Page 64 of Crow
“How’ve you been?” Crow asked.
Wiping the corner of his mouth with his fingers, Jim replied, “Good.”
“Where have you been staying?”
Eyes darting from him to the street, Jim answered, “Here and there.”
He gazed at him for a long moment before scrubbing a hand over his face. “I wish you’d stay at the motel.”
“No motel,” Jim mumbled
“I worry about you. You know there’s a fuckin’ psycho out on the streets?”
Jim shuffled his feet. “Yeah, but I got this. Nothing’s gonna happen. I know how to keep safe.”
“I’m not so sure.”
They stood for a moment, silence stretching between them. Jim kept shoving his hands in and out of his oversized jacket.
Crow tilted his head toward the diner. “Come on—I’ll buy you dinner.”
“Are you alone?”
“I’m with a couple of buddies. They’re cool.”
Shaking his head vigorously, Jim kicked at the pavement. “Don’t wanna sit with nobody.”
Crow blew out a long breath. “Then I’ll get you your own booth. It beats digging through the fuckin’ trash, dude.”
Pushing back his matted hair from his thin face, Jim nodded.
“Let’s go.”
The two men crossed the street, and shortly afterward, Crow had Jim settled in a small booth against a wall where he could keep an eye on him.
“Aren’t we good enough for him?” Benny asked, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“It takes a while for him to get comfortable around people. The guy’s been living on the street for years.”
“Isn’t there some nut bumping off these guys?”
“Yeah—I heard that on the news,” Josh replied.
Crow’s jaw tightened. “The bastard deserves to be gutted.” He picked up his lukewarm burger and took a bite.
“I don’t get why anyone would even want to live on the streets,” Benny said as he pushed away his empty plate.
“Shit happens. Things can be good; then they can turn. Diablo, the club’s sergeant-at-arms, lived on the streets off and on when he was a teen. His mom was a crack head and his dad split. Foster care didn’t work, so he and some of his siblings ended up homeless.” Crow leaned back against the cushion and sighed. “Life can throw you a bunch of curveballs.”
“That’s what the military is for,” Josh said. “After my dad’s accident at work, he gave up on the family. Sandra and I worked hard to keep it together, but for me, the Marines became my family just like the Night Rebels are yours.”
“Not everyone wants to go into the military, or they can’t make it through the training.” Benny laughed. “I know I couldn’t. I never liked anyone telling me what to do.”
Josh shook his head. “You’d have gotten a dishonorable discharge in less than six weeks.”
Crow laughed and tilted his head to Benny. “He’s got you pegged, dude.”
“You wouldn’t have made it either,” Josh said.
