Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Knock it down and build a fucking skyscraper. Come on, let’s go.” I climb out my side and head around the car. She hops out, frowning, blinking around her with a nervous expression as she hurries to keep up.
“Wait, we’re going inside?”
I reach the edge of the property and step onto the old blacktop. It’s littered with broken bricks, weeds, and shattered glass. “What, you don’t want to explore? I thought this was a thing. People wander around in abandoned urban spaces and take pictures for Instagram or whatever you young people are into.”
“It doesn’t look remotely safe and you sound so hilariously old right now.”
“It’s definitely not safe.” I wave as a figure steps out from behind a pillar nearby. He waves back and heads over. “Jeanie, this is Romano, one of my best capos.”
Romano’s tall with dark hair, dark skin, and an easygoing smile. He slouches slightly to seem less giant than he really is, but the man’s a straight-up beast. I’m big and muscled, but Romano is a hulking creature. He’s bigger than Nico and that’s saying something.
“Boss, you’re late.” Romano shakes my hand and looks at Jeanie. “Is this the new assistant you mentioned? She’s pretty. Of course, she’s pretty. I don’t think you’ve ever brought a woman around that wasn’t.”
“Don’t be like that,” I say grinning and glance at Jeanie. She’s blushing. “Romano, Jeanie, Jeanie, Romano. Now you’re introduced. Come on.” I stalk past my capo as he grins at Jeanie and gives her a wink.
She seems totally bewildered, but she hurries to follow. “Is what he said true? You only keep pretty women around? Tell me you’re not that shallow.”
“I don’t keep many women around, period. But the ones that I do tend to be attractive.”
“Oh, god, I shouldn’t be surprised but I am.”
“Aren’t you flattered?”
“No, more like insulted. You just want me because you think I’m beautiful.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” I glance at her, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Life’s short and there are a lot of humans on this planet. Why not surround yourself with attractive ones?”
She pretends to gag as we approach the front of the building and begin skirting around to the right.
“Quiet in there today,” Romano says when he catches up with us. “Cops cleared it out sometime last night and it hasn’t filled back out yet.”
“Any gangs?”
“Nah, just the locals.”
“That’s good.” We reach a side door and I push on it with my foot. It creaks open slowly and I’m blasted with old, stale air and the smell of ancient spilled beer and human refuse.
Jeanie grunts and covers her face with her shirt. “Wow, holy shit, that’s bad.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Romano says and goes in first. I follow after him and Jeanie comes in last.
The interior hallway is littered with trash and water-stained in several spots, which is rare for the desert and says a lot about the structural integrity of this place. Mold’s growing on one wall, which can’t be healthy, and there are several ratty sleeping bags and blankets and bundles of jackets scattered around. I hesitate at a door and push it open—the room beyond is empty except for two people lying huddled together surrounded by more trash, old beer cans, syringes, what looks like an old fire that blackened half the walls, and piles of sodden toilet paper.
Jeanie’s staring around her with wide eyes.
Romano takes us on the tour. More rooms and more homeless people. Most of them are asleep, though some sit up and greet us. I greet them in exchange and even recognize a few—an old woman I call the ‘Carter’ on account of her always having a shopping cart, and an old dude with a huge beard I mentally refer to as Homeless Santa. I give them small amounts of money and move on without issue.
We go through the whole place. It’s an ugly relic, a wreck of a structure, and the people inside are desperate. Some have addiction issues, some have mental health problems, and others simply fell on hard times and haven’t been able to pull themselves out yet. We don’t talk to anyone for long, and I don’t ask them for details on how they found themselves here, but I know the general shape of what has to happen for a person to sleep in this place. The stories span the spectrum of humanity, and by the time we exit out the far end, I can tell Jeanie’s thoroughly moved and strangely freaked out.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asks in the shade of the back overhang. Romano wanders off to check on the guys I have posted nearby watching out for cops or any other unfriendly folks that might want to take a shot while I’m vulnerable.
There was a pool back there once, but now it’s used by local skateboarding kids and is filled with graffiti, the rim coated black with wax.