Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
“She’s clean.” I snort a laugh. Shelly is in her seventies, and I think she might be packing heat. She can be sweet, but I wouldn’t cross her. “Is there anyone back at your place, or are you going to be alone?”
“It’s not uncommon for me to be alone at night. My mom works nights.” Oftentimes her shift won’t start till ten. “Speaking of. Did you have my door fixed?”
I’d run home this afternoon to change before heading back to the hospital. I couldn’t sit in my diner clothes smelling like fry grease. When I’d gotten home, the door was fixed, and things appeared to be in order.
“It’s the maintenance man’s job to fix it and the lights.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. What the heck? I can’t get the maintenance man or the landlord to answer the phone to save my life. I don’t even try anymore.
Before I can change my mind, I slip my hand in his. He links his fingers through mine. I immediately feel lighter. "Thanks, it means a lot." He squeezes my hand in response.
Niki tells me about his sister and a little about his mom as we make our way toward my apartment building. I shouldn't relish the small bit of power I feel when people quickly move to get out of our way when we walk down the sidewalk. I know they are stepping aside because of Niki, but it's nice not having to look down and avoid making eye contact with them.
As we approach my building, I pause upon seeing graffiti covering the wall by the entryway. It's the mark of the Riders. It's a tag, and a big one at that, letting everyone know this place is under their protection.
"Niki?" This can't be a coincidence. It wasn’t here when I came by earlier.
"I had it done." He gives another one of those shrugs.
I duck my head, feeling suddenly shy because that's so freaking sweet. That's better than any flowers a man could get you. It's not the only one I notice either. There is another tag in the stairwell along with the door to my floor.
"You want to come in?" I ask when I slide my key into the lock.
"Yeah, I got you a few things." He takes off the bag he's got over his shoulder. I wondered what it was but wasn't going to ask.
When I let us into the apartment, Niki checks everything over. "Everything good?"
"As good as it can be." He drops his bag on the loveseat before unzipping it. He pulls out a box and another smaller one. It's easier to tell what the smaller one is. "You need a new one. Yours keeps dying." He hands it over to me.
"You got me a phone?"
"Yours dies in two seconds when it's not on the charger." I nod, a lump forming in my throat, but I choke it down. "And shoes." He taps the other box. "You'll take them."
"I'll take them," I agree. I shouldn't; he has his sister and mother to care for too. He doesn't need to be carrying me as well, but damn it feels nice that he thought of me. "It's an early birthday present."
“Only a few more hours to go until your special day.” He remembered.
This might be my best birthday ever.
Chapter Seventeen
NIKI
Andy’s apartment is pretty bare. A couple of the walls have sheer shimmery fabric hung up, and there are a couple plants that survived the previous break-in that have been resettled onto the window ledge in the living room. It’s liveable now, but the standards are low.
I shift toward Andy, who is unpacking her backpack. “What do you want to study?”
“Medicine. I’d like to be a nurse. They make good money now. I read that traveling nurses can make six figures. Can you imagine that?” She stares off blankly at the wall in front of her and then shakes her head, turning toward me. “Like what would you do with that kind of money?”
“Send my little sister to college.” College kids aren’t on the streets selling themselves or beating people up for money. They aren’t looking over their shoulders wondering who might stab them, with an actual knife, in the back.
Andy nods slowly as she ponders my response. “I’d buy a house. One of those houses that look like everybody else’s houses with a front porch and those chairs—do you know what I’m talking about? They’re big and lean really far back.” She tilts her head back to show me what she means.
“I know what you’re talking about, but I don’t know what the name is.”
“Starts with A like my name. Andy, Andrea, Andirondack.” She snaps her figures. “Adirondack. That’s what they’re called. Anyway, I’d sit in one of those and watch my kid play with other kids in the neighborhood. And I’d be close to the school which wouldn’t have graffiti on the wall and all the computers in the lab would work.”