ANNA

 

Ryan wasn’t much different from most of the men at the shelter. It wasn’t that his hair was always disheveled or his clothes were wrinkled. He was mature but he wasn’t a senior. That’s not what I noticed first about him though. No, it was the look in his eyes. The way he looked at you was enough to tell you that he’d been through a lot.

“How are you doing today, Miss Roberts?”

“What did I tell you about calling me that?” I said with a giggle. “Just call me Anna.”

“Anna. That’s a pretty name. But back in my day, we had respect for women.”

“Back in your day wasn’t that long ago.”

“It was different. I was around your age before you were even born. I’m telling you, Miss Roberts. Things were different. I remember them.”

He had trouble walking, so Ryan put an arm around mine to move. I helped him over to one of the tables that was open. Some of the other residents were enjoying a free lunch that the shelter provided. It wasn’t much but it was something to stop their stomachs from rumbling.

“Have a seat, Miss Roberts,” he said. “I could use the company. It’s not often we have a pretty young lady like you around here.”

The older man smiled at me and my cheeks started to blush. It didn’t matter that he was homeless or down on his luck. Ryan had a charm about him that was enough to make anybody smile.

I took a seat across from him and watched him dig into his food.

“What was it like?” I asked. “Ivory, I mean…”

“Ivory…”

He leaned back in his seat and sighed. The slight smile and wandering eyes told me he was searching for the memories.

“It was great,” he said. “The summers were warm. The people were friendly. There weren’t many of them, so the streets were always empty.”

“The streets are empty now.”

“Ivory’s more crowded than it used to be. A lot of new places being built. Big businesses. People trying to get away from whatever it is they left behind.”

“All those old places are still there. Amy’s Bakery is still up and running.”

“But Amy isn’t there anymore.”

“I hear the food is still good.”

“Maybe. But it’s not the same without Amy’s touch.”

Ryan stuffed his mouth. Even though he was probably starving, he ate slowly.

“What’s your story?” I asked.

“My story? My story is long and complicated.”

“Maybe you can give me a summary,” I said with a laugh.

“What’s there to say?” he sighed. “I grew up in Ivory. Signed up for the military. Did my time and ended up with a bum leg. I made some decent cash but nobody in Ivory wants to hire a man with only one good leg. And now I’m here.”

“There’s still something you can do around here. Maybe you can help around the shelter.”

“I don’t see how I could do anything like that.”

“You might have a bad leg but you’ve got two good hands and a good attitude. That’s plenty.”

“You’ve got some fire in you, huh?”

“I’m… I’m just here to help.”

He gave me a polite smile and nodded before turning his attention back to his food.

“How about you?” he asked. “What’s your story?”

“My story isn’t as interesting as yours.”

“I’d still like to hear it, Miss Roberts. If you’re willing to indulge me.”

“Of course…”

He wiped his mouth and sat up straight, his eyes wide like he was actually interested in hearing what I had to say.

“I grew up in Ivory,” I said. “Same as you. I went to high school. Went to college. Decided I wanted to see the rest of the world and left for five years. And now I’m back.”

“You left? Why’d you leave?”

I sighed a deep breath through my nose as I thought about it. Even though I had no reason to keep anything from Ryan, I wasn’t eager to tell him.

“It was just something I needed to do,” I said.

“Was it a man?”

“What?” I exclaimed.

“It was a man, wasn’t it?”

The grin on his face grew even wider. I shook my head to try and hide my reddening cheeks.

“You’re a young, beautiful woman, Miss Roberts. You attract a lot of attention. The wrong kind of attention sometimes.”

“Yeah… I guess that’s one way of putting it…”

Ryan turned his attention back to his food. I got up from my seat and put a hand on his arm.

“I’ll talk to Jackie and see if there’s something for you,” I said.

“I’m not in any hurry, Miss Roberts. Don’t push yourself.”

I excused myself and headed back to the main hall of the shelter. It was a big place, so renovating it was going to be harder than it already was.

As soon as I got back to the hall, Jackie was there waiting for me.

“Anna, can I speak to you in my office for a moment?”

“Sure.”

I couldn’t gauge anything from her demeanor. I didn’t think anything about talking to her in her office even though most of our conversations were out in the open.

“Have a seat,” she said.

I sat down but Jackie didn’t. She just walked behind her desk and stood there with her arms crossed.

“How is everything?” she asked. “It’s been a few days since you’ve been back in Ivory.”

“Ivory’s home. It’s always been home. I can’t complain.”

“That’s good to hear.”

She looked down at her desk.

“Are your new friends stopping by?” she said.

“Friends?”

“The volunteers. Those men from the MC.”

“Oh! Them… They won’t be coming today. Busy.”

“Right…”

Jackie sighed a deep breath.

“I have to be honest with you,” she said. “Even though it’s nice to have a few volunteers around here, I still have my reservations.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I just don’t think it’s right to have such dangerous club members around the shelter.”

“They’re not dangerous,” I scoffed. “Jon and the club only want to help. You saw that for yourself.”

“Maybe. But I know what kind of reputation club members have.”

“You have to give them a chance to change that reputation. Next time they’re here, you can talk to them. Get to know them. You’ll see that they really do care about Ivory.”

Jackie seemed skeptical. She wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t saying anything. She was just staring at me like she was trying to figure out what to think.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

A voice shouted so loud that it pierced the walls of Jackie’s office. I shot up from my chair and turned toward the closed door.

“What was that?” I said.

“Hold on,” Jackie said as she headed for the door.

“That sounded like—”

“Wait here. I’ll check it out. If there’s something wrong, call the police, okay?”

I nodded. Jackie left her office and closed the door again. I immediately heard the sound of shouting.

“Where is she? I know she’s here!”

The voice sounded familiar. I closed my eyes and tried to place it.

Where have I heard that before?

“Who are you talking about? What’s the meaning of this?”

I could hear Jackie trying to reason with who she was talking to.

And then it hit me.

It was the man from the other night. The one who confronted Jon at the clubhouse. I was sure of it.

I slowly walked over to the door and opened it just enough for me to peek through the crack. Jackie was confronting three of the men.

They all looked the same as they did the night before. Their heads shaved. Their muscles bulging. Fatigues tucked into their boots. They were all menacing despite Jackie’s defiance.

Shit.

I reached for my phone and dialed Jon.

“Come on, come on… Pick up…”

A few seconds later, he thankfully responded.

“Hey. What’s going on—”

“Jon!” I said, trying to keep my voice low. “They’re here.”

“What? Who—”

“Those guys from the other night. The ones in the trucks. They’re here at the shelter.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! It’s them. They’re looking for someone.”

“I’m on my way. Stay on the line. Don’t hang up. You hear me?”

“Yeah…”

The urgency in Jon’s voice was unmistakable. I could hear his engine revving in the background. I kept peeking through the door as Jackie continued to plead with them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “Would you please leave? You’re disturbing all of the residents.”

“I know she’s here! Just tell me where she is and I’ll leave.”

“There’s no one here—”

Suddenly, the man looked toward the office. Our eyes met for a split second.

“Shit.”

I shut the door but I knew it was already too late.

“Jon… Jon, they’re coming—”

The door burst open. The hulking man stood right in front of me with his eyes wide.

“There she is,” he said, his voice somehow more menacing than it already was. “The Reaper bitch.”

“Hold on! Anna, I’m almost there!”

Jon’s voice wasn’t as reassuring as I wanted it to be.

I slowly started backing away and shoved the phone into my pocket. I put my hands up.

“I don’t know what you want,” I said. “But you’ve made a mistake. Whatever it is you’re looking for, I can’t help you—”

“You can help me just fine.”

He suddenly grabbed my wrists and moved closer to me. I shut my eyes and turned my face away as he put his nose to me. He inhaled a deep breath and sent a shudder through my spine.

“The Reapers take my deal,” he said. “I’m gonna have to take some payment for myself. Some Reaper pussy sounds mighty fine right now.”

“Please…”

“Hey!”

A sudden voice got both of our attention. I looked at one of the man’s friends.

“Gail! Let’s go! I think someone’s coming.”

“What the fuck did I tell you about saying my name when we’re starting shit?”

“Whatever. Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

“Come on!”

He yanked me by the wrists and dragged me forward. I struggled but I wasn’t strong enough to break free.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Jackie stepped up to try and stop them but a swift backhand knocked her down to the ground. The residents of the shelter gasped in disbelief as they rushed to help her up.

“Stop struggling!”

A slap against my face sent me in a daze. My eyes rolled back in my head. I just barely managed to maintain consciousness. But I wasn’t strong enough to put up a struggle.

They shoved me into one of their trucks and we sped off down the road. I was forced to sit between two of them. I looked for a way to escape but there was no way I would be able to get free.

“What are you doing?” I said. “Where are you taking me?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’re gonna have a good time.”

His cackle made me shudder. I didn’t want to think about what he was planning.

Jon was my only hope now.