Downfall

by Jay Crownover

  “Your baby daddy isn’t around today?” He wiped his hands on the thighs of his jeans and lifted a thin eyebrow at me.

  I cleared my throat and stood up straighter. I needed to get my hands on a taser or remember to keep my pepper spray out, if I was going to keep having run-ins with men who gave me the creeps. “He could be here any minute. He went to pick up our daughter.” I wasn’t a great liar naturally, but when I needed to, I could sound convincing.

  “But he isn’t here right now, is he?” When he took another step into my personal space my blood pressure skyrocketed and a quiver of alarm zipped up and down my spine. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the door to the hallway was still open and I already knew the walls were paper thin. If I screamed bloody murder, someone was bound to hear me. The question was, would anyone care? Or was a woman in distress so common around here that everyone would simply go about their business like nothing happened?

  I flinched when one of his fat hands lifted toward my face and touched a loose strand of hair. I jerked my head away and pushed him away with a hand on the center of his barrel chest. “Stop it. You don’t get to put your hands on me.”

  He snorted and caught my arm when I tried to move away from him. “If you were nicer to me, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to come and fix your AC. You might want to remember that just in case something breaks in the future. I have the power to make living here very uncomfortable for you and your daughter.”

  I bristled at the threat and struggled to pull my arm free. His fingers tightened painfully around my wrist and he pulled until I was pressed up against his sweaty chest. His ugly eyes stayed locked on mine as his other hand reached around and landed on my ass.

  I yelped and fought to get free, but the super just laughed and smirked at me. “If you’re really, really nice to me… maybe we can work out something so your rent isn’t quite as much each month.”

  I shoved at him and tried to knee him between the legs, but he was ready for the move and used my forward momentum to wrap his arm tightly around me. I was trapped against him, and I could feel his arousal pressing against me. It made me gag. I opened my mouth to scream the whole building down, but immediately a heavy hand was slapped over my lips. I gagged again and continued to struggle as the man ran the tip of his nose over my cheek bone.

  “You’re so soft and pretty. I don’t even care that you have a kid. You’re still extremely sexy. We never see many like you around here. By the time they land here, they’re all so jaded. They know better than to let a man like me into their apartment when they’re alone. But you know nothing, and that makes you irresistible.”

  Of course, an asshole like him would be turned on by vulnerability and ignorance. He was no better than the thug who tried to assault me the night my car broke down. Around every single corner there seemed to be someone waiting to remind me that I would never be safe, no matter where I tried to hide.

  I felt the tip of his tongue slide along the outside shell of my ear and I redoubled my efforts to escape. I swung my hands at his head, catching him with the one still wrapped around my phone. There was a solid thunk as my fist connected with his temple, but he didn’t let me go. Instead, his hands tightened where he held me, and he barked out, “Bitch!”

  His mouth moved to my neck and I felt the burn of tears in my eyes. I threw myself backward, sending my purse flying off the counter. It hit the kitchen floor with a thump, making a racket. I was suddenly very happy that I hauled half a toy store around with me most places in case I needed to keep Noble entertained. One of her toys rolled out and started buzzing and beeping as it skidded across the kitchen floor.

  The noise was enough to distract the landlord. He loosened his hold enough that I finally managed to connect a knee to his nuts, forcing him to let go completely as he doubled over with a grunt. As soon as I was able, I bolted for the door like the apartment was on fire.

  I shouldn’t be surprised that I nearly bounced off Solo’s chest the minute I cleared the doorway. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for showing up right when I needed him the most. His hand wrapped around my upper arms to steady me as I started shaking apart in his gentle hold.

  “What’s wrong?” His deep voice was still raspy with sleep and his black eyes and cut lip looked even worse than they had this morning. Even looking like the battered loser of an epic fight, he was still a sight for sore eyes.

  I opened my mouth to tell him what happened, but instead of words coming out, a broken sob tore free and the next thing I knew I was being cradled against his massive chest as I cried so deeply it hurt my entire body.

  Strong arms wrapped around me and over the top of my head I heard him growl, “What the fuck, Carl?”

  The older man replied, “I forgot you lived on this floor, Solomon.”

  I heard Solo grunt as he gave me a soft squeeze. “I live next door, you idiot. I heard the commotion through the walls. What did you do to her? If you touched her, I’m going to break every single bone in your body.” The super sputtered as Solo went on. “Then I’m going to wait until they all heal and break them again. I warned you months ago about harassing the female tenants. All you had to do was your damn job, Carl, and we wouldn’t have an issue. How hard is keeping your hands to yourself? I don’t know why people think I’m the type of guy who enjoys repeating himself.”

  “I own this building, Solo. Not you.” It was all bluster, and I could hear the fear in the older man’s voice.

  The man holding me set me gently to the side, and after asking where my daughter was, he gestured to the apartment next to mine, and quietly ordered, “Go in there and wait for me.”

  I nodded, feeling numb and completely off-balance. I was a few steps down the hallway when I heard Solo tell the other man, “You own the building, but I’m the one who keeps the junkies and the drug dealers away from it. I’m the one who keeps the crime to a minimum. You get to charge more and keep this place one step above a tenement because I live here, so don’t for one second think I don’t know which one of us has the power. You can’t threaten me, Carl, and we both know you’re scared to death of me.”

  A moment later there was the sound of flesh on flesh, and a moan of pain. Part of me wanted to turn and watch Solo put the aggressive, handsy man in his place while he taught him some much-needed manners. But a bigger part of me wanted to find someplace quiet and safe so I could pull myself back together. It was becoming habit to let Solo take care of everything that seemed broken in my life. It was a bad habit I needed to shake, but right now, it felt too good having someone there to make sure I was all right. It was so nice to have someone to lean on for a change.

  Especially when that someone was big, strong, and not afraid of anything. There was some level of comfort in knowing he wasn’t likely to topple over, no matter how heavy the weight of my baggage.

  Solo

  This wasn’t the first time I’d been forced to set Carl straight about using his position to manipulate the female tenants. He’d tried to pull the same garbage with both Carmen and Erica; they informed me of his ploy when I first moved in. There was also a different, very cute redhead who used to live down the hall that he used to constantly creep on. Luckily, Carmen and Erica could take care of themselves, and the redhead had an older brother who wouldn’t put up with any of Carl’s shit. An older brother who just happened to be my Boss’s childhood friend. The redhead had hooked up with my Boss long before I went to work for him, and on occasion, he still griped about the shithole apartment where he’d found her. By the time I got to the landlord, he should have known to keep his hands to himself and that he wasn’t going to get away with harassing every pretty girl who rented from him. Apparently, Orley’s obvious lack of awareness and general softness had been too tempting for him to ignore.

  I wrapped my fist in the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall near Orley’s front door. His balding head hit the drywall with a satisfying thud, and I grinned when I saw the small hole the impact cr
eated. My sore ribs were furious at the sudden movement, but it was so worth the sting of pain. I was still tired, but the rush of adrenaline pushing through my veins was better than a cup of coffee to bring me fully awake. I was still passed out on the couch when I heard the weird sounds coming from Orley’s apartment, so it took me a few minutes longer than it should have to go investigate. I didn’t think she was supposed to be home from work until later in the afternoon, and it never occurred to me Carl would haul his incompetent ass out on a Sunday to fix her AC, even after I bitched at him for a solid ten minutes when I called.

  “Couldn’t resist, could you, Carl? You just had to go and put your hands on the new girl.” I slammed him into the wall again and curled my lip in disgust. The motion pulled at the cut bisecting my lower lip and added fuel to the fire of rage flickering under my skin.

  The older man sneered at me and wrapped his hand around my wrist, trying to pry my hand free. I narrowed my eyes at him and shifted my weight, pushing him more fully against the wall as I closed my free hand around his throat. I felt him swallow and watched as beads of sweat popped up across his forehead as I started to slowly squeeze.

  “She invited me in. We were alone. She should know the score if she’s going to live here.” The words were barely audible as he struggled to breathe.

  “She should, but she doesn’t, and you can see it from a mile away. You wanted to take advantage of her.” I applied even more pressure and leaned so close that I knew the other man had to feel like he was being squashed like the bug he was. “I don’t like that. I like the idea of you touching her, scaring her, even less.” I released his shirt and buried my fist into his soft middle. I felt his grunt against my palm and grinned as I punched him again. He made a gagging sound behind my hand and his eyes started to water as I squeezed his throat even harder. The skin around my hold was starting redden and Carl was frantically clawing my fingers as he struggled for any scrap of air.

  “I’m sick and tired of men like you giving the rest of us a bad name.”

  I let go of Carl’s throat and took a step back as he bent over, gasping and choking to find his breath. While he was folded in half, I put a hand on the back of his head, pushing downward as my knee came up in a swift motion. It was a dirty move, but one I had no qualms about using on a bastard like Carl. There was a sickening crunch as the cartilage in his nose collapsed under the force of the blow. Blood immediately started to flow, decorating the floor between us a shiny crimson.

  “Hands off, Carl. That applies to everyone who lives here and any woman unlucky enough to cross your path. I wasn’t kidding about breaking every bone in your body, but more than that, if you don’t get your head out of your ass, I’ll move, and we both know that’s about the worst thing I could do to you. It will be open season on this place as soon as I’m gone, and you’ll lose all the reliable rent money you’ve gotten so used to collecting month to month.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared the man down as he straightened up, wiping his bloody face with the sleeve of his shirt.

  “You’re going to regret this, Solomon.” The threat was weak and Carl’s voice was shaky so I rolled my eyes. “You’ve gotten too comfortable. You forget that no one stays safe in this place for very long.”

  I didn’t know if he was talking about the apartment complex or the city. It didn’t matter. There was very little that scared me anymore, and Carl wasn’t even a blip on my radar. “Doubtful. Do your job. That’s it.” I looked toward my apartment, wanting to check on Orley. Dealing with a crying woman was not in my wheelhouse, but for some reason, I was anxious to make sure she was okay. I was fully expecting her to pack her bags and run after her encounter with Carl. It was too close to her run-in with Skinner. I was sure she was feeling like the city was just as dangerous as she kept trying to convince me it was. I kept trying to prove to her that the people here weren’t all bad, that only the streets could be dangerous, but now that evil had crossed her threshold, I’d be hard-pressed to get her to believe in what I was saying. Every time I made some headway, an idiot like my landlord pushed my proof back twenty steps.

  I did know something that might entice her to stick around a little bit longer. I pointed a finger at Carl’s shattered nose. “I think you need to knock off rent this month for Orley. It’s the least you can do.” I knew she was struggling financially. Having a month free would give her some room to breathe.

  Carl wiggled his way along the wall until there was some distance between us. He had a hand cupped over his nose and his eyes were shooting flames of hatred in my direction. “Can’t do that. The snotty bitch paid for the full year in advance. Figured she had a rich baby daddy fronting her the cash so he had a place to stash her from the wife. Why else would a classy piece of ass like that be slumming it here?”

  That was a damn good question. She didn’t have enough money to fix her car. She was waiting tables at a diner to pay her bills. She clearly wanted to be anywhere but in the city, so why was she here, and where had the money come from to pay for the apartment for an entire year? Not that the rent for a year was a windfall of money, but it was more than most of us had lying around. She was full of confusing contradictions, and it really got under my skin that I was curious about her. She was the last person I would expect to catch my attention, but here I was, wondering who Orley really was.

  Carl made his escape while I was distracted by my thoughts. Once he was out of sight, I headed back to my apartment. Orley shut the door behind her when she ran for safety, so I found myself knocking on my own damn door so I didn’t spook her before entering. Once I was inside, the smell of coffee assaulted my nose, so I followed the scent toward the tiny kitchen. I found Orley sitting on the old linoleum floor, knees pulled to her chest, back against the refrigerator. Next to her on the floor was one of the few knives I owned. It was dull as dirt, and rusted at the tip, but her hand hovered over it like it was a precious treasure that could save her from all the world’s evils if she just believed hard enough.

  I called her name as softly as I could. I didn’t want to scare her. My heart jolted in my chest when she flinched and reached for the inadequate weapon. It took a full minute for the haze of panic in her eyes to clear. I watched her chest rise and fall as she tried to catch her breath. Instead of trying to get her up, I sat on the floor in front of her, cringing when I realized it had been a hot minute since I’d bothered to clean it.

  “He’s gone. He won’t be back. If you need something from him from here on out, let me know and I’ll deal with him. I’m sorry you keep running up against the worst the city has to offer.” I kept my voice light and reassuring.

  Orley blinked those huge blue eyes at me and I felt a tiny bit of my soul slip away. I could have sworn they were darker and cloudier than when we first met. The life she was living was changing her, turning her into someone who had shadows in her sky-blue eyes. It happened so fast and I felt terrible I wasn’t able to stop it.

  Orley made a sniffing sound and used the back of her hand to wipe away a stray tear that rolled down her pale cheek. “You’ve saved me twice. Three times if you count getting my car up and running.”

  “Just in the right place at the right time.” It was my mantra where she was concerned. It sucked she needed saving in the first place, but I still maintained I was not her hero by choice.

  “I don’t even know your last name. Or that you lived next door. I don’t have any idea what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come along when you did, and you’re a virtual stranger.” She laughed, but it was a sad, painful sound. “What kind of person does that make me? Ungrateful? Rude? Selfish? Thankless? What kind of example am I setting for my daughter?”

  I wasn’t following her train of thought. I couldn’t figure out why she would be upset about something as inconsequential as my last name after what she’d been through with Carl. I tilted my head to the side and told her, “Sanders. My last name is Sanders.”

  She let out a hiccupy little sigh as her h
ead fell back against the fridge. “Solomon Sanders. Sounds very distinguished.”

  I laughed. “That’s me. Distinguished down to the bone.”

  Slowly, she slid the knife across the floor in my direction. “Well, Solomon Sanders, I know I haven’t been very good at showing my appreciation, but I am really glad you have a knack for showing up exactly when I need you the most. No one would believe me if I told them they need to come to the heart of this dirty, terrifying city to find an actual hero.”

  I grabbed the knife and climbed to my feet. “I’m not anyone’s savior, Orley. Don’t get that confused.”

  She sighed again and pushed herself up off the floor. “I’m not confused. I’m incredibly lucky.” She sounded like she felt anything but lucky. “I want to do something nice for you. I have limited options, but if you want to come next door for dinner one night, Noble and I would love to have you.” She waved a hand around my kitchen. “I may have noticed you don’t keep much of anything edible on hand when I was looking for the coffee.”

  Guiltily, I glanced at the abandoned bag of tater tots on the couch. “I’m on the go a lot. I usually just grab something I can eat on the run. Plus, I can’t cook.” My mom was a great cook, though, or she had been at one point. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a home-cooked meal. “Do you cook?” She was so young, it was hard to picture her slaving over a hot stove on the regular.

  Orley nodded. “Sure. I mostly throw stuff together geared to the palate of a toddler, but I’m sure I can figure out something adult appropriate for one night. I really owe you more than I can ever repay. Being a good neighbor is the least I can do.”