Chapter 3 - Lexi

 

 

I’ve always tried to be aware of my surroundings—even prided myself on it, especially when it came to my work. So when I noticed two guys acting a little shifty and then, most alarmingly, the masks, I knew I was in for a bit of trouble. Trouble I probably wouldn’t be able to handle on my own.

I reached into my purse going for the mace, but they were on me before I had a chance to produce it. They wanted the camera that was strapped around my neck. One tried to cut the straps while the other worked to pull it free from over my head. They growled like animals and a feeling of dread washed over my body.

“You should really pick on somebody your own size,” a familiar voice came from behind. And then it dawned on me. Hudson Randle. Oh, time had not been good to him. But I was so thankful to hear his voice.

“Must make you feel pretty damn big to scare women like this. Big tough guys, huh? Let’s not give her a bad impression of Las Vegas,” he continued, coming toward us.

“This is none of your business, old man. Stay out of it, if you know what’s good for you.”

I held firmly onto the man’s wrist, our actions momentarily suspended. He had a distinct tattoo of a spider criss crossing over his knuckles. Distinct enough that I could search it. There was a database for just about anything. You just had to know where to look. A strange sense of calm washed over me as Hudson spoke.

“I’m sure others would feel intimidated, but you’re gonna have to do a whole lot better than words to get my attention. I suggest you leave and don’t look back. I tend to take a dim view of men treating women like they’re easy pickings. You really don’t want anything to do with me.” He sounded every bit convincing. There wasn’t a trace of fear in his voice.

“You really don’t know when to walk away, do you, crazy bum? I will have to teach you the hard way,” the man said in a lightly accented voice. I wasn’t exactly sure from where, but it was definitely of Asian descent. The man speaking pulled out a black revolver. I was close enough to see that the serial numbers had been scratched off.

It felt like everything was moving in slow motion. He raised the gun with his finger on the trigger. Hudson moved as quick as lightning and put his finger into the tight space. He was blocking his attempt to pull back the hammer. They were in a stalemate. I could tell by the way the masked man was trying to struggle free that he was afraid. He didn’t know what was going on and he wasn’t the only one.

The other man stepped forward with a knife and came within a hair’s breadth of stabbing Hudson in the throat. He moved just in time and then used his other hand to twist his wrist in an unnatural direction. The man howled in pain, dropped to his knees and looked up from where he was kneeling, as though in prayer.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I may appear to be a bum, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to me. Now, I’m going to take this gun away from you, and you’re going to run away like the dog you are, got it?” He disarmed the man and held the gun by the trigger with one finger. He held it away from himself in a less than menacing fashion.

“This is the police,” a man shouted from behind us. “Drop your weapon and get on your knees. Interlock your hands behind you. No sudden movements.”

I could hear him calling for backup. Two police officers in hot pursuit of the suspects went whirring by us with their lights flashing, announcing the presence of authority. I didn’t know where my two muggers had run off to and that wasn’t my main concern.

“The gun isn’t even his!” I protested to the officer. “He was here when you weren’t. Without him, I’m not sure what would’ve happened. You’re detaining the wrong man!”

“They’re just doing their job, Lexi. It’s proper procedure.” My mouth dropped open at Hudson’s even tone.

“If it’s all the same to you,” the officer said, giving me a pointed look, “I’d like to keep him in handcuffs until I figure out what the hell is going on here. The streets and the people are my responsibility. I may not be able to be everywhere, but I can at least do what I am trained to do.”

Hudson still knelt on the ground with his head bowed, causing his messy hair to cover his face. The officer was joined by two more, nodding at us to stay put as they talked. One looked to be writing a report.

“We’ll sort this out,” I said to Hudson in a low voice. “You won’t spend an hour or even a minute in jail if I can help it. Thank you for saving me. I’ll tell them exactly what happened.” I couldn’t  help but notice that beneath the army jacket, there was a muscular physique he had barely managed to conceal. But I was not easily fooled, and I knew the athlete he had been in school.

“Thanks, but there’s no reason for you to go to that trouble. I learned a long time ago that sometimes appearances can be deceiving. People see a man down on his luck and they automatically assume that I’m dangerous to myself and others. It’s always that one person that ruins it for the rest of us. Some homeless junkie stabbed an innocent bystander a few weeks ago. Got the mayor calling for blood. This is just an overreaction and there’s no point in poking the bear.” For a man who was unfairly being stereotyped, he didn’t seem to be all that put out or even that surprised.

“I don’t know if you would be interested, Hudson Randle, but I would love to know your whole story. Pictures are worth a thousand words. I know I haven’t seen you in years, but I see a man who was once proud of his accomplishments. You don’t seem like the kinda guy who would hurt somebody unless it was necessary. But you do obviously have some kind of training. Dare I ask if you might have been in the military?”

He raised his head and shook it back and forth to give me the idea that I’d gotten a little too close to home.

“I’m just a man who has had many hardships, Lexi. I’m no different than anybody else in this city. And I’m not looking for a handout or your pity.” He could say that, but I’d just tried to lend him a hand with a twenty. It was almost as if he had forgotten that I was one of the few who was willing to throw him a small lifeline.

“If you’re worried that I’m going to say something incriminating to the police officer, then you don’t have to be.” I felt like I was on the cusp of something important and yet it remained elusive.

The police officer who’d cuffed him kept a watchful eye on Hudson. A man who said a lot more with his actions than with his words. He had no identification on him and the officer was most likely trying to run him through some kind of facial recognition.

“They’re hiding in a warehouse. We have them surrounded. Waiting for swat to arrive.” The voice came in clips through the radio attached near the officer’s chest. I could tell on by his face that he wanted to join the action. His pumped-up adrenalin was ready to jump into the thick of things. He wasn’t going to allow a transient to stop him from getting the rightful credit for bringing these guys to justice. He stepped toward us again.

“I’m going to take it, by her personal statement, that you are not a threat. However, in the future, please leave the police work to the police. You may think that you’re doing the right thing, but you’re only putting yourself in more danger than is necessary. You are not a trained police officer and doing something as foolish as getting in the middle of a crime scene is only going to get you hurt. I’d like to request that you come down to the station, but I doubt you’ll show up. Just try to keep your head down, mind your own business, and don’t cause problems where there aren’t any.” He uncuffed Hudson at my feet and as he stood up, he rubbed his wrists.

“Are you hurt?” I asked. I wanted to show him some kind of gratitude and maybe a cup of coffee would go a long way in showing him that not everybody was blind to his plight. Especially me, after all these years.

“I’ve always wanted to do that.” He smiled, despite the fact that he was being persecuted unfairly by everyone around us. Judging a book by its cover was easier for some than others. He was still hardly recognizable with his long hair and scruffy beard. I saw the truth, though. There was more to him than met the eye.

“I want to give you something for all of your trouble, Hudson. You totally saved me. I have a debt that I need to pay back and I only ask that you allow me to do that. Okay? I don’t know what’s happened over the years or what you’ve been doing, but you seem straight and sober. I still feel safe with you after all these years. And besides, I know your family. Come with me. I can at least give you a warm place to sleep and a place to shower for the night.”

He ran his eyes down over my body, to the ground, and looked somewhat embarrassed.

“You don’t have to do that, Lexi, and I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

I could tell that it was going to take a bit more convincing, but then I noticed that he was bleeding and all bets were off. He was coming with me. The wound must’ve happened so quickly that we didn’t even notice he hadn’t gotten away completely unscathed.

“Stop being difficult, Hudson,” I sighed. “Look at you, you’re hurt. You’re coming with me.”

“There’s no reason for you to worry about me.” He was being magnanimous, but it was also frustrating to think that I had my life beholden to him. I admired the courage that it took for him to step in where others feared to tread.

He glanced down at himself, eyes widening as though even he was quite surprised to see that he was bleeding. He stumbled, dizzy. Trying to regain his balance he reached out to a nearby bench and sat down.

“I just need a minute, that’s all,” he huffed, but I could tell he was winded or shocked or both.

I was tempted to call an ambulance, but I got a funny feeling that he wouldn’t want me to and I might never see him again if I did. He didn’t say it in words, but his expression insinuated that he didn’t want to be involved in any kind of situation or investigation that required questioning.

“You’re obviously not okay. And you need to clean up that wound. Here, put pressure on it.” I took my now broken camera strap and wrapped it around his arm. It was wide enough and would work for now.

“Look, come to the hotel with me. It’s secure and safe...I mean, not that I think you’re a threat of any kind.” I was stumbling on my words. “Just let me help you, Hudson? I want to thank you for all that you did for me back there.”