The little bell above the door jingled above my head as I muscled out the door of Wrecker’s ice cream shop. Licking at the massive triple scoop this place called a large, I found myself back out on the pavement of the place I called home. Redd Valley. The first crisp day of fall was just around the corner. I could tell because the mornings were chillier. The trees, ever so slightly, had a red tinge in their coloring.
I was ready for it.
I turned and made my way to Cap’s military surplus shop. There was always a line outside the door of that place and it made me cringe at how bare the shelves were. Cap would hate the look of it. I could tell that they were hurting without our help. We were usually the ones that stocked the shelves while Cap dealt with the books for his business.
I wished I could have hopped in and helped.
I made a mental note that Cap needed to hire someone for that back room of his.
I walked around the back of the buildings to make sure the cameras were still working. Sticking to the alleyways when downtown became busy was the only way I could go unnoticed. While most of Redd Valley didn’t know my face like the other guys, since I didn’t own a business in town or anything, I was the perfect candidate to walk around with my face hanging out.
Though there were a few people who nodded their hellos in my direction.
I never had a passion like the other guys to open my own business. I made enough in the military and invested well, and with the money I made with the crew being their head of security and an extra hand in whichever one of their places needed help, got me by just fine. I never felt the need to be rollin’ in the dough, so to speak.
That was enough for me.
As I walked by Doc’s clinic, I dipped in through the side door. I knew someone would recognize me here. I was always at Doc’s clinic helping out with something or another. There was always a patient who needed help moving, or needed help getting back out to their vehicle. There was a large elderly population in Redd Valley.
I didn’t like them moving anymore than they needed.
“Hey, hey, hey!” one of Doc’s nurses said just as I slipped through the side door. “Was wondering when we were going to see your face around here again. Can you help?”
I paused as I looked at the nurse. I did my best to conjure her name, but I couldn’t find it. “Depends. Only here for some supplies.”
“Ah,” she said as she held up her finger. “We just restocked the closet. Have at it.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“But if youcanhelp us later, we could use the water coolers changed out.”
Oh, was that it? I waved my hand in the air and licked at my ice cream. “I can do that. Let me gather what Doc needs, and I’ll get them changed out. All four?”
“Yes, please, if you could be so kind.”
“Not a problem.”
I slipped into the supply closet for the clinic and walked over to some hooks that had various bags hung on them. Doc’s instructions were clear: fill the black and tan duffle bag with four of everything from the shelves.
Thank fuck, Doc was practically OCD about his shelving.
Everything was labeled and sorted accordingly.
“Oh hey! Lisa told me you were back here.”
I turned at the sound of the janitor’s voice. “Hey, Hef.”
He smiled that crooked, semi-toothless smile of his. “You finally decided to open up your own clinic or something?”
I looked down at the duffle bag I was zipping up. “Hardly. Doc just needs some things.”
“You ever thought about opening your own business like the other guys?”
I hefted the bag off into the corner. “Nah.”
“Well, not for nuttin’,” the man said as he reached for the gauze, “but this town could use some of that security patrolling you always do.”
“You think?” I asked as I walked over to the massive blue water jugs for the dispensers.
