It Started With A Whisper

Chapter 2- Bad Boy Fights and Cops Come to Lights

“Why are we hiding?” Ryan whisper yells as we poke our heads out around the tree. I roll my eyes at him, how many times do I have to explain myself?

                “I’m trying to see if this apartment is capable of offering suitable living conditions,” well, I’m not completely lying. The buff landlord stands guard at the entrance door looking extremely intimidating, keeping watch for something. I’m not afraid of him. I am standing a hundred feet away because I’m studying his human behavior. 

                “Are you doing a piece on this complex, chief?” Ryan asks. I smirk at the name he’s given me ever since I moved up in charge of the newspaper’s weekly editions. I am quite proud of myself.

                “No,” I answer quickly before ducking behind the tree again.

                “Then why are we hiding our faces covered with head scarves and sunglasses?” he retorts.

                “Pretend it’s an adventure,” I huff as a black tinted car pulls up to the building and as if on cue, Zen guy leans off the wall to approach it. I’m going to take a guess and say they’re friends.

                “Ryan keep your camera aimed and don’t miss anything,” I order as my photographer immerses himself in his job. Ryan always did have a knack for photography and is one of my most valuable assets in the paper station. He continues to snap the camera while I take notes, trying to decipher what’s going on.

                “We heave ten minutes before we have to get back in school, Mickey,” Ryan states after a long moment of silence. I look down at my watch and he’s indeed correct.

                “Wait here,” I give no time for a reply as I quickly cross the small street and catch the buff guy by the arm just as we entering the building once again. He looks down at my hand on his bulging bicep with a raised brow before giving me a look. My hand immediately clams up and I hastily remove it, letting it drop by my side.

                “What do you want?” he grunts out. His barbaric skills are extremely impeccable, kudos to you, baldy. 

                “Uhm, I have a couple of questions about a guy named Alexandrew Powers,” I clear my throat and try to hide any shakiness from my voice. Calm and confident, these are your best weapons during these types of situations.

                “What’s it to you?” he looks me up and down in curiosity.

                “How much do you want?” I raise a wad of bills in my hand. Having been in many situations like these for the paper, I’m quite used to it.

                “Nope,” I’m quite surprised by his answer.

                “What?” surely, I heard wrong the first time.

                “That kid already has too much on his plate, I’m not about to cause him anymore trouble,” a protective glint takes over his eyes.

                “But you’re willing to evict him,” I state, recalling the last encounter.

                “Look, I feel for the boy but I also have a business to run. Three months of unpaid rent is where I draw the line,” three months, just how long has my dad known about Alex’s freedom? Does he even know about this situation?

                “How much is it?” I look away trying to appear nonchalant.

                “Fifteen hundred with this upcoming month,” he brings his arms across his chest. With a heavy sigh and a new pain in my chest, I dig in my bag and pull out an envelope. I give the towering man in front of me a pained look before thrusting the flowing envelope in his hands. With a raised brow, he looks inside and with the flick of his fingers counts all the money.