Page 10 of Skid
“No, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Just need to know if you like your burgers with pickles or no pickles.”
She hesitated, but when she saw the determined look in my eye, she sighed and said, “No pickles.”
“You got it.”
With that, she closed the door and headed for the front door. I waited until they disappeared inside before grabbing my phone and starting a text.
Me:
I need a favor.
Shep:
Sure. What’s up?
Me:
There’s a girl named Laken who works at the Hotel Royale.
I need you to find everything you can on her.
Shep:
I’ll see what I can find.
Me:
Thanks, brother.
Shep wasthe club’s hacker. He was a pro at finding out shit that no one else could. It was only a matter of time before I would know Laken’s story, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a good one.
4
LAKEN
Iscrubbed at the stained bathroom sink until my fingers ached, but no amount of bleach or scrubbing was going to silence the thoughts running through my head. I’d been trying to distract myself, but I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Skid and the expression on his face when I said I worked at the Royale. It was a mix of disgust and surprise.
I couldn’t exactly blame him. I felt the same way about it. The rooms smelled like disinfectant and cheap perfume, and the clientele wasn’t much better. I hated it here. I hated the stale air, the sticky carpets, and the creepy men who came in and out of the rooms with sweat trickling down their backs. I hated everything about it.
It didn’t help matters that I’d just been propositioned by a grimy old man. He’d just stepped out of his room, and when he spotted me walking by, he leaned against his door frame with an eerie grin. “Hey there, pretty lady.”
I nodded and kept moving, guiding Baylor to hurry past him.
I avoided eye contact, but that didn’t stop him from saying, “Why don’t you and your little girl come join us… You can watch or join in. The choice is yours.”
My stomach dropped. I feared he might come after us, so I opened the door to one of the empty rooms and darted inside. As I turned the lock, I heard him shout, “We’d make it worth your while!”
I pushed my cart against the handle, making sure there was no way for him to get inside. Moments later, I heard his door close. I wasn’t taking any chances, so I waited several minutes before opening the door and rushing to our next room. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, and it wouldn’t be the last.
It was just another reminder of how badly I needed to get us out of there.
There was no telling what Skid thought when he found out this was where I spent my day, and even worse, where I brought my daughter. It made me wonder if he’d noticed that the apartment didn’t have power. I don’t know how he could’ve missed it. I was the only one on the block without lights. Then, he finds out where I work.
It was impossible not to be embarrassed, but my pride didn’t matter.
Pride didn’t put food on the table.
