A few days after that, Melvin returned after someone roughed him up and stole the antibiotics she had prescribed. His trust for her had grown enough that he had stepped inside to let Natasha re-examine his chest in the corridor. Maybe tonight will be easier, she thought.
“It’s okay,” said Natasha. “I see you’ve been waiting for me. I’m here now. It’s okay. Are you hurt?”
Melvin stared at Natasha for a moment before slowly taking his hand from his raincoat and holding it out. Blood seeped from a dirty rag wrapped around his hand.
“Looks like I better take a look at that,” said Natasha. “What happened?”
“I fell,” mumbled Melvin. “In a Dumpster. A piece of tin,” he added for explanation.
Natasha sighed, not so much at the injury as to the predicament that caused it. “You should come inside so I can have a better look. You might need stitches.”
Melvin looked at the clinic and shook his head, retreating farther into the shadows as two people strolled by on the sidewalk.
“It’s okay,” said Natasha. “There is nobody inside the waiting room. I’ll walk ahead and make sure we’re not bothered.”
Minutes later, Natasha had achieved some success as Melvin followed her into the clinic, but before she could examine him, he sought refuge in the rear washroom.
As the minutes ticked by, Natasha heard the receptionist talking to some newly arrived patients.
“Melvin?” she said quietly. “You have to come out. You can trust me. I’ll make sure nobody hurts you, but you —”
The door unlocked and Melvin stepped out. He glanced around and saw Natasha was alone. “I wasn’t hiding from you,” he whispered, glancing nervously down the hall. “I saw you were scared of me when we were outside. I know I don’t look so good. I’m sorry.”
Natasha saw that Melvin had wet his hair and slicked it back from his face in an attempt to look nicer. She smiled and said, “You did scare me, but that was before I knew it was you. I don’t need to be scared of you, do I?”
Melvin looked concerned, shaking his head, then caught Natasha’s smile. He gave a small smile out of embarrassment at the irony of the situation and lowered his head.
“Think you could handle coming inside an examination room with me?” asked Natasha.
Anguished, Melvin looked into the small room, but nodded and entered. Once inside, he allowed Natasha to treat his injury.
Natasha spotted a clump of cat hair on Melvin’s coat and said, “By chance, that wouldn’t happen to be from the same cat who bit you before?”
Melvin shyly nodded and said, “I adopted him. I call him Winston.”
“Good name,” replied Natasha. “Last time we talked you mentioned he had just lost his front leg. How is he doing?”
“That was when we first met. He had crawled up into the engine compartment of a parked truck to keep warm. When the guy came back and started his truck and drove off, I think Winston caught his leg in the radiator fan, but he’s better now, thanks.”
“You said he took off after he bit you. Did he come back again later?”
“No, it took a few days of looking but I found him a few blocks away. He didn’t mean to bite me. He was just hurting. We’re friends now.”
“Does he have trouble getting around?”
“He can run faster than me,” replied Melvin. “He is also afraid of people. Especially cars and trucks.” Melvin smiled at Natasha and added, “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Winston and I are kind of the same.”
Natasha’s smile revealed that Melvin had read her thoughts correctly.
“At night, he crawls into my sleeping bag with me and sleeps curled up on my chest.”
“The piece of tin you fell on left quite a cut,” said Natasha, changing the subject. “I’m sure it’s painful.”
“Yeah, but don’t worry. I won’t bite you,” grinned Melvin.
***
Mad Dog scanned his rear-view mirror one last time before pulling in behind the warehouse and parking. Snake and Looner, who were in the car in front of him, had also parked. Mad Dog shut off his headlights and sat for a moment, peering around in the darkness. He lowered the car window and listened. He saw Snake get out of his car and stand scanning the area, as well. Looner was less cautious and gave Mad Dog a friendly smile as he approached.
“Let’s do it,” said Looner.
“Shut the fuck up and listen for a moment,” said Mad Dog.
Looner listened briefly and said, “I don’t hear nothin’.”
After a pause, Mad Dog replied, “Me either, but after this afternoon, I ain’t takin’ no fuckin’ chances. You search ’im good?” asked Mad Dog, with a nod of his head toward Snake.
“Yeah, real good,” replied Looner. “He ain’t gonna rip us. It’s only you and me that got pieces,” he said, patting the butt of the .44-calibre semi-automatic pistol stuck in his waistband. “Besides,” added Looner, “I trust him. Can’t say as I feel the same about Pete and Bongo, though.”
Mad Dog tried to qualm the rage he felt in order to think. It had been a bad couple of days. Less than three weeks out of prison for serving most of a four-year sentence for armed robbery and he was nearly arrested again yesterday afternoon. What the fuck happened?
He replayed yesterday’s scenario over again in his head. He had already picked up his stash of killing machines. Two Mac-10s with silencers, two Uzis, and three Desert Eagle .44-calibre magnum semi-automatic pistols. As planned, he was to deliver them to everyone two hours before the armoured truck arrived.
Mad Dog was on his way when things fell apart. He spotted the same car that ran a red light behind him the day before. Checking a piece of paper in his pocket confirmed that the number he had scrawled down was the same plate. He exchanged eye contact with the pig driving the car. The pig knew he had been burned and tried to cut him off in traffic. Mad Dog knew he had been extremely lucky. Lucky that I got a good memory for numbers. Lucky to get away.
Immediately he called Snake and Looner on their cellphones. He was in time to warn them. Pete and Bongo were not so lucky. So how did the pigs find out about it?
The plan to rob the guards from the Brinks armoured truck was something he had thought about constantly during his last year in jail. It was all he and Looner had talked about. The other men were hand-picked later. Looner had been released two months ahead of him. Did Looner say something to earn an early release? Then again, he’s so stupid, he could have let it slip accidentally.
Then there were Snake, Pete, and Bongo. Snake came recommended through Ophelia, a hooker he knew and trusted. Pete and Bongo were guys he had met in a bar. Both said they were addicts. He believed they would want the money as much as he did. Were they really arrested? Or was one of them the rat? There was his own girlfriend, Julie. She had visited Mad Dog regularly when he was in jail. Was it her? Had she found someone else when I was inside …? Naw, the bitch loves me.
Mad Dog warily glanced at Snake and Looner. Now it was every man for himself. Unlike Looner, he didn’t trust anyone … including Looner, who was too stupid to know the pistol Mad Dog gave him wasn’t loaded.
Snake was another story. He was smart and Mad Dog knew he hadn’t earned his nickname by being nice. Now survival was the name of the game … and being around someone like Snake made him nervous.
No place was safe and he was broke. Except for one thing. He had a trunk