Disruptor Read Free Page B

clean the kitchen as best he was able, and try
to stay out of the way.
    A singular pair of dark eyes stayed on his
mind, though. Even malnourished and ragged, the girl was beautiful.
So much so that he worried for her safety. Hopefully she would
spend the night in the shelter and not on the streets, and soon
find a more permanent solution. It wasn’t up to him to save her. He
would do his community service and he would use his money and
contacts to help the shelter itself, but he was nobody’s
savior.
    His hands were raw after hours of scrubbing
and washing. At least he hadn’t ruined his shoes this time. He bade
Mr. Thorpe good night, took one more look around to make sure he’d
put everything back in the right place, then left.
    The pavement was wet and the air tasted of
rain and chemicals. At one time that chemical smell would have
indicated an all-night shift at one of the many factories in the
neighborhood. Now those factories were long shuttered. The stench
was probably a meth lab.
    The least flashy vehicle he owned was parked
in the vacant lot across from the shelter. Before Kevin even
crossed the street, he could see that the rims were missing and the
driver’s side window had been busted. So much for the car alarm
being worth a damn. He swore and jogged the rest of the distance.
Each tire was punctured and flat. The stereo was missing. So was
his favorite pair of sunglasses, damn it. Kevin swore as he fished
in his pocket for his cell phone.
    A circle of cold metal touched the back of
his neck, raising goosebumps on his flesh and a knot of fear in his
stomach.
    “Your wallet and watch, now.” The mugger’s
voice was young, nervous, as if he were just as scared as Kevin.
The gun trembled.
    “Okay.” Kevin licked his lips. “Okay, let’s
both stay calm.”
    “I didn’t say you could talk. Hurry it
up.”
    Slowly so as not to spook the kid, Kevin
withdrew his wallet and slipped off his watch. He held on to both,
one in each hand, and raised his arms. The gun barrel slid across
the skin underneath his hair.
    Jesus, this kid’s going to shoot me just
because he’s so fucking nervous.
    The mugger snatched the wallet and watch from
Kevin’s hands. “On your knees. Now.”
    Kevin shut his eyes, his heart jackhammering.
“I haven’t seen your face. Let’s both walk away, okay?”
    The butt of the gun slammed into the juncture
of his neck and shoulder. Kevin cried out in pain.
    “On your knees,” the mugger shouted, voice
shaking. He hit Kevin again.
    Kevin dropped to the ground. Gravel bit into
his palms. Pain shot through his knees. Even if he was able to call
911, he might not be alive by the time the cops finally showed
up.
    Footsteps and catcalls announced new arrivals
on the scene. Hope flared inside Kevin. A man said, “What you got
here?”
    The kid said, “Some fancy car. Guy’s wallet
and watch.”
    Kevin rolled to his back and surveyed the new
arrivals. Hope left, leaving nothing but panic.
    “You gotta finish it to get in. You know
that.”
    A gang initiation. The kid was supposed to
kill him. Kevin moaned and shifted to one side as if in pain,
trying to hide his efforts to reach the cell phone still in his
pocket.
    “I know.” The kid wiped his brow, gun hand
shaking but still keeping the weapon aimed at Kevin. “I was getting
to that part.”
    Kevin’s fingertips slipped over the slick
surface of his phone. He was leaning so far over that his hand
barely had room in his pocket to work the phone. Sweat poured from
his hairline down his face. He blinked rapidly to get the stinging
moisture out of his eyes, fingers struggling with the phone. Almost got it .
    He was about to hit send when a booted foot
slammed into his ribs. The air rushed out of his lungs and nausea
twisted his stomach into knots. Hands jerked him up by the
shoulders, his phone falling from his grasp and clattering to the
ground.
    “Why you bother with that, huh? Cops ain’t
coming out here.” The leader