All She Can Take

F O R T Y - F I V E

Sid's eyes trailed to his hands and noticed the fresh bruises on his knuckles. The pain that he inflicted on Phil. Such anger and force. How could he possibly hurt someone like that who was supposed to be his friend? But as soon as the thought crossed her mind she recalled the photo of her father and Kru. Arms slung around one another in a cool familiarity. Friends are often enemies kept close. Luke's entire persona, from his pants, low-slung on his hips, to his hoodie fitted to his body. His facial hair trimmed into the same neat goatee as Phil. It's like he was trying to be him. Had probably been plotting for a long time to take his spot. The thought saddened Sid and she felt sympathy slip in for Luke. He hadn't yet realized how hard it was to replace an actual person. People were full souls. With people who loved them and missed them. They were not merely interchangeable. You could not become them.

Sid tore her eyes away from Luke. They were exiting the walkway and heading down the block toward the corner store. Sid had frequented this store her entire life. For the occasional late-night run for snacks or for the off-brand discount diapers she sometimes had to buy for AJ when money was tight. Her heartbeat quickened with uncertainty. Everything around her was familiar and yet menacing at the same time. Sid knew this neighborhood like the back of her hand. Where could they be leading her that Kru was holed up? What place had she passed her entire life that housed this sinister man? What trapdoor had she missed while wheeling her son to and from daycare?

The bodega stunk of damp cardboard and kitty litter. The scent snuck into her nostrils as she instinctively glanced up toward the discount diapers. Confirming that this was indeed just a typical store. It had not changed since the last time she was there buying cut-rate diapers. The front counter was flanked with two kids shoving crumpled dollar bills toward the older Dominican guy behind the counter in exchange for colorful candies he dumped into a paper bag. No mind was paid to them as they drifted toward the back of the store and through a thick weathered wooden door covered with stickers for Newport cigarettes, ¢99 Arizona Teas, and Budlight. They meandered their way through a dimly lit small storage area before coming to another door. This one was metal and shined with a new sturdiness that let Sid know that everything up front was just for show. Behind this door was the real reason why this space existed.

Frenchie knocked on the door and waited. Bomb butted up against Sid's back. Too close for comfort in the tiny area. She shifted her weight to the side but ended up closer to Luke than she wanted so she moved back, tugging at the straps of the leather backpack again. Latches on the other side of the door were freed before it swung open. Another space, almost the size of the entire store area in the front was concealed behind that door. Sid frowned at the two metal cafeteria tables at the far end of the room. A light coating of dust covered the table tops with food scales perched on each end. Sid tried not to breathe in the drug particles she was sure were floating around in the room. 

Along another wall was a desk and behind it sat Kru. His sleeves pulled up as he watched a large computer screen on the corner of the desk in front of him, and listened to a timid voice leaking from his cell phone on speaker. Red lines skated across a graph in the center of the screen. Decimals and percentages slowly ticking up or down-filled the right side. Frenchie, Luke, and Bomb positioned her in front of his desk before stepping to the side. No one said anything as Kru listened to the nervous voice on the speakerphone. His brows knitted and focused on those vacillating numbers on the screen.

Sid looked around at the sparse room. Other than two aluminum school lunchroom style tables in the far left corner of the room, and the desk Kru occupied pushed to the opposite side, the room held nothing. Sid deflated. She hoped to get a peek at Phil. Lay eyes on his and confirm he was still breathing but there was nowhere he could be in here. This windowless room was for business and business only. Kru listened for a few minutes longer before looking up and acknowledging the group's presence for the first time. He reached over a steady finger to the iPhone where the tinny voice was streaming out of and pressed the glowing red button. The voice disappeared leaving the room silent. Sid was able to hear her own breathing. Shallow and ragged and coached herself to calm down. She had what he wanted but there was no telling if that would be enough. How could she be sure that he wouldn't shoot her the moment she handed the money over?