Takedown Teague (Caged 1)

“Oh, yeah?” I said again. “What did Dordy do?”

“Had me break one of his fingers.”

That had me nearly in tears.

“So what’s the deal?” Wade asked. He blew smoke out of his nose as he talked. “You don’t get enough fighting as it is?”

“They were fucking with some girl,” I told him.

“You in the business of saving damsels in distress now?” He snickered.

“That shit ain’t right,” I said. “They didn’t need to be messing with her.”

“Who is she?”

“Just some girl,” I said with a shrug. “I hadn’t seen her before that night. Turns out she lives in my building, though.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah. Remember the couple I was always bitching about? The ones who would fight and scream all the time?”

“Yep.”

“They’re gone, and she’s in the apartment below me now.”

“That ought to help you sleep better,” Wade replied.

“Amen to that shit,” I agreed. I thought about the dude whose nose I had broken. “I wonder why Dordy didn’t mention that.”

“Because he wants to hold it over your head later,” Gary said as he stepped out from behind the front door and joined us for a smoke. “Did you fuck her?”

“Who?”

“The bitch you saved.”

“No.” I scowled at him.

“Well, what’s the point, then?” Gary asked. He grinned a ridiculous grin and winked at me, but I didn’t find anything funny about his comment, and he caught on to that and tried to make a serious face. “Who is she?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “If you wanted the whole fucking story, why didn’t you come out sooner?”

“Dordy had me hauling beer from the delivery truck,” Gary replied. “Are you going to see this girl again?”

“I don’t know,” I said again. “What’s with the fucking twenty questions? It was some random chick who is obviously so fucking stupid, she would walk through this neighborhood at night by herself. I beat the shit out of a couple drunks and then walked her home. I don’t know her. She lives in my building and works at that greasy spoon place with the big screen TVs. That’s all I know, bitches.”

“Fin’s?” Wade asked.

“Whatever it is,” I said, knowing full well that was the name of the place.

“They got a new brunette waiting tables there,” he said.

“That might be her,” I said. “She said she moved into town a couple weeks ago.”

“Pretty little thing—hair in a ponytail?”

“Could be,” I shrugged. “Sounds like her.”

“I know who you mean,” Gary said. “Nice, pretty mouth, too. And with that ponytail? Mmm…”