After he helped me stagger back to his place, Jax sat me down on the tattered old couch. He handed me a glass of soda and settle down carefully beside me. The long walk in the chilly evening air helped to clear my head. Although my uneasiness was replaced by embarrassment. I was lucky enough not to have drunk all of the spiked booze.
I glanced over at him and smiled warmly, realizing how lucky I was to have him as my friend. He grinned at me with that boyish devil may care smile. Just as quick, the smile faded as a more serious expression washed over his face.
"You know he thinks you're a cock tease," Jax blurted out in a matter of fact kind of way, "His words not mine. At the club, he said you'd be an easy piece of ass."
"Well, he's an asshole."
"Yeah, I know."
"So who came up with the bet then?"
Watching his face turn red, led me to believe he witnessed or at least overheard something.
"Shawn did, the wager was if he could screw you or not. I would have told you on the dance floor but he got in the way. Then I figured you were into him when you said it was cool for him to cut in."
"Who doped me?" I hoped Jax had an idea of who spiked my drink.
"Shawn, Rizzo said he thought he saw him put something in your drink at the bar before you came back from the can."
"That guy is a royal dick."
"When you two headed out back. Rizzo came over to tell me what was up, the rest you know," he explained as a muscle twitched in his jaw.
A smile crossed my lips at the memory of what the two girls and I joked about earlier in the bedroom.
"Well, I guess I found Prince Charming."
I stood quickly and then settled back down on his lap. The old leather material crinkled out a protest as I did. His brows rose as my fingers snaked into the material of his shirt and pulled him to me. While I kissed him tenderly he wrapped his arms protectively around my waist.
Someone snored loudly into my ear. My eyes flew open in a panic as my hands tossed a heavy arm off my waist. Jax laid there curled up beside me. The nearness although not unpleasant was alien. Grubby being the only one who ever slept with me made this feel awkward. The blankets had been thrown off sometime overnight, revealing we both slept in our clothes. The stench of booze, smoke and sweat tinged everything. With the greatest care, I slid out of the bed not wanting to wake him. My backpack still sat on the floor by the closet. I quietly ventured over and got something I could change into.
I showered, dressed and left before he woke up. We might not have done the deed but things did get pretty hot and heavy between us the night before. I didn't want to complicate our relationship by having sex with him. He insisted I stay the night in his room though. And I gladly accepted the offer. My staying any longer might be a tad awkward for him, especially if he found me still curled up to him in his bed
I silently left his apartment right as rush hour started to kick into high gear. My day ahead would be busy. I hopped on a bus and headed for my neck of the woods. The first stop of my day needed to be a small deli on Ridgewood Avenue. The owners were a humble couple who knew me from my frequent visits. The proprietor gave me a special rate on sandwiches, buy one get one free. I spent most of the money I had left on a dozen subs. With my shopping completed, my next stop would be the park.
I made several short visits and handed out most of the food to the elderly homeless. It didn't amount to much but the snack would hold them over for one more day. Their gratitude reflected in their weathered eyes. These people helped to keep me hidden from the cops and they'd protected me when they found me. The small gifts of food were the least I could do for them. I saved two of the cold-cut subs and meandered to my favorite spot to enjoy the afternoon sun and watch the pigeons. Knowing she would show up here before lunch, that was her usual routine, I wanted to ensure she had something to eat as well.
The cool breeze fluttered the leaves in the surrounding trees. Their beautiful colors already faded. Many had fallen to the ground and created an autumn carpet across the grass and concrete walking paths. This was such a beautiful time of year, nonetheless, this hinted to the end of warmer evenings. Winter would soon be upon us. Most of us would need to seek the warmth of the homeless shelters at night. Many would end up freezing in the bitter cold, succumbing to hyperthermia.
The rattle of a supermarket cart drew my attention. The beaten-up metal basket overflowed with rubbish. She clutched the handle of the rickety beast for dear life for fear of someone snatching her precious valuables. The figure was dressed in unfathomable layers of musty old clothes. Her unkempt grey hair framed her haggard face.
Ruth shuffled up to me and eyed the sandwich hungrily. I took two more bites and handed the sub to her. The poor old girl snatched it from me and ate about half. She carefully wrapped the other piece up before hiding the precious item in her many folds of clothes.
"Mouse, you're clean," she grumbled out.
"Yeah, I stayed at a friend's last night."
She dragged her cart closer before sitting down. She eyed the deli bag beside me.
"Someone's been asking about you, Harry got offered a quart if he'd find where your hiding."
I could tell she fished for more than the other sandwich. We were close, but you didn't receive something for free on the streets.
"Oh yeah, any ideas who?"
"Two men. Cost you for a description," she shoved her dirty hand out towards me.
Not worried about someone looking for me as my hunch was it must be Roberts and his new partner Smith. Nevertheless, I knew she needed the cash so I slipped a ten into her palm. The money disappeared faster than a rabbit in a magician's hat. She stared at me long and hard with her one healthy eye, a cataract long since clouded over her left one. The smile she gave me showed a mouthful of yellow stained teeth.
"A little old oriental man and a young white guy about your age. He said the old guy carried a walking stick," she paused to scratch her head before continuing. "Harry said they might have been hiding guns in their shirts. I guess the old guy had tattoos sticking out around his cuffs and the edge of his collar."
Ruth concluded the sentence with a belch. She smiled and got up and started to shuffle away.
"Wait." I almost hollered and headed after her. Neither of these people came across as being familiar, nor friendly if they carried guns.
"When did this happen?"
"A few nights back, they told Harry to find out where you lived and they'd pay him if the info was any good," Ruth informed me.
"How's he supposed to get a hold of them?"
She shrugged, looking a little confused. As important to me as that information was, I guessed she wouldn't know the answers to my questions. Harry would have those.
"You should go stay at the shelter; it's going to turn a lot colder tonight," I told her. She smiled at me once more as I slipped her the sub and another ten for that last bit of info.
I made a mental note to track down Harry and find out more about these two men. Already running late for a meet up with the girls at the mall, I hurried to catch the subway. The time had gotten away on me and it was nearing five in the evening, I found them sitting around the table in the food court. I paused, unsure of how Amber would react. After all, Jax did beat the crap out of her cousin.
Both girls laughed and carried on until they saw me. They waved at me in a frantic motion to grab my attention. It did, however, their antics also gained several other people's curiosity. Heat rose in my cheeks as people stared at me. I strode over to them at a quicker pace.
Amber chewed the end of her straw as she picked over soggy fries. Both of them had apparently already eaten. I slid into a seat opposite them.
"Ok you have got to fill us in," Tabby said excitedly.
"About what?"
"Oh no you're not; you spill the juicy details girl."
"Sorry not sure what you're going on about," I continued to lie.
I liked to make them suffer. We had a running bet between us three girls as to who got the most cell numbers on our party nights. So far Amber won by a landslide every time we went out, the only reason she did though was because she likes both guys and girls.
She grinned slyly at me for a minute and licked her lips, Tabby laughed and I was lost as to what was so funny.
"Ok, what's up?" glancing from one friend to the next in my confusion.
"Bones had to stay at my house last night," Amber stated as she twirled a strand of her red hair, she smiled at me strangely.
"So you and Bones hooked up?" A smile played on my face at how strange that would be.
"No. Me and Tamara hooked up," Amber stated proudly. "Bones had to stay at my house cause of all the moaning, groaning, and bed banging going on at his place."
The warmth flushed over me, even though we didn't have sex, things did heat up pretty intense for a bit though. Jax's not only was Bones's best friend, but he was also his roommate.
"Bout damn time you nailed that boy. He has been trying to climb into your jeans since you two first met," Tabby said and Amber and I laughed.
'"Sorry to let you down, but we didn't do it."
"Bullshit."
Apparently Amber didn't believe me. After a good half hour of trying to explain to them we, in fact, didn't do the deed…I gave up. The two girls both had it in their heads Jax and I did the nasty. So I let them think what they wanted.
We spent a couple of hours at the mall just hanging out and window shopping. The feeling of being normal like everyone else was a nice change. The girls mentioned a house party at Rizzo's on the weekend and I promised to go. Needing to run an errand for my boss, we said our goodbyes around seven and parted ways. I hopped on the bus and headed across town.
The area was wide enough for a delivery truck to back into. The lane here was a lot different from most others, they actually kept up on cleaning the litter and debris. One oversized garbage bin sat up against the wall opposite the door and several busted pallets rested against it. I leaned against the wall at the back of the Bar to wait. Several moths fluttered around the small light over the back exit. Their shadows magnified on the surface of the building, their showy dance kept me entertained as I waited.
More light spilled into the area as the rear door opened. A massively muscled form strode into the opening, filling up most of the doorway.
"Hey. There you are Doll," Bruno's rich Italian voice rumbled.
What a striking sight to see, with tanned skin, thick black hair, and his soul capturing brown eyes. His strong jaw was peppered with stubble, adding to his appeal. The man's poor nose bore testament to the many brawls he was in. He loomed over me like a skyscraper as he lumbered towards me, my head tilted up to gaze up into his face.
Bruno scanned up one end of the back street and down the other before handing me a thick heavy envelope. For a man in his mid-twenties, he did exceedingly well working for the Family as a heavy earner.
"Make it fast Doll; Speranza ain't a happy man right now. So no side trips," He explained.
I loved it when he called me Doll. As silly as that was, it made me feel special. He brushed my hair from my eyes. My skin tingled all over at his tender gesture. Bruno had the gentlest caress for a monstrously sized man.
"No worries boss."
He smiled the most delicious sexy grin; my heart went into a rapid flutter. I smiled back before my gaze cast down to stare at my feet. The rush of blood flowed from my toes to my cheeks, the warmth followed it all the way to my face.
"Come back tomorrow night. I'll square up with you then."
I nodded to him and scurried off into the city. The streets here pulsed like the blood in a person's veins. Each area with its own unique way of existence. The sights, smells, and sounds in these districts all distinctively their own. A breathing, living entity that refused to sleep.
My usual route to the Eastside Laundromat took me through the diverse shopping area that littered both sides of the boulevard. Each one was crowned with apartments or small offices. No space went to waste. Cramming a shop into an area the size of a camper was the norm here for decades.
An unsettling ache grew in my stomach the closer the small establishment got. The tiny place only took up a slight section of the row of businesses on this block. The sign had lost a few letters so the words read ' ast sid Laund mat.' It looked as if they didn't do a single renovation to the place since they first opened over twenty years ago. With the dim lights and huge dirty windows, it was little wonder they did any business at all.
The rumble of coin-operated machines, the strong scent of bleach, fabric softer, and laundry soap greeted me upon entering. The mixture of odors didn't help my tummy any. Six people were inside tonight; they busied themselves loading, unloading, or folding their clothes.
I made for the office and spotted Speranza through the huge window which overlooked the laundry area. He sat at his desk on his cell, the cheap cigar smoke drifted out of the room. The total opposite of his cousin Bruno, short, fat, bald, and weak chinned, donning a goatee. His beady eyes reflected his personality. One hand moved violently in the air as spit flew from his mouth as he spoke.
The sudden loud cursing drew everyone's attention. His face grew beat red and the vein on his forehead bulged. He smashed the cell down onto his desk so hard the screen broke. The man beckoned for me to enter, my guts started to hurt. They tightened into knots as if something clawed at my insides and tried with all their might to climb out.
Speranza's unibrow furrowed as he snarled his lip.
"It's about fucken time you showed up. I don't know why the hell he uses you, of all the fucken street scum Bruno could cho..." His cigar dropped from his chubby fingers to the floor as the hairs on the back of my neck prickled.
I caught the reflection in the mirror behind Speranza. A black SUV idled in front of the building while two men stood beside it. I only realized what they carried as the muzzles flashed and illuminated the weapons in their hands. The thunderous boom mixed with the shattering of glass, screams, and ricochets in a hellish orchestra that echoed into the night. While my screams mixed with the bombardment, a cascade of red hit my mouth, the pungent tang of his blood sickened me.
My chest burned for the briefest second and in the time it took me to blink a crimson shower splattered Speranza's stunned face. We both dropped as more bullets punched through the building. Well fuck, this doesn't hurt. Stunned by the lack of pain, my mind tried for dear life to understand what the hell was happening.
The steadily growing pool of red flowed around me and mingled with Speranza's as glass and drywall fragments showered over us. Staring at him, he in return stared at me blankly, holes riddling his body. They killed him. A god-awful squeezing pressure took a grip of my chest, a metallic flavor spewed into my mouth as I coughed up a tiny red shower. Pain seared in every part of my body suddenly as the shock wore off. Blackness shrouded me.
My eyes fluttered open to a bright light that shone over my head and strange flashing red lights reflected off of the alien surroundings. The pain was so severe I couldn't breathe, terror welled up and clouded my mind. Fuck I'm going to die.
"I'm riding with the girl."
I recognized the voice and turned towards the speaker, amazed to see Roberts. Something warm clutched my hand, I cast a glance over, bewildered to find his large hand in mine.
"You're going to be okay honey, you need to stay with me." Concern shrouded his face, telling me my fears were not unfounded. The struggle to keep my eyes open became exhausting, Roberts kept asking me questions. His words became mumbled; my attempts to focus failed as my lids shut.
"She's not going to make the trip Detective," a woman whispered, "She's lost too much blood."
"No, she has too," His voice cracked, "I can't lose her." The darkness and silence masked everything else.