Page 8 of Dare to Dance
I’d like that box of NyQuil.“Do you have a packet of Advil?”
“They’re located at the counter up front.” He placed the box of NyQuil on the shelf next to the cold medication.
Somewhere, a phone rang, then the overhead speaker announced, “Pharmacy, call on line two.”
“If you need anything else, let me know.” He darted out of sight.
I kept my eyes on the man in the lab coat. He had his phone to his ear, reading a computer screen. Then I put my hand on the box of NyQuil. The price was way more than the three or so dollars I had on me.
Norma’s voice blared inside my head. “Please don’t steal.”
I didn’t want to, but she was in dire need of medicine. I looked up and down the aisle. The box of medicine seemed to burn in my hand. My heart sped up as it always did before I stole anything. Winter was the easiest time to steal since jackets and big coats could conceal most items. No one else was visible, except maybe the cameras somewhere in the store.
In lightning speed, I grabbed the box of NyQuil, slipped it inside my coat pocket, then casually strolled up to the front counter. I was careful not to run even though my adrenaline was rushing through me like the rapids at Niagara Falls. I blew out a breath, trying to calm my racing heart as I dug into my pocket and retrieved my money.
A young guy with zits all over his face smiled. “Can I help you?”
“A packet of Advil?”
The phone behind the counter rang. Zit Face picked it up. “Yes.” After a second, he glanced at me, drawing in his eyebrows.
Busted. I bolted out of the store.
“Hey, stop,” Zit Face shouted.
Cold air stung my heated face as I sprinted across the street. Horns blew as I almost collided with an oncoming car. Someone was yelling, but I didn’t dare stop to look behind me. After running several blocks, I ducked into an alley to catch my breath. As my lungs expanded, I spotted a light seeping from underneath a door near a dumpster. A faint aroma of grease carried on the wind. I sniffed like a dog searching for his next meal, the scent pulling me deeper into the alley. The closer I got, the more my stomach growled. I peeked inside the door. Loud shouts and whistles trickled out along with heat, spice, and more grease. I licked my lips.
The sound of an engine rumbled at the mouth of the alley. I skirted a box and hopped into the dumpster, a feat I’d become extremely good at. I landed on a bag of trash and something wet. The engine noise got louder, the lights of the vehicle spraying out. I crouched lower, holding my breath. A car door slammed. Then another. Deep male voices peppered the air.Please don’t let it be the cops.
“The fight should yield us close to fifteen thousand dollars,” one guy with a gruff voice said.
“Just make sure she shows. I’ll be taking your nuts if she doesn’t,” a deeper male voice added.
Two beeps echoed before the voices disappeared.
I poked my head out an inch above the dumpster and let out a sigh at the fact the dark-colored vehicle didn’t have lights on the hood or “police” written on the metal somewhere. At the same time, the need for food waned as my mind spun with the possibilities of what I could do with fifteen thousand dollars. That amount of money would definitely be a good start to getting an apartment for Norma, Raven, and me. I climbed out and brushed off my clothes, which was futile since I lived on the streets. Not to mention, I’d just sat in all kinds of crap in a dumpster.
The dim light on the building lit up the name Firefly on the metal door that was now closed.Damn it.I pulled on the doorknob. Pay dirt. Shouts and whistles erupted from the stairwell that went down, although another went up. I would bet it led up to the kitchen. My stomach voted to take the kitchen route. Sometimes, cooks and servers were nice enough to hand me scraps or a loaf of bread. Maybe I could get some soup for Norma. I heard more whistles and guffaws. Curiosity was always a bitch, so I chanted “eeny meeny miny moe, which way should I go.”
Another outburst of cheers rose from below, feeding my curiosity enough that I descended the stairs. When I reached the dirt-crusted floor at the bottom, a rat scurried by me. A bright light bled from a doorway up ahead, spotlighting yet another rodent. I checked behind me. Confident that no one was around to kick me out, I pushed forward toward the ruckus and onto a landing that overlooked a room below. A crush of male bodies was crammed wall-to-wall, all crowded around something I couldn’t see. Their fists were in the air, waving handfuls of money. I moved closer to the railing when someone grabbed me by the shoulders.
Jumping what felt like a mile in the air, I turned with my fist ready to pummel someone.
A tall, wiry man with dark hair and dark eyes let go of me and held up his hands. “I’m not going to throw you to the wolves.” His voice was gruff like the man I’d heard in the alley. “If you want to punch, then go down there.” He flicked his pointy chin toward the crowd.
Fighting wasn’t my scene, but if fifteen thousand dollars was up for grabs, I would sure give it a go.
He angled his head, a gold studded earring glinting off the brightness of the stadium-like lights. “Are you mute?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Thanks for the offer, but I have to go.” This was a bad idea. The dude gave me the creeps.
He blocked my passage, his hands now at his sides. “Seriously, come with me. I’ll even give you something to drink while you watch. Then you can leave.” He sized me up as though he was interviewing me before throwing me to the wolves, as he had so eloquently put it.
I tried to skirt around him again. “My mom is expecting me home.” A young woman in a room full of men wasn’t a good idea, particularly excited men.
“Where’s home?”
I glanced up, meeting his dark wide-set eyes. “Like I would tell you.”
