives me the willies.” Sherman darted around Nick and was quick to jump back in the car and lock the door. Nick joined him a moment later.

Because of Nick’s size, everything he did was a struggle. Just the act of him climbing into the car, closing the door and doing up his seatbelt was accompanied by a series of groans and exasperated sighs. “So, that went well,” Nick started.

“Lovely,” Sherman agreed. “I might invite him to Chrissy lunch.”

“Obviously he ain’t exactly Mr. Personable, but at least now you’ve got a hook-up. You don’t have to come crying to me every other week now. You, are welcome my little friend.”

A part of Sherman knew he should have been grateful, and probably should have told Nick as much. But another part, a much smaller more silent majority, knew that what had just happened was the beginnings of a slippery slope. And now, there was no looking back. Really, Sherman should have slapped Nick across the face.

Sherman didn’t consider himself an addict. God no, he wasn’t there yet. But his trip through Europe had opened his eyes to the world of cocaine, and how God damn lovely it was. There was just something so... so transformative about the drug. It had the unique ability to strip away all the stress that Sherman felt through work and send him into a state of relaxation he had never known. Before Europe, he’d used booze to do this. Now... well, he hadn’t gotten drunk in nearly a month.

Nick started up the car. “Now, I know you’re going to turn me down. But I have to ask anyway. Any chance you want to come out with —”

“Nope.” Sherman opened the balloon, delighted to see the coke wrapped up inside.

“Come on,” Nick groaned. “It’s Friday. The clubs are thriving – I'm even willing to go to a gay club, if that’s what you want.”

“Nope.”

“I guarantee that with me there, doing the intros, working the room and all that, I’ll have you a guy in minutes. Gay guys love me! And once I tell them I’m straight, but I know a rich little hottie with a massive —”

“Are you right?” Sherman laughed. “You know I don’t go out. Besides, I’ve got a call to make in —” he checked the time, “— forty-five minutes. So, if we could....” he indicated for Nick to start driving.

Nick rolled his eyes as he kicked the car into gear. “Right, the business call – you know, I know for a fact that call can wait till Monday. Those cruise ships aren’t going anywhere.”

“They won’t be once I make this call.”

“Funny.”

The cruise ship line that Sherman kept pitching was just that, a line. And both he and Nick new it.

The truth behind the matter was that while Sherman was currently in the process of ordering three new cruise ships in a bid to expand DreamLine Travel’s cruise line next year, it could still wait until Monday. Both men were aware of that. The only reason that Nick didn’t push on it was because the purchase of said cruise ships was monumentally important to the future of the company.

The Single Through Europe Travel package had been a bust and they needed a way to make the money back. Going all in on cruises was what the marketing team had decided on and with three new ships now on order, they were going to have to go very hard on them. But Sherman was confident this wouldn’t be an issue. Cruises were safe, they always would be, and 2020 was going