I shook my head and swallowed past a brick in my throat. “I’m not from here though.” And I had no intention of asking Solo for another thing. I was not going to be his newest burden to bear. Everyone seemed to know he was already carrying the entire world on his shoulders, and I wasn’t about to add another pound to his heavy load.
Erica smiled sadly and patted my arm. “Oh, trust me, I know. Anyone looking at you knows that. But you’re here now, so you might as well settle in the best you can with the right people in your corner.” She cocked her head and I found myself watching the peacock colors in her hair play hide and seek with the darker strands. “Have you ever waited tables before?”
I balked and tried to keep up with the change of conversation. “Uh… no. I haven’t done much of anything other than answer phones.” And look pretty. That used to be my number one skill, but I refused to think about that.
“My husband’s brother works at this cute little diner right on the outskirts of the city. He just got promoted to a management position after bartending there forever. They tend to hire college-aged kids so they’re always looking for help right around graduation. I’ll give you Ramon’s number.” She waited while I dug out my cell phone and could jot down the information she quickly rattled off. “Call him and see if they have any openings. Tell him Erica gave you his information and remind him he owes me a favor.” She smiled at me and called for her daughter. Riley hugged Noble and patted her on the shoulder, much like her mother had done to soothe me. “Good luck with everything, Orley. Noble, it was nice to meet you. I’m sure Riley can’t wait to show you all her Star Wars toys.”
They continued down the stairs, my daughter and I both slightly stunned, as we watched them until they were gone. I reached for Noble’s hand, wondering how more people in this God-forsaken city had come to my rescue and offered genuine help, than anyone in my affluent, pristine past had? What were the odds?
I took one step back up the stairs when Noble promptly announced, “I want a pair of cowboy boots!”
Well, at least she wasn’t asking for a pony. It was the small things.
Solo
I practically had to crawl home after my fight on Saturday night. The guy I was up against was new, the size of a house, and obviously had some professional fighting experience. He didn’t fight dirty, but he fought hard, and I had a split lip, blackened eyes, ringing ears, and more than a few cracked ribs to show for it. As a rule, I won more than I lost, but last night, it was no contest. I tried to give as good as I got, but once the guy had me on my back and in a submission choke hold, I’d tapped out. I’d done it right before the world started to fade to black. Back in the good old days, there was no such thing as a tap out. You fought until the other guy was dead or unconscious. But the man in charge of the fights was wicked and ruthless enough that most people referred to him as the Devil. He wanted to keep those of us around who earned big cash for him on the regular. So now, he had enforcers on hand to make sure the fight ended if one of the participants knew there was no way to win. I fucking hated being that guy last night, but one more kick to the head or fist to my ribs and I wasn’t going to be able to get out of bed for a week. I had too much going on to end up on my back and out of commission for any length of time.
I hated that the only money I’d pocketed was the fee for showing up to get my ass kicked and none of the prize money I could have won. The cash from the fights was the money I used to keep my mom in the best facility in the state. Anything I earned while taking a beating went to her, and everything I earned at the garage kept a roof over my head and my car tricked out. If I came up short during a fight, it meant I was going to have to borrow from my other funds and go without something in my day to day. It happened. It wasn’t anything new, but it still made me feel like a loser, even more than having to tap out.
It was really early in the morning when I was slinking into the apartment building. The sun was barely up and the normally busy streets were quiet. Lester was asleep on the bottom step, and my ribs screamed in protest when I had to haul myself over him. Luckily, I had the day off, so I could crash, recharge, then drive out to see my mother before I settled in and worked on any school assignments for the upcoming week. It was about as much of a day off as I ever got, and I was looking forward to the mindlessness of the familiar tasks.
I was reaching for the front door when it suddenly pushed open with enough force to send me back a step. The sudden movement made me clutch my injured side and let out a string of swear words that were loud enough to wake Lester. He blinked an irritated look in my direction. Orley rocked back on her heels and stared at me through sleepy blue eyes.
“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t see you.” She scooted her way around me, rubbing her eyes and obviously trying to shake herself awake. She looked like a very pretty zombie sleepwalking out of the building.
Sucking in a breath between my teeth and letting it out when the pain in my side was manageable, I roughly asked, “Where are you off to so early?”
She looked at me again and lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow. “I should ask why you’re just getting home when the sun is coming up. You go first.”
I grunted in response and watched as she suddenly seemed to take notice of the damage to my face. I knew it wasn’t pretty, but she gasped and lifted her hands to her mouth like she was face to face with a horror movie monster.
“What happened to you? Are you okay? Who did this to you? Did you call the police?” The questions came rapidly. One of her hands lifted in my direction, almost as if she wanted to soothe the dark spots and lacerations decorating my skin.
I took a step back before she could touch me and lifted my chin defiantly. I was slightly taken aback by her show of concern. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked if I was okay. I was the one always taking care of everyone else, so my needs tended to be an afterthought. “I’m fine. No need to call the police. This, unfortunately, comes with the territory when I’m at my second job.”
She frowned at me and adjusted the purse strap that was digging into her shoulder. “What kind of job gives you black eyes and a busted lip?”
I grunted again and reached for the front door. All I wanted was my bed and eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. “The kind you know nothing about.” I flicked a look back over her, noticing she was dressed in form-fitting black pants and a white button-down shirt. It wasn’t an outfit that was appropriate for the heat. “You finally get a job?”
She nodded and nervously reached up to play with her hair. “Your friend Erica hooked me up with her brother. He gave me a job at the diner he manages. I’m still training, and right now they have me working breakfast shifts. It’s not so bad. I’m home in the afternoon and still get to spend most of the day with Noble.” She blushed and had the good grace to look regretful. “Erica is watching her for me while I work. She’s great with Noble, and Noble loves Riley. I should have reached out sooner when you gave me her number.” She sounded contrite but I was in too bad of a mood to appreciate it.
She should have, but this chick was stubborn to a fault. “I’m glad you found something.” I would dig my own eyes out with a spoon before admitting to anyone I’d been worried about her. She seemed so stressed, and I knew desperation was a very dangerous thing in a place where others were just waiting for an opening to take advantage of you. Luckily, I knew Ramon and the rest of the crew who ran the diner. They were all good people and kept a close eye on the young women who worked there. My Boss’s woman worked there when she was putting herself through college, so he also kept his ear to the ground for any rumbling of trouble when it came to the diner. It was about the safest, most legitimate job Orley could get in the city.
“Go put a frozen bag of peas on your eyes, and get some sleep. You look like you could use it.” Orley flashed a grin at me and I felt the impact low in my gut. It was like taking another punch, and this one almost doubled me over. “Hey, if you need anything, I’m in 5B. Let me know. I owe you for
getting my car back on the road. I’d be screwed if I couldn’t get to the diner each morning.”
I blinked at her but tried to keep my features under control. She was the quiet neighbor on the other side of my apartment. She was my actual neighbor, not just someone in the building I would pass on occasion. She’d also given me her apartment number. I was too tired and too sore to think about why entrusting me with that knowledge sent something much more pleasant than the pain I was feeling shoot along my nerves.
“I’ll be fine. This isn’t anything new. Do you need me to walk you to your car?” Shit. Why did I offer that? I was barely staying upright as it was.
She shook her head and fiddled with her purse strap some more. “I’m fine. I found a spot pretty close. Thank you for offering though.” Her eyes flitted over my face. “Seriously, Solo, take care of yourself.”
She turned and walked down the steps, stopping to hand Lester something that looked like a muffin. They exchanged quiet words, and even though I was dead on my feet, I couldn’t make myself go inside until I saw her shiny hair disappear into her little car.
Muttering over how much of an idiot I was, I once again tried to walk into the building, but Lester’s raspy voice stopped me.
“Those girls have been without air conditioning for over a week. I think that’s one of the main reasons she caved and let her little girl go and play with Riley. They had to get out of the apartment before they died of heat exhaustion.” The old man kept one eye on me as he picked apart the muffin in his hand. “She called that bastard of a super no less than twenty times and the useless bag of bones has yet to show.”
I tried to lift an eyebrow at him, but the motion hurt too much. “Why are you telling me this, old man?”
Lester snorted and pointed the muffin in my direction. “You know why I’m tellin’ you. Don’t play dumb with me, boy.”
Swearing again I jerked the door open and gave the older man a nod. “Can I at least get some sleep before I call that asshole? In case you can’t tell, I was not the victor tonight. Got my ass handed to me, old man.”
Lester chuckled. “A loss is good for you every now and again. Keeps the ego in check and reminds you that you don’t, in fact, rule the fucking world. Help the girl out after you get some sleep. She was right; you do look like shit.”
I trudged up to my apartment, body aching, face throbbing. It was early enough that the fighting couple on the other side of the wall were blissfully quiet for once. I immediately rummaged through my freezer in search of something frozen to slap over my eyes and across my lower lip. No peas, but there was a bag of tater-tots which looked like they’d been in there since the day I moved in. There was also a bottle of vodka that looked nice and frosty. I grabbed both, and meandered into my living room. I plopped on the couch, setting an alarm on my phone for a more reasonable time so I could call the super about Orley’s AC. The guy was a scumbag of the highest order. I hated having to deal with him, but he would get his ass over to the building if I pushed hard enough. We’d gone round and round enough times that he knew not to push me.
I also needed to call my mother and make sure she was up for a visit before I drove all the way out there. If she was having a bad day, it wouldn’t do either of us any good for me to try and see her. I used to think some quality time together would be enough to keep her episodes at bay, but I’d had enough bad experiences, and watched mom break down enough times to know that simply wasn’t the case any longer. I knew I was still her favorite person in the entire world, but I wasn’t what she needed to keep her stable and safe.
I rolled the bottle of vodka across my forehead before unscrewing the cap and taking a long swig. The alcohol burned on the way down, but the cool liquid did wonders for my throbbing lip. I plopped the tater-tots across my eyes. It was a long day in a series of never-ending long days. They were all starting to blend together.
It made me extremely uncomfortable when I realized the few days that stood out the most were colored with fiery red hair and a splash of gleaming blue eyes. Sighing, I closed my eyes and willed sleep to take me so I didn’t have to think about the way my ribs ached, or the way simply passing by my prissy neighbor made my dick hard.
Orley
I was out of breath by the time I dashed up the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of my apartment door. I had a whole new respect for people who worked in food service. I also regretted not paying closer attention to what percentage I tipped in the past. My feet were killing me, my arms were sore, I’d had to tap into a well of patience I usually only reserved for dealing with my three-year-old, and I constantly smelled like any variety of fried foods. All of the aches and pains aside, I liked the job, and I was making enough money to keep my lights on and to finally make good on the piece of cake I owed my kid… times ten. I also worked with some pretty awesome people. Ramon was a riot. He was loud, flirty, and totally over the top. But he was a good manager and he kept a close eye on all the young staff who worked under him, especially the girls. I’d heard a rumor that at one point, a couple of the girls who worked at the diner long before me had run into some trouble. Ramon apparently took on a huge heap of guilt that the incidents happened right under his nose, so now he is extra vigilant. He was also incredibly understanding when I told him I had to leave my shift early this afternoon because the landlord finally agreed to fix my air conditioner. Only, he told me he was going to be at my place at noon, and if I wasn’t there to let him in, he couldn’t guarantee the next time he’d be around.
He complained during the phone call about the extra locks I’d added to the door as soon as Noble and I moved in, saying it went against fire code. I was secretly glad the creep couldn’t just waltz into my apartment unannounced with his master key. My paranoia and obsession with keeping Noble safe had its perks.
I gasped to catch my breath as the older man standing outside my door glowered at me. I glanced down at my phone and noticed it was five till noon, so I was technically early and in no way deserved the dirty looks he was firing my way. I tried to hide a shiver at the thought of letting him into my apartment, and the two of us being alone in the space together, but ultimately my desire for working AC and a non-cranky child won out over my apprehension.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to get off work and find a place to park.” I bit back the complaint that he’d taken his damn time showing up to take care of the problem. I’d been waiting on him for over a week.
The man grunted and lifted his chin in the direction of the door, muttering something about stubborn women. He stood too close to me when I went through the process of unlocking the extra locks, and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. He was a pudgy man, around my height, with a pronounced balding spot and mean eyes. He made me uncomfortable when I looked at the apartment, and when I’d reluctantly agreed to take it. When I’d signed the lease, I clearly remembered him asking if I was going to live alone. I might be naïve, but I was never stupid. I told him I was going to live with my daughter, and that her father would be over regularly to visit. A total lie, but I suddenly wondered if that was why it had taken him so long to make an appearance. Maybe he thought there was a man in my life who was perfectly capable of handling something like a wonky AC.
The apartment felt like the seventh circle of hell after being closed up all day. I tugged at the collar of my button-up and watched as the landlord stomped over to the wall unit. He banged on it with the side of his fist and played with the dials on the front of it. I’d done both those things several times over the last few days, so I wasn’t surprised when his Neanderthal tinkering didn’t work. When he started swearing, I was super glad Noble was still with Erica. She didn’t need to witness a grown man melting down because he couldn’t make something work.
He looked at me over his shoulder, eyes narrowed and mouth pulled into a tight line. I stayed by the tiny kitchen area where I tossed my purse on the counter and curled my fingers tighter around my phone. I wasn’t sure how fast I c
ould call for help if I needed to, or who would show up, but I felt better having the device in my hand.
“I had all the units checked before summer. Did you mess with it? Are you sure your kid didn’t fuck with it?” He huffed and lumbered over to the wall where the thermostat was.
I bristled at the insinuation the malfunction was because of operator error. “I’m positive she was nowhere near the AC. First of all, she can’t reach it, second of all, I don’t let her play with things like that.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at his back. “If the entire building had central air conditioning, you wouldn’t have to worry about keeping individual ones in each apartment running.”
The man snorted and played with the thermostat. “Consider yourself lucky you found a place that has air conditioning at all. Central heat and air don’t happen in places like this. Hell, I’m lucky if some junky doesn’t swipe my copper pipes for the plumbing to hock for cash every day.”
I didn’t say anything. I was lucky I found this place, but I was even luckier that no one from my old life had found it. Granted, who would ever think to look for me here? It was exactly why I’d taken the apartment in the first place. Even if this jerk couldn’t get the AC working, I was staying put. I figured I could stock up on fans if it came down to it.
“It looks like there’s a loose wire so the blower isn’t working to circulate air.” The thermostat came off the wall and the distinct smell of burning plastic wafted from the hole.
I gritted my back teeth, wondering how close we’d come to having the entire place burn down around us.
The landlord played with the wires, still grumbling under his breath, but by the time he screwed the thermostat back into the wall a trickle of cool air was making its way out of the wall unit. It was by no means a refreshing blast of cold, but it was enough to keep the apartment bearable. I wanted to ask about the wiring. I figured I should get some kind of discount for willingly living in a death-trap, but as the older man moved closer to where I was leaning on the chipped laminate countertop, those thoughts fled. I didn’t like the predatory gleam in his eyes, or the way he openly leered at me.
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