Page 27 of The Biker's Second Chance
"This is the place?" I ask.
"Yeah, this is home."
I offer my hand so she can get down, and the three of us turn off our bikes and follow her to her nearly dilapidated building.
My eyes scan from side to side, checking the corners just to make sure no one is hiding out. I don't see anyone, but there are clear signs that people have made this area a place to get high or drink. Definitely not an apartment complex I'd ever see Jayne staying in.
"It's on the third floor. It's a walk-up. Don't be surprised if you see anyone sitting in the stairwell," Jayne warns us. Both Tella and Lash take up position behind Jayne while I stay in front of her. Just in case someone jumps out, I want to make sure Jayne is properly protected.
Thankfully, there's no one in the stairwell as we make it up to the top floor of the building. Jayne's apartment is all the way at the end of the hallway.
The light flickers on and off, and there's a strong smell of urine and dirt.
"Is that the apartment?" Lash asks, pointing to the door on the side.
"Yeah, that's where the girls come and go." Jayne nods her head and gulps hard. "Are you sure we can't go to the laundromat just to check if she's still there?" She looks up at me hopefully.
"No, Xavier already let us know that he had her back. If we show up there, it will most likely be a trap." This time, telling her this, I feel bad about it. Before, I wasn't really thinking about this Tessa girl, but after hearing what Xavier is planning on doing to her, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I pray she's able to get away, but right now there's nothing we can do about it.
Jayne frowns but nods her head. She continues walking toward her door.
"Hold on, give me the key." I put my hand out and take the key from her. The building doesn't have anything in the form of security besides the simple deadbolts on the doors. It would beway too easy for someone to go inside and be waiting for her to come home.
Slowly, I open the door with Lash right behind me. Tella stays with Jayne to keep her safe.
My eyes nearly bug out of my head when I get a good look at the inside of her apartment.
There is a small loveseat, a coffee table, and a small big-back TV on the table. There are books stacked in the corner, but that's all in the main room. It's very clear just from this first step inside that Jayne isn't living an extravagant life. She's poor. Like really poor.
I don't comment on it. Instead, I simply walk in, checking the corners. I look into the kitchen and notice the lonely plate and pan in her sink. One spoon. One cup.
It all feels very lonely.
This isn't the way she should be living. Jayne is the kind of woman who deserves the world. She should be in a fucking mansion with an abundance of comfortable furniture.
"My room is back there," Jayne says from the doorway.
Lash and I make our way in that direction. I'm happy to see that her bedroom isn't as bare as the rest of the apartment. She's got a full-sized bed and two closets full of clothes. There's a small dresser. On top of it are more books and some newspaper clippings.
I move closer to see what she was reading, only to see the help wanted section folded open. Several ads circled. All of them part-time work. Seems like she was looking for a second job.
That's what it would take for her to survive. She needs to work two jobs. The longer I'm in her space, the more of a jerk I feel like.
"Is it okay?" Jayne calls out.
"Yeah, come on," I respond, letting both her and Tella know it's safe for them to come inside. There's no one hiding out in here. Not like they'd have anywhere to hide anyway.
"I'll check out front, just to make sure we didn't miss anything. Those bastards could've shown up and bugged the place," Lash lets me know before he walks out of the room to stay up front with Tella.
I know checking for bugs is only part of the reason he's leaving. He wants to give Jayne and me some space.
"Sorry about all the mess," Jayne mutters as she walks in and starts picking up some of her clothes draped on the bed.
"You've got no choice but for it to be a mess. It's not the biggest space I've ever seen."
"Yeah, it's small, but it'll do." She shrugs and puts the clothes in her hand away in the drawer.
"Are you sure? I mean, I didn't really expect you to be living in a place like this." I look around the place one more time before my eyes settle on hers.
