Chapter 5 #2
“Cedric had an ugly attitude and was rough with me the second I walked into the room for his feeding. He grabbed my hair and basically told me he hated the way I dressed, I wasn’t worth buying, and my blood tasted bad.
The words were hurtful enough but the way he said them it was as if he hated me.
After that he bit me hard—really hard. The pain faded but the whole experience felt...
It felt as if he wanted to make me hurt and feel bad mentally and physically. ”
“He did. I don’t know what kind of game Cedric is playing, but you did the right thing leaving when you did.”
“When I woke this evening, I felt silly for running away from him like that.”
“You shouldn’t feel silly. Your instincts were telling you to get the hell out of there. Always listen to your instincts.”
Ji-Su nodded. “I’ll remember that.”
A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot for Target where the driver let them out at the front entrance.
Raul grabbed one of the red shopping carts and set off down the first aisle.
He had to slow his pace so that Ji-Su and his much shorter legs could keep up with him.
Raul hadn’t been inside a Target ever in his extremely long life.
But the store was clean and well organized and Ji-Su seemed to know exactly where he was going.
They arrived in the Men’s department. Raul followed along with the cart as Ji-Su selected sweatshirts and hoodies. Some plain, some with characters on the front that he vaguely recognized.
“I know it’s nearly summer. But I get cold sitting in one spot playing games for so long,” Ji-Su explained.
He moved on and picked out jeans and joggers, a pack of plain T-shirts, socks, and underwear.
“Shoes next,” he said as he led the way out of the Men’s department and over to the shoe section. “I don’t normally get my shoes from Target, but the flip flops Gloria gave me are too big.”
Raul glanced down at Ji-Su’s small feet. There was a good two inches of space between his heel and the back of the chancla. “Get whatever you need.”
He chose a pair of dark gray sneakers with white trim and laces and sat down to try them on. A wince tightened his face when he stood to check the fit.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah. That one big cut stings if I step on it wrong but it’s not that bad.”
Raul pushed the red basket toward him. “Do you want to ride in the cart so you don’t have to walk?” he asked jokingly.
Ji-Su laughed. “Don’t think I won’t hop in there if my foot really starts hurting.” He took the shoes off, put them back in the box and tossed the box in the cart. “These will work. I need some toiletry stuff and then I’ll be done.”
They went over to Personal Care and got the brands of body wash, deodorant, shave gel, and shampoo Ji-Su liked. Raul thought they were finished after that. But somehow, they ended up shopping for another fifteen minutes.
He remembered his driver mentioning that his work watch had died and he needed to get a replacement but he hated shopping.
So, Raul got him a new one in the Jewelry department.
As they passed Kitchen and Appliances, he spotted a mug that made him laugh.
Real Vampires Drink Coffee. Raul grabbed it from the shelf and put it in the cart.
When they walked through Groceries, Ji-Su asked him to wait while he made his way down the chips aisle to pick up a bag of seaweed snacks.
They were almost to check out when they came upon the office supplies aisles.
Thinking of the growing clutter on his desk in their main casino, he decided to check out their selection and see if they had anything that would help.
He found a russet red desk organizer set that would work to tame his files and paperwork. After that, they were finished.
“See? It’s a good thing we came here. You got some stuff you needed too.”
Raul eyed the cart. “I didn’t know I needed any of this until I had it,” he said.
Ji-Su laughed. “That’s the magic of Target.”
Raul smiled down at Ji-Su, happy to hear that bright laugh again after the distress and worry from last night and earlier this evening. Even in the too big, mismatched clothes, with his blond hair fluffy and messy he was cute.
At the register, Ji-Su took over the cart while Raul unloaded and paid.
He raised an eyebrow at the total. He didn’t care about the cost, but he had a vague sense that he’d spent more than he’d expected to.
Shrugging, he took control of the cart again and pushed it out to the parking lot with Ji-Su walking at his side.
When they reached the car, Raul waved for Sam to stay in his seat when the driver moved to assist them.
Raul took the bags and put them in the trunk except for one.
He directed Ji-Su to get in the backseat while he returned the cart.
Once he was back in the car, he passed the red and white shopping bag over the seat to his driver.
“Here. Picked this up for you.”
Sam reached into the bag and pulled out the watch buckled into its merchandising case. It was black, with multiple buttons for the many features, including an alarm, timer, and back light.
“Thank you, Mr. Raul,” Sam said gratefully. “You saved me the headache of shopping for one myself.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sam set the watch down on the passenger seat.
“Where to next, sir?”
“Let’s get lunch.” He turned to Ji-Su. “Do deli sandwiches sound good?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Sam, take us to Sal’s.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sam pulled out of the parking lot, headed across Dear Lake to the sandwich shop favored by Raul and several other members of the Syndicate. As they drove, Ji-Su looked down at the borrowed clothes he was dressed in.
“Will this be okay to wear in Sal’s?” he asked.
Raul nodded. “The food is top-notch but the vibe is relaxed and casual at the owner’s insistence. You’ll be fine, unless you want to change.”
“No. I can wait until we’re back at the ranch.”
The ride was short, and soon they arrived at a brick front restaurant with a hand painted sign that read Sal’s in big green letters, with a big sub sandwich next to the name.
Sam got out and opened the door for them.
Raul stepped out first, then reached back to assist Ji-Su.
His small hand was warm inside his own. He wanted to hold on but he reluctantly let go once Ji-Su was clear of the car.
“We’re going to be awhile,” Raul said to Sam. “I’ll call you when we’re ready to go.”
The driver nodded then got back in the car and pulled off.
“Come on. You’re about to have the best sandwich of your life,” Raul said as he gently guided Ji-Su to the entrance with a hand at the small of his back.