Page 10 of The Wickedness of Man

I began to stop him, but he opened the metal lid on one of the dishes, and the delectable smell of chow mien filled the room with such an incredible aroma I had to close my mouth before I drooled all over the counter. He piled a bowl sky high and then passed it and a pair of wooden disposable chopsticks over the glass display guard to me, and then wandered back to deal with a tiny white-haired old woman at the register trying to buy some lotto tickets.

I tore into my noodles, savoring each bite with as much gusto as possible. If this cost all the money I had in my pocket, I’d pay it. The noodles were fresh—handmade. The sauce was rich and savory, and I hadn’t even realized I’d closed my eyes as I chewed until the old man laughed.

“Good?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” I confirmed around my mouthful of noodles. “Very good.”

He held up a finger and then produced a beer from a cooler below the counter. I didn’t recognize the brand—it appeared to be Chinese by the characters on its label—and he took a bottle opener, popped it, and put it in front of me on a little napkin.

I grinned at him and took a sip. Technically, we weren’t allowed to drink while on assignment, but the flavor of the beer mixing with the lingering taste of the noodles was enough to make me give a satisfied sigh.

“Better now,” said the old man with a knowing smile.

I nodded. “Hell yeah. Even better.”

I’d hardly even noticed the little old lady was still in the store, but she approached the counter once more with a large case of beer, paid for it, and thanked the shop owner before he disappeared into the back and she wandered toward the door. She stumbled as she passed by on my right, and without thinking, I reached over to grab hold of her arm, knocking my beer onto the counter, but managing to keep her upright.

“Oh, goodness!” she said in alarm as she stood up. “I’m so sorry, I ruined your dinner!”

I turned and righted the bottle, then grabbed a handful of napkins and started cleaning up the mess.

“No, it’s okay,” I offered. “Not a drop on me. I shouldn’t be drinking anyway?—”

“You’re so kind,” she said, patting my arm. “Please, let me make it up to you. I’ll help you clean?—”

“It’s really okay, ma’am,” I told her. I just wanted to get back to my noodles. The loss of the beer was a shame, but it wasn’t the end of the world. I was almost finished with the bowl, though, and I wanted it while it was still hot. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

“I insist,” she told me.

I turned to face her and stilled beneath her touch. I didn’t realize that she’d left her hand resting on my arm until I felt the first waves of peace flowing through me. It wasn’t that I wasunableto move, I just… didn’t want to. I blinked at her. I felt… strange. Calm. Unconcerned. She seemed like such a kind old lady.

You can trust her,came a voice in my mind I didn’t recognize.

“I can trust you,” I said slowly.

“That’s right, dear, you absolutely can. Here,” she placed the case of beer she’d purchased on the counter—again, a brand I didn’t recognize. “For your trouble. I’ll pay for the meal, too.” She took two twenties out and tucked the bills into my hand.

“That’s too much,” I answered, but my hand closed around the money anyway. “He only ever charges me about five.”

“So honest!” she said, now patting my cheek. “Please. It’s the least I can do. Now, you make sure you go home and really enjoy yourself this evening. Tomorrow’s your day off, I bet.”

I shook my head, unable to take my eyes off her face. “No. I’m working all weekend.”

“That’s positively savage!” said the lady. “I insist on doing something about it, so I’ve decided it’s your day off tomorrow. You do trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” I responded automatically. Some part of my brain recognized that the situation felt wrong, but I couldn’t focus on anything but the woman in front of me. “I’m off tomorrow.”

“Well, then you should go and really cut loose tonight. A young man such as yourself needs to relax every once in a while!”

“Cut loose?” I parroted.

The old woman leaned forward, inches from my face now, her gaze boring into me as both hands cupped my cheeks. I was unnerved, yet found it wasn’t unpleasant. “I need you to drink these.” She pushed the case toward me. “It will make me feel so much better about having taken up your time like this. Do you promise me? Promise you’ll make sure to drink these?”

I put my hand on the case of beer, nodded. “Yeah… yeah, I promise.”

“Good. You’re quite worn out, aren’t you? You must have been working quite hard.”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

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