Rags to Riches. Really? (1st book of Really? Series)

Chapter 17

I rubbed my hands together and sighed, waiting for Ramont to come out of the warehouse. I knew that he would have questions for me, especially why I started doing this in the first place.

I had no idea how I was supposed to tell him. I had no idea how to tell him that at the age of nine, I had learned how to fight for them and started "dancing" with the big boys at the age of twelve. I had no idea how he would react to that or if he would go against his word and tell my grandmother.

I stirred when I heard someone crunching through the snow and watched as Ramont walked towards me. I stayed silent and watched as he got nearer before turning around and started to walk in a different direction than I had when I first made it here.

Ramont stayed silent and followed me, limping slightly. He caught up to me and waited, patiently, for me to tell him why I was there and what my reasoning was.

After we had gotten a fair distance away from the old warehouse, I sighed and rubbed my hands together before clearing my throat. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do," I said, glancing at him from the corner of my eye because I wanted to see his reaction.

Ramont set his jaw and nodded his head. Again, he didn't say a word, but I knew that he was curious. He was curious about what I had been through, what my family had been through while my mother did what she did.

Again, I rubbed my hands together and sighed. "I started stealing when I was around seven or eight," I said, licking my lips and clearing my throat. I had no idea how much I should tell Ramont, but I knew that I had to tell him at least something. "Georgie had just been born, and Mom didn't seem to want to do anything. She wouldn't buy food for me or milk for Georgie, and we were starving."

I shook my head and licked my lips again. "There were days when I was starving. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and had problems with school." I shrugged grimaced. "I didn't have the money for lunch.

"I knew that she wouldn't change, which is why I started to steal. I knew that she wouldn't care about us or be the mother that she needed to be." I shrugged and grimaced. "When I first started stealing, I got caught multiple times, but then I got good at it. I was able to steal a wallet, take out the cash (I only took cash; I didn't have time for credit cards), and I slipped the wallet back into the unsuspecting person's pocket."

"When did you steal from... him?" Ramont asked, finally. "The person that caught you and brought you here?"

"It was winter when I stole from him," I replied. I furrowed my brows. "I think I was almost nine." I shrugged my shoulders and grimaced. "Days kept going into each other. I just knew that I was hungry and knew that Georgie needed to be fed.

"I remember that it was snowing when I stole from him. I had these... swim goggles that I used every time it was snowing to protect my eyes. That day, I was grateful that I had them because when I opened his wallet, something squirted at me, and I yelped in surprise and dropped the wallet."

"What was his name?" Ramont asked, and I shrugged my shoulders. "The man whose wallet you had stolen?"

"Don't know," I replied. "He went by Count for whatever reason. I used to call him Count Dracula."

Ramont nodded his head and gestured for me to continue.

"He turned at that moment and was about to say something, and I guess I shocked him because he stared at me with an open mouth. So, I took that moment, tossed the wallet at him before running in the opposite direction with them running after me.

"I knew the area like the back of my hand and was able to get away from them for some time." I shook my head and grimaced. "However, I hadn't been able to get away from them for long, for I had done something idiotic, but I am grateful that I had done it."

"What did you do?" Ramont asked after a small pause on my end. He studied me and narrowed his eyes, and for a moment, I wondered what thoughts did this man have about my story?

What did he think of this, of me being the breadwinner for the family and stealing money for my family? Did he think I was evil, or did he understand that I did what I had to do to survive?

I offered him a grim smile, hidden by the hood that still covered my face, my identity. "I had let my guard down."

***

I had let my guard down. Those words echoed around us for a few miles while we walked in silence. I had let my guard down.

Sighing, I rubbed my hands together, the chill of the early morning seeping through my jacket, and I wondered how Ramont was feeling, for he still only had the sweater that I had given him early this afternoon.

I had let my guard down. Those words held meaning in them, more meaning now than they had, for if things had turned out differently, if he had decided to shoot and not ask questions, I could have been dead, and my siblings would have died with me.

Living on the streets was a dangerous business, a business that needed someone's focus, just like stealing money from some unsuspecting person. And, letting one's guard down was not recommended, especially when it was easy to get shot.

"Well?" Ramont pressed. He studied me out of the corner of his eye before looking forward. "What happened?"

"One of Count's cronies found me and brought me to him." I shook my head, smiling bitterly. "I didn't come quietly. I went spitting and punching and biting, the will to live, to fight, stronger than the fear."

Ramont nodded his head and gestured for me to continue.

"When I was brought to him, his crony had scratches all up and down his arms, and his other one was laughing his ass off. Count sent them both away and studied me.

"By that time, I was exhausted, for I had used all of my energy trying to get away from his cronies and watched him with half-closed eyes. My whole body was tense, but I wasn't afraid."

"Why not?"

I shrugged. "Don't know. I never knew the reason why I wasn't afraid of him, but I wasn't. I just knew that there was something different about him.

"That night, he offered me some food, which I ate and a proposition. He offered to help me make some money, said that he was impressed with my skills. He said that he would teach me how to fight and take care of myself, and hesitantly I agreed."

"Why?" Ramont asked. He studied me, his face a mask. "Why did you accept his offer?"

I offered him another grim smile. "Because I was nine and needed the money. He wanted to help, but I needed to prove myself to him, so I did.

"On that night, Red McCowell was born, and I was the best and youngest damn fighter that he had ever seen all because I stole from him all those years ago."