Page 12 of Hold Him Like Gravity

To call the police.

To do anything.

But no more than five minutes later, I heard the bells again.

Then a familiar voice, sounding different with a hint of panic to it.

“Kick!” Rico called. “Kick!” he called again, voice getting closer.

Then, there he was.

And I somehow knew it was all going to be okay.

CHAPTER FOUR

Rico

“What’s going on?” Saff asked as we walked down the street after she dropped into the meat shop to talk to me, interrupting an interesting moment back by the lockers with Kick.

“Nothing,” I said, shrugging, as I shoved my hands into my front pockets. It went from fifty to thirty degrees in what felt like a day or two.

“You’re usually all about getting your hands dirty,” Saff said, refusing to let it go.

“Never said I wasn’t.”

“Yeah, but everything about you says you’d rather be back at the meat shop,” she said. “And since I can’t imagine you care that much about London broil, I have to conclude this has to do with that pretty chick you were eye-fucking when I came in.

“I wasn’t eye-fucking anyone,” I lied.

“Oh, please,” Saff said, rolling her eyes at me as she led me down a side street.

“This isn’t one of your smut books, kid,” I said, trying to distract her. “Not everyone wants to fuck their employees.”

“I mean, no, I can’t see you bending Ricky over your desk,” she said, shooting me a smile. “But that girl has your type written all over her.”

“I don’t have a type.”

“Right. So it’s just because the city only has short, pretty girls with great racks to offer, no other options, huh?”

“Saff, I’m not into Kick. Let it drop.”

“Kick,” Saff repeated. “I like that. Fine. What would you rather talk about then? Your cousin?”

“What about my cousin?”

“Isn’t he getting out of prison soon?” she asked.

“He is,” I said, nodding. “In a little over a week.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“You really need to work on your conversational skills, buddy,” she said as she reached for a door handle. “But right now, all I need is that muscle of yours,” she said, waving me into a building where, I assumed, that fucker who still owed her money and was now trying to hide from her, was holed up.

I walked out of there half an hour later feeling a relaxation in my shoulders that I hadn’t felt in ages. It was amazing what some good old-fashioned ass-kicking did for the nerves.

And I didn’t even have to break my knuckles open to get there.

---