Page 44 of One Step After Another

13.

Luca

THE room Freddie saidhe had available for Luca and his guest—he refused to give Penny’s name or even a fake one—wasn’t much to look at. A sketchy, queen-size bed with a bare mattress although a quick smell of the folded blankets at the foot said they had at least been washed.

By who, Luca didn’t know.

He also wouldn’t ask.

The singular dresser with five drawers had seen far better days. Dings and chipped paint weren’t a decorative touch he preferred but as he didn’t plan to use it anyway, what did it even matter? A small mirror with a crack in the bottom, left-hand corner hung over a steel sink that jutted from the wall covered in peeling, yellowed wallpaper. He wasn’t even sure the rusty pipes under the sink would work to bring water to the taps.

Under the soles of his feet, wood floors that had seen better days creaked with every step he took around the small space. The room couldn’t be larger than ten feet by ten feet. The tiny window over the lone piece of furniture in the room other than the bed—the dresser—wouldn’t even fit a small child through it.

But the place would do.

For now.

“Toilet and shower down the hall,” Freddie said from the doorway.

Penny passed Luca a look that he didn’t return. Instead, he told the man, “Thanks.”

“We’ve got the cook downstairs from six until six. The bar, too. And the window won’t open. Don’t bother trying.”

“Got it.”

“Let me know if you need more than a day. I’ll see what I can do. Anything you want me to know?”

That time, Luca did glance Penny’s way. She had turned her back to the man in the doorway while she surveyed the small closet with four, lonely wire hangers left on the rack. He didn’t think she was interested in the objects, but she was avoiding talking as much as possible.

“Yeah,” Luca muttered. “If anyone asks, we’re not here.”

“Who are we, exactly?” That time, Freddie pointedly stared at the back of Penny’s white-blonde head. “Never knew you to bring guests ... you working, or—”

“Something like that.”

Luca doubted the answer satisfied the man, but Freddie didn’t show it. He also wasn’t the type to be messed with which was why the underground haven was a good place to lie low for a while if needed. Wide-shouldered, built like a brick shithouse and about as tall as one, too, the man could go a round or two without even needing a breath.

The people who could cause a problem for Freddie tended to leave the man alone because he never took sides in anything. He simply offered what he had to whoever needed it as long as they didn’t bring him any issues in the meantime.

A simple give and take. One Luca respected as did many others.

“That all?” he asked Freddie.

The guy sucked air through his teeth, giving Penny one last look before he turned on his heels to leave the room altogether. Grabbing the door handle to shut out the noise from down the hall, he only stopped long enough to say to Luca, “Yeah, but you know the rules.”

“Of course. And as long as everyone is told we’re not here ... they’ll be followed. We cool?”

“Sure. Enjoy your evening.”

Yeah.

Luca doubted that.

The door to the room wasn’t closed longer than ten seconds before Penny turned to face Luca. Her previous disinterested expression had been replaced with a heat he hadn’t expected. And not one that would end well.

No, she was ... angry.

“I’ve got nothing,” she snapped. “No phone. No line of contact to my handlers. I don’t know what the fuck this place is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not safe to go wander the halls and find a phone. If we kept running, then maybe I could have—”