On the Stroll by Alix Kates Shulman

Author:Alix Kates Shulman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media

Bursting through the door, ready to tell Prince everything that had happened, Robin was crushed to find the room empty, Prince out. With her chest still heaving for breath, she collapsed into a chair and tried to think. Now, Prince would have to let her quit. She’d take a straight job instead, anything, taking care of kids, selling, waitressing, even stripping if that was all she could get. But not hooking. If he knew how it felt to have that belt coming at her and no way out of the room, then he’d let her quit now … if he loved her. He’d even help her leave, the way her brother had helped her leave the island. Boots would understand. She rummaged through her bag till she found the old phone number, then dialed.

This time a woman answered.

“I’m trying to find Boots Fergusson,” said Robin.

“Who is this?”

“A friend of hers from high school. She gave me this number to call if I ever got to New York. Well, I’m here.”

“Well, she’s not. She’s gone to California.”

“California?” said Robin, incredulous. That was as far away as you could get. “Did she leave an address?”

“No. I haven’t heard from her since she left But if you want to leave your number, I’ll give her a message if she gets in touch. She said she would.”

“No,” said Robin, “I’ll call back again. Just tell her Robin called.”

She hung up in despair and lay down on the bed. Using her real name for the first time in weeks gave her a weird feeling. Robin. California. Both so far away.

When she opened her eyes again some time later, Prince was standing over her looking down with his hair falling over his brow and a strange smile on his lips and whiskey on his breath.

“What are you doin home at this hour? It’s way past git-down time. Why aren’t you down on the street?”

She threw her arms around his neck and quickly recounted what had happened.

But he shook her off, put his hands on his hips, and said, “I am really disgusted with you, Button. Totally disgusted. I thought you had guts. I thought you were comin up boss material, not just baby-pro. But if you lose your nerve and get ready to blow after your first little half-ass freak, then how’m I ever gonna trust you? Maybe Sweet Rudy is right about baby-pros. Maybe I need someone more mature, someone I can count on.”

Robin stared at him. “How can you trust me? Is it my fault I pulled a freak?”

“You been out there a whole month and you pull one freak, maybe the only one you’ll ever pull, and look at you. Do you call Vego, who’s there to protect you? No, eleven o’clock you come runnin home. Shit, if all you want is safety, baby, you’re no different from any square. You don’t get nothin without takin a risk. You could step off a curb in front of a car. You could go up in flames sleepin in your bed.

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