Page 21 of Saving Blood

“Trying to get this stupid computer to do what I want.” I look away from the monitor, happy for the diversion.

“What are you trying to do?” Javi rounds my desk and peers at the computer screen.

“I’m trying to pay the electric bill for this place, and every time I put in the amount, it won’t take it.”

Javi leans over the keyboard, taps at some keys, and, holy fuck, the screen changes and accepts the payment.

“Done.” Javi waves his arms like he performed a magic trick. Might as well, most things related to the damn computer go right over my head.

“What the fuck was wrong with it?”

“You didn’t need to put in the dollar sign. It was screwing up the spacing.”

I roll my eyes ‘cause I didn’t get what he was saying, but I’m sure as shit not gonna admit it. Sad when a kid barely a teenager has to school me.

“You clean out all the locker rooms?” I ask.

“Yeah, did it a while ago. Diesel told me to ask you if there’s anything else you need done.” Javi rocks on the balls of his feet. “He also said you’re in a pissy mood.”

“I thought I told you to get yourself a new pair of shoes.” I nod to his threadbare sneakers. “I gave you enough money last week. What did you do with it?” Temptations on the Tijuana streets run high, so I narrow my eyes, giving him a death stare.

“Nothing, I just couldn’t find a pair I liked.”

“What about the Nikes you had your eye on?”

Javi shrugs a shoulder. “Changed my mind.”

I push out of my chair, round my desk, and glare down at him. He might be a computer whiz, but I still have at least six inches on the kid. “You better not be pissing it away on bullshit or drugs.”

Javi screws up his lips. “Nah, you know I don’t do that shit.”

“You better not.” I hold his gaze for an extra minute. “Then what happened to it?”

“I hadda give it to my mother.” Javi shifts his feet. “She needed it for the baby.”

I heave out a heavy sigh. Javi, his mother and his four siblings live outside Tijuana. The house isn’t much more than a shack with a tarp roof and concrete floor. Sweltering hot during the day and freezing cold at night. The roof leaks when it rains, and they have no lock on the door.

Of course, Javi’s father ran off, and that’s when Javi started hanging around the gym looking for work. He was only twelve at the time. Since then, I help them out. I wanted to do more, but his mother is a proud woman, so when I had food and other household needs delivered, I covered it up by saying it was payment for work Javi did around the gym.

Since then, I also took on some of Javi’s friends who were in the same position. Due to government corruption, most people live way below the poverty line. I try to do what I can for these kids, but it’s never enough.

I reach in my pocket, pull out a wad of cash, peel off four one-hundred-dollar bills and shove them in Javi’s palm. “Get the Nikes you wanted and whatever else your mother needs.”

“But—”

“Tell her you worked some overtime fixing my computer.”

Javi’s eyes widen at the cash. “Thanks.”

I look over his shoulder and see Juan heading toward the office. “Get outta here; you’re done for the day.”

Juan texted me earlier to say he was on his way over with some great intel. I’m not in the mood for his bullshit, and I doubt he has anything valuable to tell me, but if he didn’t, I could take my pissed-off out on him. That lifts my mood—a little.

The skinny fucker enters my office with a huge smile plastered on his face. I return his smile with a sneer, ‘cause I sure didn’t wanna see anybody happy today.

He eyes the chair in front of my desk, and my sneer turns into a scowl. “Don’t bother sitting down. You ain’t gonna be here that long. Either you got something for me, or you don’t.”

The grin drops from Juan’s face, and he shuffles his feet.

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