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He glared at the two of them before staggering toward the door. He disappeared into the dark, and Luke grimaced. “This is not a safe place for you to live, Ms. Smith.”
“Mickey is harmless,” she said.
He realized he still had her pressed up against him. He released her so quickly that she stumbled and nearly fell. He steadied her with a hand on her elbow, and she gave him an embarrassed smile.
“Thank you again, Mr. Dawson. Good night.”
“I’ll walk you right to your door,” he said. “Let’s go.”
She sighed but didn’t protest when he followed her up the stairs. She lived on the second floor, and he studied the dirty carpet and the stained walls with fresh disgust as she pulled her keys out of her pocket.
“Good night,” she said. “Thank you for - ”
“Your cheque bounced.”
They both turned at the sound of the gravelly voice behind them. The man behind them wore sweatpants and a stained, ripped t-shirt that barely covered his large beer belly. He scratched at the hairy band of flesh peeking below the shirt before picking his underwear out of the crack of his ass.
“Mr. Ranson, uh, hi,” Jane said.
“Rent was due yesterday, and your cheque bounced,” he said. “I want my rent money.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jane said. “I thought I had enough to cover it. I’ll write you another cheque right now.”
He shook his head. “Nope, gonna need cash from now on.”
“I was paid today,” Jane said. “The cheque will clear, I promise.”
The man scratched his ass before sniffing at his fingers. He looked Luke up and down, his beady eyes studying the expensive watch around his wrist, before shaking his head again. “Nope. Cash only.”
“Sure, no problem,” Jane said. “I’ll go to the bank first thing in the morning and - ”
“Gonna need the cash tonight.”
“The bank is already closed,” Jane said with a hint of desperation, “and I’m not sure I can get the full amount out through a bank machine. I promise I’ll bring the cash to you first thing in the morning.”
“Cash tonight,” the man said slowly, “or find somewhere else to sleep for the night.” He studied Luke again. “Maybe you can stay at your fancy boyfriend’s place.”
Jane flushed miserably. “I’ll get the money now. I’ll bring it up to your apartment in - ”
“How much is the rent?” Luke asked.
Jane gave him a horrified look. “No, Mr. Dawson, I can’t - ”
“How much?” he repeated.
Jane pressed her lips together and shook her head. Luke turned to her disgusting landlord. “How much?”
“Nine hundred,” the man said. He watched greedily as Luke pulled a money clip from his pocket and counted nine one-hundred-dollar bills. He handed the money to the landlord, who clutched it and recounted it.
“Good night,” Luke said pointedly.
The landlord stared at him for a moment before waddling to the stairwell. He shut the door behind him with a loud bang, and Jane jumped before giving Luke a look of shame.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry, Mr. Dawson. I don’t have internet at home to do online banking, but I’ll go right now to the bank machine. My limit is five hundred, but I can bring the rest to you Monday morning. Or,” she chewed on her bottom lip, “if you give me your personal email address, I’ll use the internet at the public library tomorrow and etransfer it to you.”
“You can bring the cash or etransfer it to me on Monday,” he said.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind giving you some cash tonight. In fact, I’d feel better if you let me give you a partial payment tonight and e-transfer the rest tomorrow. There’s a bank machine a few miles from here. If you can give me a ride to it, it’ll take less than ten minutes to get there.”
