He looked fucking vulnerable.
Knowing it was now or never, I jogged across the empty street. There were plenty of streetlights beyond the neon sign hanging from the door, so he should have seen me coming, but when I called out to him, he jerked like I’d taken him by surprise.
“You okay, mister?” I asked him as I approached with both my hands raised in the air.
Nothing to see here. I’m just going to see if your wallet is too heavy for you to carry.
He turned his head in my direction. “Go. Away.”
I wore a black hoodie, no logo on front. It was doubtful if he knew I was a boy or a woman.
“You look a little lost,” I tried again. “I can call you an Uber if you want.”
“Go. Away.”
Okay, now the guy was just rude. Here I was, an innocent bystander, trying to help an inebriated fellow citizen on his way home. Now I felt completely justified in taking his wallet.
“If you can’t see your phone,” I offered. “I’ll help you call for a car.”
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice deep and a bit slurred.
I couldn’t really tell what he looked like beyond basic impressions. He was tall, had a sharply angled face. Cheekbones and a chin that stood out from the shadows and looked like they could cut glass.
I shrugged at his question. “To help.”
He laughed then, a rough sound that didn’t sound funny at all. “Where am I?”
“Uh. Texas. Houston. How much more granular do I need to get?”
He pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and immediately dropped it.
I had it in my hand before he’d barely bent over.
He straightened and it was clear now I had his attention.
“Are you going to steal it?” he asked me. “I couldn’t chase you now if I tried. Obviously.”
What the hell was I going to do with a phone? It’s not like I knew people who bought this shit. I would rather have the cash.
“I told you I would call an Uber for you,” I reminded him. “I’m a good Samaritan.”
“Unlikely, but I’ll give it a try. I don’t need you to call an Uber. My driver is in my contacts. If you call him, I’ll pay you.”
“Really?”
He pushed his face in my direction and I held up his phone for it to register his facial ID.
“His name is Ricky. You’ll need to tell him where I am because I don’t know.”
I found his contacts, pulled up Ricky and hit the call button.
“Yeah, boss?”
Wow, this guy answered fast. And it was after one at night.
“Uh. Not your boss. He’s a little drunk and I’m calling for him. He’s outside of O’Shanty’s in Westville and needs you to pick him up ASAP.”
“Yep. Can I trust you?”
