Downfall(8)

He dipped his chin again. “No worries. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.” He moved to put the earbuds back in and I considered myself dismissed, but before he could block out the sound, the homeless man on the stoop roused himself into a sitting position and pointed a finger at the man looming in front of me.

“Go help the girl with her car, Solo.” His finger wavered but his voice was surprisingly clear as he issued the order.

Noble bounded up on her toes and tilted her head to the side. “Solo?” My kid was obsessed with Star Wars so there was no way she was going to miss the unusual name.

The man looked down at my daughter, and finally, a grin cracked the stern expression chiseled on his ruggedly handsome face. “Solomon. Solo is my nickname.”

Before I could stop her, she stuck out her hand for the big man to shake. I gulped when her tiny hand disappeared in his much larger one. “I’m Noble.”

He nodded at her. “That’s a pretty name.”

His head moved in my direction and I bit back a sigh. “Orley.” I tossed out my own name reluctantly. “And don’t worry about the car. We’ll figure it out. Seriously.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend any more time in his company. He made me feel weird and unsteady. There was a low vibration I could feel humming throughout my body standing this close to him, and I had no time for any kind of distraction.

He didn’t bother to hide his sigh or his aggravation. He whipped off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “No, just let me run up and change and I’ll look at your car. I don’t have to work until this afternoon. I’m a mechanic. If I can’t get it running, I can get it towed to the garage where I can work for half of what you’d pay someone else.” He snorted. “If I don’t help you out, Lester will never let me hear the end of it. It’s the neighborly thing to do, after all.”

Before I could argue, he dashed up the stairs, stopping to say something to the homeless man that I couldn’t hear. I wanted to tell him I couldn’t afford a mechanic, half-price or not, but he never gave me the chance.

So not only was he a hero, but he also lived in my building. I hated the way that knowledge sent an excited shiver up my spine.

Lester shifted and leaned on the step he was using as a bed. His words didn’t sound slurred, and his eyes seemed incredibly focused as he watched me decide if I was going to wait around for the stranger’s help or not. “Solo’s a good kid. Let him help you out. He’s a wiz when it comes to anything with a motor. He’ll fix you right up.”

Only an idiot would take the word of a homeless junkie at face value when it came to someone else’s character, but damn if I didn’t want to.





Solo



I had a mile-long list of things I was planning on getting done before I had to go to the garage. I’d already been to the gym, put in a few hours sparring, went for a run, and threw in a load of laundry. I still needed to go to the grocery store so there was more than water and old pizza in my fridge, and I wanted to stop by and check on my mom. It had been a few days since I’d had anything resembling free time, and I didn’t like to go too long between visits. I was going to take her flowers and see if she wanted to go out for a walk. She didn’t get out nearly enough when I wasn’t around. But now I was committed to helping the pretty redhead and her adorable kid. I wasn’t exaggerating. If I walked away, ignored the fact she was having car trouble, Lester would never let it drop. When he was sober, the man was part pit bull and part guardian angel. I stepped over him at least twice a day and really didn’t have the time or patience to deal with the hassle he would give me every opportunity he could.

Plus, it was the right thing to do. The poor girl looked even more lost up close and personal. Those huge baby-blue eyes of hers were completely guileless and entirely too innocent. She didn’t belong here; this city would eat her alive. While she was slumming it, it wouldn’t kill me to give up a few of my precious free minutes to make sure she could get herself and her kid from point A to B. It was better to keep her off the streets. There was less of a chance she would run across another loser and user like Skinner if she had a working vehicle. I didn’t want to give a shit, didn’t want to give her a second thought… but I did. And may have even risked a third and fourth thought.

That little girl was adorable and sweet as could be. She was too young to realize how hard and ugly the world could be. She still smiled at strangers, still laughed and played like she didn’t have a single care in the world. Her mom was obviously doing everything she could to protect the little girl from this place. It was impressive, and I admired her dedication to her kid. I didn’t want the little girl’s unchecked delight to be stripped away from her, the way it was so mercilessly stolen from most of the kids who called this city home. I told myself it was an appreciation for the redhead’s selflessness and determination that had me rushing to switch over my laundry and hurry through a quick shower so I could once again play her hero. I refused to think about the fact I also appreciated the way she filled out her skin-tight black leggings and the way her hair turned into flames when the sun hit it just so.

Swearing under my breath, I grabbed a handful of tools and jogged back down the stairs. There was a part of me hoping the woman, Orley, had tired of waiting for me and gone on about her day. She didn’t seem the type to accept help easily. If she was, I doubted she would be living in the Skylark, one of the city’s most rundown apartment complexes, and dodging guys like Skinner once the sun went down. Anyone who had help at hand didn’t end up here. And if she had someone to lean on, she wouldn’t be so out of sorts over the minor bumps in the road which comprised her ‘second worst day ever.’ Things like broken-down cars, lost jobs, and unreliable people were par for the course in this part of town. But it sounded like this was the first time the redhead had ever had to deal with the fairly common occurrences that were in no way the end-of-days she made them out to be. I shouldn’t judge her. I didn’t know her story, but I knew it was a hard one to tell. She was going to get eaten alive by this city if she was ready to throw in the towel every single time these streets showed their teeth.