Chapter 2 #2
“Siv, no lollipops for ladies who lie.”
She huffed out a breath. “It stings.”
“Any redness?”
“A little.”
“I want to take a look.” He threw his leg over his bike. “You at the Norcross office?”
“No. I was meeting an informant in Chinatown.”
“That’s where I am.” After he checked on Siv, he planned to try and track down Robbie. “Can you meet me at the clinic in the Tenderloin?” He gave her the address.
A pause. “Fine.”
Hmm, it probably meant that her cut was hurting more than she was sharing. “You take your pain pills?”
Another pause. “Not today. They make my head foggy.”
“Take the pills, Siv.”
“I’ll see you at the clinic.” She hung up.
Buoyed by the thought of seeing his prickly Norwegian, Ryder gunned the bike and headed toward the clinic.
The bustling maze of streets and alleys, full of dim sum joints, restaurants, souvenir shops, bars, and herbalists, gave way to the grittier chaos of the Tenderloin.
Even though he spent a lot of time here, he never got used to the trash, tents, and debris littering the sidewalks. People lingered on street corners, and drugs and money visibly changed hands.
As he rode, he kept an eye out for Robbie, passing a few of the man’s favorite haunts. There was no sign of him.
Ryder pulled up in front of the clinic and pulled his helmet off.
A couple of kids loitering by the corner raced over.
“Hey, Doc,” a skinny, white kid called Joey said. The pre-teen had a mop of dark curls.
His best friend Caleb, shorter, with dark skin and a shaved head, followed behind. “Yo, Ryder.”
“Hey, guys. Joey, I’m a medic, remember, not a doctor.”
The boy shrugged a shoulder. “You’re always in those blue doctor outfits, and you’ve got a scope thingy.”
“Today I’m in this uniform.” He pointed to his shirt. “Paramedic.”
Caleb cocked his head. “I think I could be a paramedic.”
“Do it.” Ryder offered his fist and the kid bumped it. “It’s a good job.”
“Too much blood and puke for me.” Joey sniffed. “I’m gonna be a badass, like your friend, Norcross.”
Ryder grinned. “Then you have some work to do.”
Joey straightened. “We’ll watch your bike for you. Five bucks.”
The boy regularly extorted Ryder to keep an eye on the Triumph.
“I won’t be here long.” He saw a black X6 pull up. “Two-fifty.”
“Shit. Three.”
“Deal.”
Siv stepped out of the vehicle. She wore bootleg-cut, dark jeans, a white shirt, and a brown belt. Her hair was up in a ponytail.
“Holy sweet legs,” Caleb muttered.
Joey spotted her and gave a low whistle.
“That one’s all mine,” Ryder told them quietly.
“You lucky bastard,” Joey muttered.
“You guys are way too young, anyway.”
“One day I won’t be.” Joey puffed up his chest. “Then I’m gonna find myself a looker with long legs.”
“Amen,” Caleb said.
Siv stalked over. “Morgan.” Her blue gaze flicked to the boys. “These your friends?”
“Yeah, Joey and Caleb, this is Siv.”
“Seeve.” Caleb rolled her name around.
“You’re a looker,” Joey announced.
Her lips twitched. “Thanks.”
“Hey, have you guys seen Robbie around?” Ryder asked them.
Both boys shook their heads.
Fuck . He was getting worried.
“Last time I saw him, he was eating at Dan’s Kitchen, with some fancy dude in a suit,” Joey said.
Dan’s was a favorite diner in the area, done in retro-style. Hmm, the guy in the suit might have been Robbie’s brother. Ryder might need to ask Vander to track down the brother’s number. Maybe Robbie was staying with his family for a while.
“Okay, watch the bike.” Ryder jerked his head to Siv.
They walked into the clinic. It was a one-story, unassuming building done in a plain beige. The clinic ran on donations and there wasn’t much in the budget for making the place pretty.
Pushing through the front door, he held it open for Siv and scanned the waiting room.
It wasn’t too busy, with just a few people seated in the plastic chairs.
An older black woman was sitting down, flanked by worried-looking family.
Another man looked pale and sweaty. He was maybe in his late twenties and didn’t look too good. He hunched over, staring at the floor.
Ryder glanced at the reception desk and spotted a familiar face.
“Hey, Santiago, you got a spare room I can use for a minute?” Ryder asked.
Santiago was a short, lean, handsome Hispanic man and experienced nurse. He lifted a hand to Ryder and glanced at Siv. “Ryder, this ain’t a hotel, and if it only takes a minute, she needs to trade you in.”
Siv snorted.
Ryder rolled his eyes and grinned. “I need to check her wound.”
Santiago smiled. “Go on. Exam Five is free.”
“Thanks, man. Hey, have you seen Robbie lately?”
Santiago frowned. “No. Not for a while. The last time he was in, he was flush with cash. Said he had some side job.”
Ryder raised his brows. “He never mentioned a job to me.”
“If I see him, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him. Maybe ask Jacko. I think he treated Robbie.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Ryder showed Siv into the exam room. It was plain, with grubby, beige walls and a stained, linoleum floor, but it was clean and serviceable.
“Who’s Robbie?” she asked.
Ryder waved at the bunk. “A friend. He lives on the street, and has a drug problem, but he’s in good health. He’s a veteran. I keep tabs on him.”
She jumped up on the bunk, and he felt her staring at him.
He looked up from a tray of medical equipment. “What?”
“I’m just trying to work you out.”
He held out his hands. “What you see is what you get, my lovely Siv.”
“No. Men think they’re simple, but they’re not. They have no clue what they want.”
There was a faint bitterness to her voice and Ryder paused. “Did some man break your heart? Want me to beat him up for you?”