Downfall(5)

He nodded jerkily, spraying blood and saliva on the sidewalk. I grunted and turned on my heel to walk toward my building, but something made me pause and look back at the man on the ground. “The girl and her kid. They are off limits to everyone else, too. Make sure you let the other rats who scurry around in the shadows know that. Let her come and go in peace so she can take care of that little girl.”

Skinner grumbled something under his breath but gave a nod. I turned on my heel and headed toward my building. Lester, the homeless veteran who called the stoop home, rolled over as soon as my boots hit the first step. The man was a war hero and unfortunately an addict. He deserved better than sleeping outside and scrambling for his next hit, but this is where he ended up. At least he had a few residents, like myself, who looked out for him. He blinked rheumy eyes at me and furiously licked at his dry, cracked lips.

“Glad you got home when you did, Solo. That girl is really nice, and her kid is sweet as can be.” His raspy voice cracked on every other word, but I was used to his unusual speech patterns.

“Been trying to scare off Skinner for over a month. Should have done a better job of it.” I rolled my stiff shoulders and blew out a breath. “Don’t know how long someone like that can last out here. She sticks out like a sore thumb. Bound to draw the wrong kind of attention.”

Lester cackled, which quickly turned into a wheezing cough. “Sounds like she needs someone to keep an eye on her.”

I rolled my eyes under the bill of my hat and hopped to a higher step. “I barely have time to shower, shit, and shave most days. If I get five free minutes, I use them to fight or to fuck. Don’t have time to be a hero for some chick I don’t know.” I didn’t even have the time to be a hero for the people I actually cared about most days.

Lester made another gasping, rumbling sound and pointed to the spot where Skinner had left a bloody puddle on the sidewalk. “Found time tonight.”

I snorted as I made it to the top of the steps, pulling the front door open. There weren’t things like security doors and buzzers in these old buildings. Hell, the elevator hadn’t worked in over five years. I blinked when I realized how long I’d been calling this crumbling building home. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, I was supposed to get out, but it hadn’t worked out. Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten what life was supposed to be like and had learned to accept how things really were. The unidentifiable smells lingering in the corners and stairwells didn’t even faze me anymore. I didn’t blink at the peeling paint or the sound of screaming voices that came through the paper-thin walls. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d settled into this as my reality over time. The thought was as comforting as it was depressing.

When I walked into my dingy little apartment, I immediately started stripping my clothes off. There was blood on my shirt, so I threw it in the trash, knowing I didn’t have the time or patience to get a stain out. I tossed my hat and keys on the small table I kept by the front door, so I would remember to grab them on my way out in the morning. I could hear the couple who lived in the unit on the left side of my apartment fighting about something. It was all they ever did. They were either yelling because they were pissed at each other or screaming because they were having vigorous rounds of make-up sex. I was super glad my miniscule bedroom was on the other side of the apartment. Whomever had moved into the vacant apartment on the right side of mine was as quiet as a mouse. I only knew I had a new neighbor was because I could hear the pipes groaning when they took a shower, and occasionally something smelled really good through the vents when they were cooking.

I was glad that there were no sounds of rowdy sex coming from that side of the building. My bed was pushed up against the wall and it had been longer than I cared to admit since there had been anyone but me between the sheets. If I had to listen to someone else getting some while I was in the middle of the world’s longest dry spell, it would be nothing short of torture. I wasn’t lying when I told Lester I didn’t have time for much of anything anymore. Between my job, working out, online classes to get certified as a legit mechanic, and fighting on the weekends in the Pit so I could pay for my mom’s care, I was stretched so fucking thin I wondered if you could see my veins and heart beating through my skin. At twenty-five, I knew I should be living it up and having the time of my life, but I wasn’t doing either of those things. No, I was barely holding my shit together and it felt like any little thing that went awry had the ability to make me break.

Which was why it was a bad idea to be so curious about the redhead and her kid.

I couldn’t stop myself from wondering why someone who so clearly came from somewhere else ended up in my neck of the woods. I was curious about the kid, as well. They looked enough alike with their matching sky-blue eyes and freckles, there was no question the ebony-haired toddler belonged to the tall redhead. There was something about the way she fiercely protected the little girl that screamed motherly concern. She’d been in such a hurry to get away from Skinner that I hadn’t managed to catch her name, not that I could blame her for scurrying away. Still, a thank you would have been nice. After all, I did find the time to be her hero, even if it was a one-off occurrence.

I sighed, getting a bottle of water and a slice of cold pizza out of my fridge. I plopped down on the couch, kicked my feet up and fell asleep with my snack in hand before I took the first bite. I could throw down with men twice my size, even those who fought dirty, but there was no battling the exhaustion that pulled me under each and every night.