Joe was tossing weapons in a large trash bag he had pulled from somewhere magically, shaking his head the whole while.
Bas was looking around almost frantically now, still getting nowhere, when Cole muttered, “Three o’clock, Bas.”
I whipped my head that way, right along with Bas. I stared at a dark doorway. I squinted and leaned forward. There was…
“Tiki, show yourself,” Joe said loudly. “The poor kid’s about to get fired…or beaten. I’m not sure which.”
A man dressed in all black – scary looking at all get out – stepped through the doorway.Oh heck.I stumbled back into Brent. The guns he was holding weresonot legal. Nor was the scowl he wore.
“How did you know I was here?” Nightmare man asked Cole in a hushed voice.
Cole just smiled.
“You were better hidden than the three live ones outside.” Brent shrugged and wrapped his arms around my middle, holding my trembling frame.
Joe smirked. “Three?”
“The fourth was sleeping on the job,” Cole answered calmly, still grinning like a snake catching defenseless prey.
Joe’s smirk vanished. “Which one?”
“To the North, two doors down,” Brent murmured before placing a tender kiss on my temple. I was still staring at Nightmare man. There was something…off about him.
Joe glanced at Nightmare man, who nodded and pulled a cell phone from his pocket. He glided back into the shadows. Oh. I blinked. And stared at Joe.
A little stunned, I whispered, “She’s the scariest looking man I’ve ever seen.”
Joe’s eyes widened, and then he looked faint. He placed a hand on his desk to steady himself. Bas, Cole, and Brent all whipped their heads back to the darkened doorway. Guess they hadn’t noticed.
But, Joe’s pale appearance didn’t last long. Abruptly, he zeroed in on me.Thiswas the real man.Thiswas the man brought up on the streets, trained the b-a-d way to defend his turf. He even took a step toward me.
“No, no.” I held my hands up quickly. “I don’t care who she is. We won’t say anything. She…He was never here,” I babbled on as Cole slid in front of me, even though I couldn’t see him, “We’re just here to help. Help Lou. Remember?”
Quiet moments passed.
“You’re something special, aren’t you?” Joe asked in a whisper from somewhere in front of me.
“Yes, she is,” Cole answered swiftly.
Brent specified, “And she’s going to stay that way.”
I heard the sound of a rustling bag a second later and Joe stated, “Come with me. Lou’s going to love you guys.”
Goodness. How hard was it to help the needy?
Chapter Fifteen
WE FOLLOWED Joe through aheavy duty steel door to the living space of the shelter. It was homey. You could tell that it had been cared for with a loving hand. A place like this didn’t have a lot of cash flow to work with, so a lot of elbow grease and sweat had to be poured into this space.
It appeared that they had knocked walls down, expanding the area in sections, so when you walked past the steel door you could see a modest kitchen and dining area to the left, couches and rec area to the right, and hallway directly to the front. I knew from the website they had sleeping areas here somewhere. It was logical that they were down that hallway.
There were people milling all about. Elderly, families, single kids. They were all clean, but wearing second hand clothes with a few holes that weren’t added by design and old stains and sizes too big for their thin, but healthy frames. They were watching TV or reading books. Some played card games. The teenage crowd hung out near an old fuss ball table, making a normal ruckus so the older folks talked even louder to be heard over them.
I took it all in slowly.
Yes. This is where I wanted to be.
I noticed Joe watching me covertly. I closed my eyes and sighed. Well, maybe another shelter where I hadn’t freaked anyone out. There were a few more in the city.
