REESE
Iheard sirens and what sounded like shouting and screaming in the distance. My eyes scanned the area. The place had really gone downhill. The shelter was in the middle of chaos.
Trash lined the streets, except in front of the shelter. The building across the street had shattered windows. I imagined it was a squatter’s haven. Squatters typically meant drug use. The building next to it had the windows boarded up with plywood with signs posted all over the wood. Not that one could read the signs, given the amount of graffiti covering the wood.
It was a sad state of affairs. And just a little worrisome. I wondered if Rich knew what had become of the area. Thea wasn’t my girlfriend anymore, but if she was, I wouldn’t want her working down here. This place was scary, and I was a fairly good-sized dude.
Thea was small enough to fit in my pocket. She was small but I knew she was mighty. Her small frame was solid and muscular from all the work she did. I had once seen her lift a German Shepherd that weighed nearly as much as she did.
I was going to mention it to Rich next time I saw him. There had to be a better place for her to have her shelter. I knew the warehouse provided plenty of space and the inside looked a lot better than the outside, but it was the area.
I hit the button for my Porsche, turning off the alarm when I was just a few feet away. Out of nowhere, three guys that looked like they’d been up for weeks approached me. One of them lifted his shirt to reveal a concave belly along with the handle of a knife.
“Give us your wallet,” he said.
“Go away,” I replied.
“Give him the fucking wallet!” One of his buddies that was emaciated with dark circles under his eyes stepped toward me.
I held up a hand. “Do not touch me,” I said calmly. “I don’t know what you’re carrying.”
“I’ve got a knife,” he shot back.
“I wasn’t referring to weapons,” I said and reached for the door handle.
“Hey! Give us your money! We’ll cut you!”
“No, you won’t,” I replied easily. “You’re high, not stupid. You cut me, you’ll land in jail, probably prison because I doubt you’ve got a clean record. I weigh as much as all three of you put together. You won’t take me down. Save yourselves the trouble and get out of my way.”
“What the fuck, man?” The first one pulled the ugly knife from his waistband. “We’ll cut you.”
I opened the car door and climbed inside. I made sure to lock it the moment I closed the door. I wasn’t a total idiot. I started the engine and hit the gas. When I looked in the rearview mirror, the three of them were staring at the taillights of my car with confused expressions.
“Holy shit,” I said on the breath I’d been holding. I wasn’t really worried they would stab me, but it was a possibility.
I took the corner going a little too fast and nearly plowed into another dude standing several feet off the curb. He was obviously the dealer my three would-be robbers were hoping to purchase from. The man started to shout and throw up his hands. I hit the gas and left them all in my rearview mirror.
How in the hell was Thea working in that mess?
If she was mine, I wouldn’t let her work down here. If she insisted, which I wouldn’t put past Thea, I would hire security. That body of hers was in need of guarding.
She looked the same, yet different. She wasn’t wearing much makeup. That was something I remembered about her. She’d always had that healthy, natural glow that should never be covered with makeup. The smattering of freckles across her nose made her look like a young woman who spent a lot of time on the beach.
I had to smile at the black scrubs she’d been wearing. Back when we were together, I mentioned the vet my father had used for his now late terrier wore scrubs. She had rejected the idea, but it seemed maybe she had seen the value in not ruining all her clothes. I liked the way the scrubs fit her. She would kill me if she knew I was thinking about sex with her. Not new sex but seeing her reminded me of some of the better times we had.
If I wasn’t careful, I was going to end up with an erection. Seeing her again had been a blast from the past. Those big, brown doe eyes had always been a weak spot for me. There was an innocence about her. A natural goodness that oddly enough was sexy. She was the good girl we all wanted to take home to meet the family, but she wasn’t all good. I remembered some very, very naughty moments with her in the bedroom.
I gave myself a mental shake. I could not go down that road again. If I had sex on the brain, it was going to make the party difficult. Uncomfortable. That door was closed. It had to stay that way.
“Call Dad,” I spoke aloud. The Bluetooth started the call. I waited and never got an answer.
I called Josh next. “I’ll be in later,” I told him. “I’ve got to take care of some business.”
“Should I clear your schedule for the day?”
“No, just give me two hours,” I answered.
“Is this about your dad?”