Page 145 of Outspoken

“Some.”

I pull out dollar bills I stuffed in my pockets earlier, handing him the wad. “Get some more. Try not to spend it on other stuff, okay?”

He grins. “Thanks, sweetheart. Happy to see you’re good.”

“Take care of yourself.” I turn to Miguel. “Let’s ask a few more people here before trying the next place on the list.”

Miguel nods and follows, still looking unsettled. “Did you spend a lot of time here in the past?”

I give him a cautious side glance. “It wasn’t always here, but yeah. Are you learning things about me you don’t like?”

He takes my hand. “No. Just learning.”

I interlock our fingers, deciding not to worry about when we’ll separate again. He’s here now. “I understand being here can be a shock at first,” I say. “Most people don’t bother to talk to the homeless. I used to be the same until I got into pills and spent time in places like this getting trashed. The homeless are people like everyone else, they’ve just had rougher lives.” I stop walking to look back at Chester, who waves at us. “He used to work in finance and travel a lot. Then his best friend raped and killed his wife.”

Miguel stares at me in horror. I could’ve said it less bluntly, but why? Sugarcoating only dismissed a horrible reality like it’s no big deal. Chester’s wife deserves better than for me to try to soften the blow about what happened to her.

“The man never got arrested,” I add. “Chester needed an escape. That’s what most addicts are looking for. A few minutes to forget.”

Miguel touches my cheek with a hard swallow, then his eyes space out and he gets lost in thought. Turning, he walks back to Chester to give him all the cash in his wallet. Chester grins like it’s Christmas morning.

“Buy food with that,” I call out to Chester as he’s stuffing money in his pockets.

“I know, sweetheart. I know.”

I’m not confident he will use it for food or hygienic needs, but that’s his decision. What matters is showing him someone in the world cares enough to offer help—that he matters.

As Miguel is walking back to me, Chester hobbles after him, waving his arms.

“Wait, son,” he says. “I think the satellites just changed positions because I’m remembering something. They interfere with my thinking a lot. I’m remembering I saw a boy. Just this morning.”

“The boy in the picture?” Miguel asks as I hold my breath in hope.

“I think,” Chester says. “Can I see again?” Miguel pulls out his phone and Chester nods at the picture. “Yup. Grey hoodie. I seen him. He went in there.” He points at the abandoned building. “But I’d be careful, sweetheart. The suits. Make your man go in first.”

My heart starts pounding as Miguel and I face the building. “We’ll be careful,” I say. “Thank you, Chester.”

He nods and hobbles back to his lawn chair.

When we reach the building’s open doorway that leads into darkness, I touch Miguel’s arm, stopping him. “Let me go in alone.”

His brows scrunch together. “What? No way.”

Pressing my hand against his chest, I say, “You said you upset Angel, right? I think it should only be me. I’ve been in here before. I’ll be okay.”

Miguel is shaking his head and looking very defiant.

“If I’m not back in, like, five minutes, you can come in. But let me go first. If he’s pissed at you, he’s not going to come out when he sees you.”

Miguel makes a fist and glares at the dirt, thinking. After a moment, the corners of his lips pull down and his eyes dart to mine warily. “Fine. But I swear, five minutes and I’m coming in.”

I rub circles on his chest. “You’re a very good protector,” I say, which softens him. “I’ll be quick.”

He plants himself in front of the doorway like a guard and watches me enter the darkness.

I glance around at the huge interior. Angel could be anywhere in here on any of the four floors.Should have told Miguel fifteen minutes.

Determined and trying not to tremble too much about this crazy thing I’m doing, I turn on my phone’s flashlight so I don’t trip on the trash. There is light coming from some of the windows, but not much.

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