young security guard said from behind the groper. His nametag read TYRELL.
“Not unless this bitch tries to feel me up again,” I replied, releasing the chains with a flick of my short-nailed fingers. I was glad he’d been on the ball. My next move would have been to rake my heel down her shin and stomp her foot. As she sported more muscle than a lot of men I knew, I sure couldn’t hold my own in a close-quarters wrestling match.
Welcome to the Tenderloin.
“Back up a bit, please, miss,” the guard said to my opponent, and after a look of pure poison she did.
“Here or to go?” I heard from behind me, and realized I was now first in line.
“Combo number one, for here,” I replied, turning my back on the two behind me to pay. Afterward, I nodded to the guard, ignored the bitch and waited off to the side. Three minutes later I’d collected my styrofoam plate and sat down to eat next to a group of slumming college kids.
When I started on my second taco, the guard came over to me. Amused eyes lit up his dark face, highlighting even white teeth. “Don’t let that bother you,” he opened.
“I don’t.” I wasn’t giving him any rope, not tonight. Cute, but not my type.
“Yeah, you handled yourself all right.”
Yet, as long as he was here…I crooked my finger, motioning him to lean over. With the chaos and buzz of conversation all around, that was all the privacy I needed. “Hey, you been doing this for a while?”
“Over a year. I work for a service, though. Not always this joint.”
“Then you might hear things.”
“Maybe.” His face clouded a trifle.
“Hear about a big shipment of new high-grade pills hitting the street anytime soon?”
Eyes narrowing further, he shook his head. “You a cop?”
“Not anymore. P.I.” I slid my money clip out of my front pocket, peeled off a twenty. “Got anything for me?”
“I don’t need your money,” he said.
“But I need your tip if you got one, Tyrell, and everyone needs cash. No offense, but they can’t be paying you much over minimum.”
Tyrell licked his lips. “Okay. Yeah, I got something. I play college ball,” he said, flexing a bit, “and I heard guys talking about some good juice that’s going to hit this week.”
“Steroids.”
“I don’t use. Shrivels your dick.”
“Doesn’t seem to bother her,” I said, pointing with my chin at my handsy lesbian fan glowering at us from across the room.
Tyrell laughed in my ear, a little closer and huskier than necessary. “You a trip, girlfriend.”
I patted his cheek. “Thanks, bro, but I’m busy tonight. And why aren’t you hitting on some younger hotties?”
“I like a woman who stands up for herself. Besides, I never been wid’ a Asian.”
Hoo, boy. That was the way to make a girl feel special for sure: tell her the conquest checks a block on your bucket list. I held back my eyeroll with difficulty. “Thanks.”
A folded piece of paper appeared between his fingertips. He set it down next to my plate. “Call me when you got a night off,” he said, winking and standing up, all brash confidence. “I work six to two, mostly.”
I picked up the paper and slid it into my blazer pocket with a cock of my head. “I might.” I wouldn’t, but there was no point to stomping on his ego, and for a P.I., a source was a source. “Oh, do me a favor, would you? That’s my Subaru parked on the corner. Keep an eye on it for me until your shift ends, will you?”
“Sure thing, gorgeous.” Tyrell turned to deal with an obvious crackhead sliding in the door, making sure the guy had money and kept his cool.
After finishing my meal and nodding to Tyrell on the way out, I hustled down the steps and into the street, angling deeper into the Tenderloin. Within half a block the streetlights above had gone dark and the junkies began inspecting me much like I’d eyed my tacos. Wisps of light fog blew cold, faint ghosts to match the denizens of the night.
Instead of using either
“Not unless this bitch tries to feel me up again,” I replied, releasing the chains with a flick of my short-nailed fingers. I was glad he’d been on the ball. My next move would have been to rake my heel down her shin and stomp her foot. As she sported more muscle than a lot of men I knew, I sure couldn’t hold my own in a close-quarters wrestling match.
Welcome to the Tenderloin.
“Back up a bit, please, miss,” the guard said to my opponent, and after a look of pure poison she did.
“Here or to go?” I heard from behind me, and realized I was now first in line.
“Combo number one, for here,” I replied, turning my back on the two behind me to pay. Afterward, I nodded to the guard, ignored the bitch and waited off to the side. Three minutes later I’d collected my styrofoam plate and sat down to eat next to a group of slumming college kids.
When I started on my second taco, the guard came over to me. Amused eyes lit up his dark face, highlighting even white teeth. “Don’t let that bother you,” he opened.
“I don’t.” I wasn’t giving him any rope, not tonight. Cute, but not my type.
“Yeah, you handled yourself all right.”
Yet, as long as he was here…I crooked my finger, motioning him to lean over. With the chaos and buzz of conversation all around, that was all the privacy I needed. “Hey, you been doing this for a while?”
“Over a year. I work for a service, though. Not always this joint.”
“Then you might hear things.”
“Maybe.” His face clouded a trifle.
“Hear about a big shipment of new high-grade pills hitting the street anytime soon?”
Eyes narrowing further, he shook his head. “You a cop?”
“Not anymore. P.I.” I slid my money clip out of my front pocket, peeled off a twenty. “Got anything for me?”
“I don’t need your money,” he said.
“But I need your tip if you got one, Tyrell, and everyone needs cash. No offense, but they can’t be paying you much over minimum.”
Tyrell licked his lips. “Okay. Yeah, I got something. I play college ball,” he said, flexing a bit, “and I heard guys talking about some good juice that’s going to hit this week.”
“Steroids.”
“I don’t use. Shrivels your dick.”
“Doesn’t seem to bother her,” I said, pointing with my chin at my handsy lesbian fan glowering at us from across the room.
Tyrell laughed in my ear, a little closer and huskier than necessary. “You a trip, girlfriend.”
I patted his cheek. “Thanks, bro, but I’m busy tonight. And why aren’t you hitting on some younger hotties?”
“I like a woman who stands up for herself. Besides, I never been wid’ a Asian.”
Hoo, boy. That was the way to make a girl feel special for sure: tell her the conquest checks a block on your bucket list. I held back my eyeroll with difficulty. “Thanks.”
A folded piece of paper appeared between his fingertips. He set it down next to my plate. “Call me when you got a night off,” he said, winking and standing up, all brash confidence. “I work six to two, mostly.”
I picked up the paper and slid it into my blazer pocket with a cock of my head. “I might.” I wouldn’t, but there was no point to stomping on his ego, and for a P.I., a source was a source. “Oh, do me a favor, would you? That’s my Subaru parked on the corner. Keep an eye on it for me until your shift ends, will you?”
“Sure thing, gorgeous.” Tyrell turned to deal with an obvious crackhead sliding in the door, making sure the guy had money and kept his cool.
After finishing my meal and nodding to Tyrell on the way out, I hustled down the steps and into the street, angling deeper into the Tenderloin. Within half a block the streetlights above had gone dark and the junkies began inspecting me much like I’d eyed my tacos. Wisps of light fog blew cold, faint ghosts to match the denizens of the night.
Instead of using either
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