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And I was absolutely a beggar at this point.
I’d leftwork twenty minutes ago, making quick time as I walked the dark, septic streets of Desolation. I’d been convinced someone would attack again, but fortunately aside from a few catcalls, I was left relatively alone.
Once I was inside my apartment building, I still didn’t let go of my canister of pepper spray. The sun would be rising soon, my feet ached, and my head hurt, but I couldn’t wholly complain. I’d made decent tips and even snagged some food from the diner so I wouldn’t go to bed hungry and wouldn’t have to stop at the convenience store for some prepackaged shit. And I had a job lined up that would—hopefully—make me some decent money.
I started taking the narrow, trash-laden stairs, the scent of stale cigarette smoke, old liquor, and the remnants of what was probably piss and vomit lingering in the air. I could hear the heavy bass of rap music playing from one of the apartments on an upper level. A couple was fighting loudly, and inanother, there was the sound of glass breaking—normalcy in this building.
Once I got to the landing of the floor my apartment was on, I took a moment to catch my breath before I made my way to my front door.
I rounded the corner, and my steps faltered slightly when I saw my neighbor leaning against the interior frame of his door. A cloud of smoke filled his apartment and spilled out into the hallway, a dirty haze that made my vision slightly fuzzy. He brought his cigarette to his lips and took a long drag from it as he stared at me, the small cloud of smoke leaving his mouth as he exhaled.
He wore a stained, what was once probably white T-shirt, dark pit stains under the arms, a brown ring painting the collar, and a slight gut protruding from underneath the otherwise stretched material. His jeans looked like they hadn’t been washed since he got them, and his feet were bare, his toenails too long and too yellow. And the entire time he had his focus latched on to me like a damn leech, refusing to let go.
I averted my gaze quickly and stopped at my door, fumbling with my key for a second before I pushed it into the lock and opened the door. I shut it behind me, turned the deadbolt, and slipped the chain lock in place, then leaned against it.
The domestic shouting sounded louder and right down the hall, and I closed my eyes and thought about what it would be like to be someone else.
But fantasies weren’t real. They were fine when you thought you could escape, but once reality slammed back in, that pain was even stronger than before.
9
Galina
The cab pulled to a stop in front of the bar where Laura had told me to meet her. She’d said to be here at ten, which might have seemed late as hell to start a shift, but when you were in the city, it was when the darkness really settled in that life started to come alive.
“We’re here,” the cab driver said in a thick Eastern European accent. I handed him the amount it cost for the trip, an expense I normally wouldn’t have spent, given the fact that I was trying to save up, but I wasn’t about to hike it across town at this hour. Going a few blocks from Sal’s to my apartment was one thing. Walking to this bar would have been suicide.
I climbed out, and as soon as the cab door was shut, it drove away.No changing my mind now.
I tipped my head back and took in the three stories of the building in front of me. The entire structure was black brick, with twin black vinyl doors situated front and center and a small light illuminating it. Compared to all the other buildings on this block, it looked totally out of place.
The sign above the door was red neon and spelled outSdat'sya.
I pulled out my cell phone and sent a quick text to Laura to let her know I was here. Aside from meeting at this place at ten, she hadn’t given me any other instructions.
I wasn’t brave enough to go through those front doors, which by the way were unguarded. Part of me felt a little bit of trepidation about what lay on the other side, as if I’d be walking into hell itself.
I wasn’t stupid in not assuming a lot of Desolation was controlled and owned by the crime syndicate. I knew in Vegas the Italian mafia had a large hand in things. In fact, many cities around the US probably ran the same way. It was just how the world worked, how things were done. And so I tried to keep my head down and my business to myself.
Of course, sometimes that shit hits you right in the face anyway, and there was no trying to come out without being scarred.
Because the powerful controlled the powerless.
So the fact that this particular building, which screamed money and had a illicit air to it, not to mention was obviously Russian owned, told me it was probably controlled by the Russian mafia. The Bratva.
I looked down the street to my left, then to my right. A police car slowly drove toward me, and I stepped farther back, the cold stone wall of the building stopping my retreat. I knew enough about law enforcement in cities like this, ones that were corrupt and twisted, where criminals had the final say and money could buy anyone and anything.
So the men, the law—who would be the likely prospect when you needed something or when running or hiding or begging for sanctuary—they weren’t the ones you’d ask for help. They were the type of men who took cash in back alleys and lookedthe other way. They were the type of men you ran from. Fast and without looking over your shoulder, because they’d be right behind you.
And as the police cruiser slowed to a crawl as it passed me, the driver glancing in my direction, his grin was big, with all white teeth in a shadowy interior.
A shiver worked through me despite the still air. I wrapped my jacket tighter around me and watched the cruiser disappear down the street.
A second later my phone vibrated with an incoming text, and I looked down to see Laura’s message.
Give me a sec. I’ll bring you in.
I tucked my phone back into my jacket pocket, and a moment later I heard footsteps coming from the side. Laura stepped out from the corner of the building and searched around before her gaze settled on me. She smiled and gestured for me to follow her.
