Hitting the Gap (Playing for Keeps #4)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

N ope, not a chance. There was no way anyone he cared about was living in this dump, especially not a woman. Maybe that made him sexist, but at this moment he didn’t care.

Gonzo eyed the run-down apartment complex with the overflowing dumpster, the peeling paint, and big pieces of broken concrete on the path. The place looked like it should have a condemned sign slapped to the wall instead of for rent.

What had Bailey been thinking, wanting to move here? This was possibly the worst neighborhood in the city. Even if money was tight, there were safer places to live.

He glanced down the street, looking for her vehicle.

Where the hell was she? She’d told him to meet her here at 1:00 to help her unload the moving truck. It was 1:30 and there was still no sign of her. But then, did he really expect anything different? His childhood best friend was notoriously late. Heck, it was such a well-known fact that his parents had let it slide when he’d missed curfew on more than one occasion because they knew he was out with her.

Finally, he heard the distinct rumble of a U-Haul truck that was a few too many moves past a repair. He couldn’t see much of the driver, but from the size, he guessed it was a woman. When the truck got closer, he spotted Bailey’s smiling face and red hair behind the wheel. Only Bailey would look happy pulling up in front of a shit hole like this.

She double parked the truck in front of the building and hopped out of the cab. Her feet barely hit the cement before she launched herself in his direction. Her movement didn’t stop until she crashed into him. The forward momentum nearly knocked him on his ass, and he took several steps backward to keep them upright as Bailey’s arms wrapped around his neck. Lush female curves filled his hands. It had been a couple years since he’d seen Bailey in person, but he sure as hell didn’t remember her hugs feeling like that.

Whoa. Whatever curves she had were irrelevant. This was Bailey.

“Hey, Bay.” He chuckled as he pulled her in tight for a hug. The familiar smell of citrus and something that was distinctly his childhood friend filled his senses. It was good to have her here. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed her.

When Bailey had said she was moving to San Diego for a job, he hadn’t known what to expect. He wasn’t a fan of her boyfriend at all, but when she’d called last week to ask for his help with the move, she said they’d broken up and she was coming alone. Now that he didn’t have to worry about her dick boyfriend, he was really looking forward to spending time with his childhood best friend.

Bailey glanced at the building and wrinkled her nose. “Hmm.”

“You can’t be serious about living here,” he said.

She chewed her bottom lip, and a wave of nostalgia filled him. How many times had he seen her make that exact same face growing up?

“It looks a little different from the online picture.” Her brows knitted together. “This is Sunnyvale Apartments, right?”

Gonzo eyed the graffitied sign with the word ‘Sun’ peeking through the paint. “That’s what it says.”

Bailey pulled her phone out of her pocket and swiped it open. Her lips pursed tightly, and she looked back at the building, then down at her phone and back at the building again. The lines of confusion on her face grew.

“You okay?” he asked.

She thrust her phone toward him. “Is this even the same building? I mean, even brand new, this place wouldn’t have looked anything like that?”

He eyed the picture on the screen. “What the fuck? Is this seriously the ad?” The building in the ad looked modern, with clean lines and beautiful landscaping. The one in front of them looked like 1970 threw up. He could already picture the snot green shag he was gonna see inside the apartments. “There’s no fucking way you’re living here,” he told her.

“Maybe it’s better inside than out.” Bailey chewed her bottom lip as she eyed the building. Even for an optimist like her, the comment was a stretch.

“It couldn’t possibly be worse.”

Bailey studied the building and sighed. “Let’s go find the manager and look.”

“The only thing we’re finding the manager for is to tell him you aren’t moving in here.”

Bailey bristled. “Don’t even start with that macho bullshit, Gonzo. I didn’t let you boss me around as a kid, and I’m sure not letting you do it now.” She squared her shoulders, and he bit back a groan. Damn it. He should have known better. If there was one thing destined to make Bailey dig her feet in, it was telling her she couldn’t do something. The woman took independence to new heights.

“Alright, let’s go look.” He swept out his arm to gesture she go first. He needed to have her back to make sure he could protect her if anything happened. As they stepped across the broken path toward the building, he scanned their surroundings, ready for anything.

“Hopefully we don’t get shanked,” Bailey mumbled.

“No shit.” The hairs on his neck stood up and he looked behind him. A group of young men leaned against a car, watching them. He rolled his shoulders to loosen his neck in case he needed to get into it with these guys.

Bailey stopped and scanned the area. She turned toward the men and called, “Do you know where I can find the super?”

What the hell was she doing drawing more attention to herself?

One guy pushed off the car and sauntered toward them. His New York ball cap tilted sideways on his head. The guy couldn’t even cheer for a good team. New York. Come on. As the guy scanned Bailey appreciatively, Gonzo stepped in front of her to block the other man’s view.

“You moving in?” the guy asked Bailey.

Bailey nodded. “Trying to.”

Just as Gonzo said, “No.”

“Super’s in 101. If you need anything once you’re moved in gorgeous, you come find me.”

“Thanks,” Bailey said.

The guy licked his lips, and his gaze trailed slowly down her body. The leer was so disgusting Gonzo needed a shower and it wasn’t even directed at him.

“She won’t,” Gonzo growled.

The guy eyed Gonzo, then nodded to his friends, and the other four guys started walking toward them. “You look like you got somethin’ to say.” The guy stepped toward Gonzo.

Fuck. He flexed his hands. The last thing he wanted was to get into it with these assholes. He liked his odds one-on-one. Hell, even two-or-three-on-one. But five-on-one? Those weren’t great odds. Factor that at least one of these guys probably had a piece and he was fucked.

“Holy shit, you’re Ramon Gonzalez,” one of the newcomers said.

“Yeah.”

The guy lifted his sweatshirt to show off the Hawks T-shirt he was wearing underneath. Thankfully, the other men stopped posturing and Gonzo breathed a sigh of relief. Looked like he might get out of here unscathed yet.

“What the fuck are you doing in this neighborhood?” the guy asked.

“Just need to talk to the super for a minute.”

The guy tilted his head as he assessed him, looked at his boys, then back at Gonzo. “She your girl?”

“Yeah.” He felt Bailey tense behind him. What was he supposed to say? If the guys were fans, Bailey was as a hell of a lot safer if they thought she belonged to him.

The newcomer eyed Bailey speculatively and nodded his head. “If she moves in, we’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Thanks,” Gonzo mumbled. There was no way Bailey was moving in here. When he felt her fingers wrap into the waistband of his jeans as she pressed closer to him, he was pretty sure they were on the same page.

“So how’s the team looking this year?” the guy asked.

“Pretty good.”

A scrawny guy walked around the side of the building and pulled up short when he saw them. The Hawks fan glanced over, then said, “That’s the super.”

“Cool thanks,” Gonzo said. He reached around and grabbed Bailey’s hand and pulled her to his side so he could protect her if needed. Once they got a few steps from the group, he whispered, “Bay, seriously, you didn’t move to some Podunk town where you sit and have lemonade on the porch with the neighbors. People here have guns.”

“I know,” she whispered back. “That’s why I was being nice. If anyone was going to get us in trouble, it was you.”

Unfortunately, she probably wasn’t wrong about that assessment. “You can’t seriously be thinking of moving in here.” He pointed to a hole in the wall by the staircase. “That’s a fucking bullet hole, Bailey.”

Her eyes widened and she cringed. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Now, can we please get out of here?”

“I can’t. I put down a deposit to hold the place.”

Gonzo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Guess we’re talking to the super.” He cupped her elbow and propelled her toward the super.

“You Bailey Reynolds?” the man asked.

“Yes.”

“You’re late.” He glared at her.

Gonzo rolled his eyes. Nice customer service. Clearly, the manager matched the shithole exterior.

The super turned on his heel. “Follow me.”

Gonzo and Bailey fell in line behind him. Bailey’s head swiveled from one side to the other as they walked. If she was thinking anything close to what he was thinking, they should run, not walk, to the nearest exit.

They stopped in front of apartment 213. The super pushed the door open and coughed slightly as he stepped into the room. Gonzo hadn’t even taken a step and he could already see the disgusting carpet. He hadn’t been far off in his guess. It was more of a mustard puke color rather than snot, but equally disgusting.

Following Bailey into the room, he pulled up short when the smell punched him in the face. Bailey’s head snapped back a second before she retched, then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my god, what is that?” She plugged her nose. “It smells like death. But not like good death.”

“Good death?” he asked. What the fuck was good death?

Bailey’s mouth gaped like a fish as she tried to suck air into her lungs. It was like the stench sucked out the oxygen from the room, making it hard to breathe. Fuck, the smell was so bad he could taste it. What was that?

Bailey flapped her hand in front of her face. “God, it’s like decomposing smelly feet doused in parmesan cheese and cat piss.”

That was a pretty accurate description.

She tilted her head back, then retched again. “Nope, I can’t.” She covered her mouth and bolted for the front door.

Gonzo walked to the door, turned, and blocked the super from leaving. “We’re gonna need that deposit back.”

The man narrowed his eyes and sneered. “No, she agreed to live here. If she wants to back out, that’s her choice, but she’s not getting the deposit back.”

Gonzo stepped into the other man’s space and took a great deal of pleasure in watching him back away. “We both know that ad you placed was a load of shit. That’s false advertising and there’s not a court in the world that would honor that bullshit.” He let his derision for the little weasel show on his face. “And when my lawyer gets done with you, this place will look like a luxury condo compared to what you’ll be able to afford if you don’t give her back her money.”

“You can’t sue me.”

“Watch me.” Gonzo stared at the little man. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to block the other man from leaving the apartment. Finally, the guy sighed.

“Fine, follow me to my office and I’ll transfer her the money back.”

Gonzo grunted in acknowledgement and stepped out of the room. He sucked in a breath of air but couldn’t smell anything except the apartment. Great, that stench now lived in his nose. Like when you puked on yourself and that’s all you could smell. He turned to Bailey. “He’s gonna give you your deposit back.”

The super pushed past them and stormed down the hallway. Bailey eyed the apartment and chewed nervously on her bottom lip. “I don’t have a lot of options, Gonz. I gotta live somewhere.”

“Well, it sure as fuck isn’t going to be here. Let’s get your deposit and we’ll figure it out.”