Page 20 of Army
Chapter Five
Army tugged thehem of his T-shirt down as he walked into the kitchen at Taylor’s apartment. Squatting down in front of the open refrigerator, he took out two beers.
“Grab me a water,” Taylor said from the small living room.
Army came into the room and tossed the bottle at his brother then sat down on the recliner in the corner of the room. “What’s on the agenda for tonight?” He pulled the tab on the can and took a drink. The night before, he’d joined his brother at Berriegood, had a protein bowl which he hated, and endured two hours of martial arts talk just for the chance of seeing Stiletto.Just like a fuckin’ pussy.She never showed up, and Army had decided he was done thinking about the chick. There were plenty of hot women he could pick up, and from the way Sela and Kat, the two MMA fighters from Champion, were checking him out, he was sure he could split his time in Durango between the two of them.
“Do you want to go to a nightclub?” Taylor asked.
“Fuck yeah. I’m itching to meet some babes tonight. I’ve been to the Mayan before, and a lot of pretty Latina women hang out there. The music is a mix of reggaeton and pop, and it rocks.”
“I’ve never been there. I was thinking more along the lines of EDM. Sound Nightclub is fucking awesome.”
“You know me, I’m a metal and rock guy, but I’m game.” Army opened the second can of beer.
“Would you be cool if I asked a couple of girls to go with us?”
Army grinned. “Have you been holding out on me? Does your chick want me to be her sister or friend’s date?”
“Something like that, but it’s more my friend’s friend who really wants to meet you. You met her at Cricket on the Hill a couple of weeks ago.” Taylor shifted in place. “I told my friend I’m not sure you’d go for it.”
“Who’s your friend?” A smug half-grin raised up the corner of Army’s mouth.
“Mia. Her friend, Peyton, is interested in you. She was the one sitting across from Mia. The one with the short hair that had streaks of pink in it. Do you remember her?”
So this is Stiletto’s game—a friend wants to hook up with me. Okay, sweetheart, I’ll play along.“Not really. I remember Stiletto, though.”
“Uh … Mia doesn’t like to be called Stiletto outside the ring.”
“I’ll remember that.” Army tipped his head back and finished his beer.
“So is that something you’d want to do? I told Mia I’d let her know. If you’d rather not, that’s cool. We can still go to the club.”
“I’m up for it.” Army rubbed his finger across his lips. “Are you interested in Stiletto?”
Taylor shook his and laughed. “Not in that way. We’re just friends. You better remember not to call her Stiletto tonight, or she’ll ream you out.”
“I wouldn’t wantthat.” Army stood up. “I got some club business I need to do. Text me the time we’re gonna meet up with the ladies.”
“Okay. Are you planning to go over to Dad’s on Sunday? Starla’s making dinner.”
“Is she the one you told me about the other day? The one he just met?” Taylor nodded. “I’ll pass.”
“I think Dad wants you over. Asher and Kali will be there with Joshua. Don’t you want to see your nephew?”
“I’m going over to Asher’s tomorrow. Don’t push me on this, okay?” Army threw Taylor a warning look.
“Okay. I’ll text you soon with the details about tonight.”
“Sounds good,” Army said as he walked out the door.
The crumbling three-story building in the run-down part of the city looked like it belonged in a horror film. Broken windows, graffiti, and an air of death surrounded the abandoned building. Army drove slowly around the narrow street that circled the place. Rusted cans, piles of trash, and tangled balls of tumbleweed cluttered the road. Even though blackness stared out of the windows, and an eerie stillness surrounded the place, he could smell the desperation from scores of junkies who made the dilapidated building their home.
He turned off the motor and walked toward the rusted door that had a screaming ghoul painted on it. It looked like the stuff nightmares were made of, but then, Army figured that living in this hellhole must be a nightmare. Sand crunched under his boots, and he spied used syringes littering the ground. The closer he got to the building, the more prevalent the scent of urine, sweat, and feces grew.
He walked up the decaying concrete stairs then touched the gun that was tucked away in his waistband under his loose T-shirt before opening the door and entering. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, but soon he saw shadowy figures scurrying away to darkened corners and other rooms.
“Do you got any smack?” a female voice asked him.
