Page 99 of Bad Men

That thought had me removing my own phone and turning on my own light. I trudged carefully through the room, following the sound to a wet mound of clothes and blankets shoved into a corner.

“Nero.”

I didn’t look away as the thing gave a quiver, matching the scream that followed. I put my phone away when Nero’s lanced over the spot and stayed in a dull halo.

The baby couldn’t have been more than a few months old. He could have been older, but there was nothing to him but a thin bag of bones and misery.

“Hey,” I whispered, jerking off my blazer. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

It didn’t surprise me that he was completely naked under all the filth. I scooped him into the fabric, bundling him up snug and cradling him to my chest. His wails softened to little whimpers that broke my heart.

“It’s okay,” I told him again around the fist in my throat.

I had no idea what the hell we were going to do with a baby, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to leave him there.

“He needs a hospital,” Nero said quietly from over my shoulder.

Part of me prayed a sober, responsible adult would barge in and snatch the baby from me, but I knew that wouldn’t happen. The most we could hope for was a high adult out of their mind waving a crowbar. That didn’t happen either. We made it all the way to the front of the building where Puke and his friends still sat, gaunt with eyes that had seen too much. None of them tried to stop us when we left with the baby. No one even asked us a single question, but I knew they envied him, envied him getting out.

The nurse at the hospital, a middle-aged woman with steel wool hair and warm, blue eyes scooped him out of my arms, unaffected by the feces smearing his tiny body, or the hoarse rasp of his fading cries. She cuddled him against her blue scrubs, making soft cooing sounds.

We gave her as much information as we could, along with both our cell numbers to call if he needed anything. We left before the police showed up, not that they couldn’t find us if they really wanted, but cops made us edgy, especially given that we were both packing. Between us, only I had a record for breaking and entering. I’d been sixteen and it had been my first attempt. I got better at it. At least, at not getting caught.

“What a day,” Nero groaned once we were in the car. He checked his watch. “We still haven’t spoken to Mike.”

“It can wait until tomorrow,” I murmured, eyes fixed on the bumper of the car parked in front of us.

I knew I should have been grateful we’d found the boy in time. I knew I should have felt proud that we’d helped him get out of that situation, away from that environment, but all I felt was defeat and failure because he was just one kid out of millions. Kids starving and dying on the streets. Kids without a home, a future, without hope. We couldn’t save them all. Even if we did, we’d be putting them into a broken system that cared nothing for them.

I was exhausted.

“Dav…”

I shook away the pitying whisper of Nero’s voice and focused on getting us back on the road. I took a deep breath and started the car.

“Want to see if Alejandro wants to meet early?” I asked instead. “Then we can go home, order a pizza and wait for the cops to show up.”

Nero grunted, dropping back in his seat. “I can live with that plan.”

Alejandro didn’t ask why we were early. He didn’t ask why I smelled like shit, or why there were stains on my shirt, or even why we both looked like we’d seen some of the true horrors of the world. He simply tilted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes when we approached.

“The shipment arrived late last night,” he informed us once we’d reached him. “We’re going to have it delivered to the warehouse on fifth. Your crew can take it from there.”

The docks weren’t anywhere near water. It was an entire town of shipping containers piled to the sky in colorful towers. In the summer, the place sizzled with heat radiating off the metal. I was sweating before we even reached our destination.

“It’s all been accounted for,” he went on, studying the blue container perched on top of three yellow ones. “If you find it off, you will inform me immediately.”

A forklift rumbled past. The driver peered down at Alejandro who pointed at the one he needed lowered. Then there was nothing left to do but wait while the hooks were strapped into place.

“Let’s wait by the gates,” he shouted over the grind and roar of machinery doing their jobs. We didn’t argue as we followed him back the length of eight football fields to the main entrance. “I had booked a time later today to have it lowered,” Alejandro said once we could hear him without him shouting. “The operator wasn’t happy with the change in schedule, but…” he broke off with a shrug.

Maybe he was waiting for a thank you for all his trouble, but neither Nero, nor I were in a grateful mood. We stood in a small circle, looking anywhere but at each other. It was awkward, hot, and stank of rust, hot metal, and dirt. Maybe I was just tired and done with the day, but I wanted to go home already. I wanted a shower, a hot slice of cheese pizza and a beer.

And Mia.

Fuck I wanted her the most.

I wanted to pull her against me and have her erase that whole day with just her arms. I wanted to tuck her into the curve of my body, nestle my face into the soft cloud of her hair and forget the world for the rest of the night. I wanted more than anything to hear her voice.

---