lock registered in their ears. Dirty stuffed the big gun in his waist, then lifted the window.
The door was pushed open without turning the key. Baldy examined the doorjamb. “While we’re here, might as well fix this thing, too. Anybody can get in here.”
The old man picked up his tool bucket. “The more overtime, the more Viagra I can buy.” He pushed past Baldy.
Trouble eased the window shut and followed Dirty down the fire escape.
CHAPTER 5
B acon and scrambled eggs scented the air this morning, a once-a-week occurrence in the Reynolds’s Eastside Group Home. Secret sat in the gloomy cafeteria, holding Junior’s hand under the table. “Go on; eat your food.”
“I wanna go home with Mommy and Daddy.”
She squeezed his hand to reassure him. “They’re coming for us.”
“Hi, I’m Samone.” A high-yellow girl with two long cornrows placed her tray on the table and sat beside Secret. “Has anybody told you yet?”
“Told me what?” Now Secret’s legs began to shake underneath the table.
“Nah, you don’t know shit.” Samone bit a strip of bacon. “I’ll give it to you raw. Mr. Reynolds is evil. He hates everybody. Stay out of his way and away from his ‘off-limits’ room.”
“What’s that?” Secret posed the question, but she and Junior looked at Samone and waited for the response.
Samone forked some eggs and washed them down with milk. “Actually, it’s not a room. It’s a door that leads to the loading dock. He stores his caskets there.”
“Caskets, as in dead people caskets?” Secret blocked out the collective chatter from the other children in the cafeteria.
“Yeah, it’s his side hustle. He owns the shop next door; sells headstones, too.” She stopped eating and looked at Secret and Junior as if to say
I’m serious
. “But the most important thing is to do your chores, stay out of his way, and don’t break his rules.”
Junior leaned forward and looked past Secret. “What’s the rules?”
“Who knows? He makes them up as he goes. I’m always getting in trouble…well, breaking the rules by being out of bed some nights. You gonna eat that?”
Secret slid the tray, allowing Samone to get the bacon. “Then, why don’t you stay in bed if you know you’re gonna get in trouble?”
“It’s not like I want to break the stinking rules, but I sleepwalk sometimes.”
Denise, a rough-looking girl, sat down across from Secret. Two other girls stood behind her. Denise looked at Samone. “Go scrub a toilet or something.”
Secret watched Samone walk away without saying a word.
Denise snapped her fingers. “Hey, I’m over here. What you in for?”
“Huh?” Secret noticed that the rest of the children scattered throughout the cafeteria were watching them now.
“Y’all runaways, your parents abandon you, they died in a freak accident, y’all just fuck-ups or what?”
“No.” Secret rolled her eyes and popped her head with intended sassiness. “We won’t be here long.”
Denise laughed and her entourage followed suit. “One of
those
. Hate to burst your bubble; everyone is here long. You smoke?”
“No, I’m only nine.”
“You do now.” Denise put a pack of Newports in the empty slot that was soiled with bacon grease.
Junior’s chest rose and fell with anger. “Leave us alone.”
“Wooo, little brother to the rescue.” Denise’s rough features turned fiercer as she narrowed her focus. “You fucking punk! Say something else and you’ll be wearing black eyes to lunch.”
“Nobody’s gonna do shit to—”
“Shut up.” Denise leaned forward. “This is how it works around here. I’m running shit. Either you can be down with me and be cool like us…” She motioned to the girls behind her. “…or you and the tough guy can be our personal punching bags like the rest of these sissies.”
“How am I supposed to hang out with somebody whose name I don’t know?” Secret still held on to Junior’s hand.
Denise smiled. “Nise,
The door was pushed open without turning the key. Baldy examined the doorjamb. “While we’re here, might as well fix this thing, too. Anybody can get in here.”
The old man picked up his tool bucket. “The more overtime, the more Viagra I can buy.” He pushed past Baldy.
Trouble eased the window shut and followed Dirty down the fire escape.
CHAPTER 5
B acon and scrambled eggs scented the air this morning, a once-a-week occurrence in the Reynolds’s Eastside Group Home. Secret sat in the gloomy cafeteria, holding Junior’s hand under the table. “Go on; eat your food.”
“I wanna go home with Mommy and Daddy.”
She squeezed his hand to reassure him. “They’re coming for us.”
“Hi, I’m Samone.” A high-yellow girl with two long cornrows placed her tray on the table and sat beside Secret. “Has anybody told you yet?”
“Told me what?” Now Secret’s legs began to shake underneath the table.
“Nah, you don’t know shit.” Samone bit a strip of bacon. “I’ll give it to you raw. Mr. Reynolds is evil. He hates everybody. Stay out of his way and away from his ‘off-limits’ room.”
“What’s that?” Secret posed the question, but she and Junior looked at Samone and waited for the response.
Samone forked some eggs and washed them down with milk. “Actually, it’s not a room. It’s a door that leads to the loading dock. He stores his caskets there.”
“Caskets, as in dead people caskets?” Secret blocked out the collective chatter from the other children in the cafeteria.
“Yeah, it’s his side hustle. He owns the shop next door; sells headstones, too.” She stopped eating and looked at Secret and Junior as if to say
I’m serious
. “But the most important thing is to do your chores, stay out of his way, and don’t break his rules.”
Junior leaned forward and looked past Secret. “What’s the rules?”
“Who knows? He makes them up as he goes. I’m always getting in trouble…well, breaking the rules by being out of bed some nights. You gonna eat that?”
Secret slid the tray, allowing Samone to get the bacon. “Then, why don’t you stay in bed if you know you’re gonna get in trouble?”
“It’s not like I want to break the stinking rules, but I sleepwalk sometimes.”
Denise, a rough-looking girl, sat down across from Secret. Two other girls stood behind her. Denise looked at Samone. “Go scrub a toilet or something.”
Secret watched Samone walk away without saying a word.
Denise snapped her fingers. “Hey, I’m over here. What you in for?”
“Huh?” Secret noticed that the rest of the children scattered throughout the cafeteria were watching them now.
“Y’all runaways, your parents abandon you, they died in a freak accident, y’all just fuck-ups or what?”
“No.” Secret rolled her eyes and popped her head with intended sassiness. “We won’t be here long.”
Denise laughed and her entourage followed suit. “One of
those
. Hate to burst your bubble; everyone is here long. You smoke?”
“No, I’m only nine.”
“You do now.” Denise put a pack of Newports in the empty slot that was soiled with bacon grease.
Junior’s chest rose and fell with anger. “Leave us alone.”
“Wooo, little brother to the rescue.” Denise’s rough features turned fiercer as she narrowed her focus. “You fucking punk! Say something else and you’ll be wearing black eyes to lunch.”
“Nobody’s gonna do shit to—”
“Shut up.” Denise leaned forward. “This is how it works around here. I’m running shit. Either you can be down with me and be cool like us…” She motioned to the girls behind her. “…or you and the tough guy can be our personal punching bags like the rest of these sissies.”
“How am I supposed to hang out with somebody whose name I don’t know?” Secret still held on to Junior’s hand.
Denise smiled. “Nise,
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