Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54343 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54343 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Before she could finish her statement, the man had his phone out. When she eased toward the door, he held up his hand for her to stop, pinning her in place with a steely stare.
“Yeah, Pirate. Does Street have someone named Rosa okayed to be in the compound?”
“I’ve talked to Pirate….” She stopped rambling when the man shook his head. His eyes remained locked on her.
“Gotcha. Thanks, brother.”
The newcomer nodded at her. “You check out. Does Street know you’re here?”
“He’s aware that I’m in the compound,” Rosa said quickly.
“And in his new house?”
“No,” Rosa admitted. “I wanted to do something to help while he’s at the warehouse. I can go back to his place.”
The man studied Rosa as if assessing her. She stiffened her spine, trying not to show any weaknesses. Inside, she kicked herself for leaving the safety of Street’s house. This was a stupid idea.
Finally, he asked, “Are you the one who drove his bike to get away from the Ravagers?”
Rosa nodded as she eased toward the door leading to the garage. She asked him a question to cover her planned sprint for the door. “Does Street know you’re roaming around the construction zone?”
“Yeah. I’m Fury. I’m here to work on the pipes.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll get out of your way,” Rosa said, continuing to back away.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I could use some assistance if you’d like to work.”
“Doing what?”
“Can you measure accurately?” he asked, pinning her in place with an assessing look.
“Sure.”
“Ever cut PVC pipe? That’s like the plastic white tubing?”
“No, but I’m a fast learner.” Rosa never turned down an opportunity to pick up a new skill. Excitement flared inside her. Who knew how she could use that in the future?
“Call Street. Ask him if you can help me.”
“I don’t want to bother him,” Rosa said quickly as her hand automatically went to the rear pocket of her jeans where she had stashed the new phone.
“He’ll take a break.”
Rosa followed Fury’s directions and fumbled with the unfamiliar device. She’d watched people addicted to their phones for years. Who enjoys messing with this? Finally, she remembered what Street had shown her and selected his number. She kept her eyes on the large man as the phone connected.
“Dinorosa! Is everything okay?” Street demanded.
“Yes. Sorry to bother you,” she blurted. She could hear the beeping of big machinery reversing and chugging around him. Voices shouted over the rumble.
“I was going to check on you in a few minutes,” Street said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I came over to your new house to see if I could do anything to help over here. Fury arrived. He says I can help him with piping but wanted me to call you first.”
“Let me speak to him.”
Rosa walked closer to offer the device to Fury. “He wants to talk to you.”
“Street. I’m here laying pipe for the kitchen and bathrooms. Are you okay with me putting Rosa to work? She doesn’t seem like the lie-around-the-house type.”
Rosa bristled a bit at that and then mentally shook her head. Fury was right. She was so used to working hard as many hours as she could to survive. Just hanging around would drive her nuts. She tuned back into the conversation.
“Got it. I’ll find her gloves and go over safety with her.” After a slight pause, he added, “I’ll make sure she gets lunch and drinks water.”
Fury returned the phone to Rosa. “He probably wants to say something mushy.”
“Yes?” she asked, speaking to Street.
“Are you sure you want to help?” Street asked. “This isn’t glamorous.”
“Better than cleaning toilets at that dive bar. Men are gross.”
“Good point. Stop when you’re tired,” he demanded. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” she said, crossing her fingers at her side. She planned to do as much as she could to repay Street for her food and shelter.
“I’ll meet you at home around five. Be good, Little girl.”
“See you soon. Be careful… Street,” she substituted his name for the Daddy that almost slipped out of her mouth.
“Let’s get started,” Fury said, drawing Rosa from her thoughts. “Help me bring the pipe in. We’ll make a pile here in the center of the house.”
In a few minutes, they’d carried in the long tubes and Fury’s tools from his pickup truck in the driveway. Fury handed her a simple device and showed her how to cut the pipe by rotating the cutter around the circumference. The move took a bit of hand strength but was simple. Her confidence rose after finishing several sample lengths.
“Isn’t there a saw or something that cuts these too?” she asked, trying to save time. Each piece took several minutes to finish.
“Yes. I don’t use that because the spinning blade roughs up the edges and they have to be cleaned up. This cuts neatly and without 99% of the mess. I’m going to lay this out and then I’ll call some lengths to you. You can save Street some money if you efficiently use the pipe to avoid waste.”