Fort Lupton Read Online Free PDF Page A

little before going home.”
    Sophia smiled and got in
the car. Like Aden had taught him, Charlie waited for her to start
the engine. She waved to him and took off out of the parking lot.
Charlie waved and started up 15 th Street.
    He walked at an even pace, not too fast, not
too slow. The night was cold, but not icy. He zipped up his warm
jacket. At the stop light, he opened his backpack and dug around
for his hat and gloves. He was so focused on what he was doing that
he didn’t notice the young men who came up behind him. When the
light turned, they pushed past him to cross the street. Charlie
tugged on his hat and started across the street. He pulled his
gloves on as he went.
    He continued up
15 th Street and past the big Hyatt Regency across from the
Convention Center.
    “ Heya, Charlie!” one of
the bellmen yelled to him.
    Charlie waved and kept walking. The bellman
often came into Sam’s on his dinner break. Charlie remembered the
bellman from when he’d been a street kid. The bellman wasn’t as
nice to him then. Charlie smiled to himself. It was nice to be on
the other side now. He had a job. He had a family. He had a warm
house, a Castle no less, to go home to. Charlie felt pretty
rich.
    Charlie continued up the
street. He’d planned on going into the Pavilion to get something
nice for Tink, but he’d stayed at work. Everything looked closed.
He stopped on the corner of 15 th Streetand Glenarm and
wondered if he should chance that something might be open. Tink was
very upset about Blane. Charlie had wanted to get her something to
cheer her up. Charlie bit his lip and looked at his watch. She’d
probably rather that he got home before she had to go to bed. Proud
of himself for making such a good decision, he promised himself
he’d go tomorrow before work.
    He kept walking up
15 th Street. He was walking past the darkened entryway to a
parking lot when he heard something that sounded like an outbreath.
He sensed more than saw movement. He ducked and missed a baseball
bat flying toward him. Charlie took off running.
    Five young men followed close behind.
Charlie ran as fast as he could. He crossed Colfax and entered
Civic Center Park. They caught up with him in the park. One of the
men reached out and grabbed him. Charlie and the man fell. Charlie
tried to roll to get the man off him, but the young man held on
fast.
    “ Dis is for my brother,”
one young man said.
    He raised the baseball bat and Charlie
tucked his knees and head. The blow was hard and hurt like hell.
Charlie screamed.
    “ For my brother,” another
man said before he started kicking Charlie.
    “ You neva shoulda told no
body ’bout no whores.” Another man kicked Charlie.
    “ Dem whores wanted it,”
the young man with the baseball bat said.
    The man on the ground with Charlie tried to
make him untuck, but Charlie held on fast. Charlie knew how to take
his beatings.
    But this was worse than anything he’d ever
experienced.
    These guys wanted to kill him.
    These guys were going to kill him.
    Charlie kept his head down and the blows
rained down. His mind slipped and he was thinking about Tink. She
was so beautiful, especially in the morning or late at night. Out
of nowhere, he saw Sandy’s face. She was laughing at something he’d
done. He felt so loved, so happy. He tried to say something.
    “ I love you,” Charlie
said.
    “ What is it, son?” Aden’s
voice came out of nowhere. “Charlie?”
    Charlie opened his eyes. Aden’s hands were
bloody and his breath was ragged. His face was swelling from being
hit. Charlie’s eyes fixed on Aden’s torn work shirt. They were lit
up by the red and blue dancing lights of a police cruiser.
    “ Love you,” Charlie said,
and passed out.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Tuesday night — 11:43 p.m.
     
    “ So you’re in the hospital
again.”
    Charlie wasn’t sure where the voice had come
from. Wearing a hospital gown, he got up from his hospital bed and
looked outside his room. There was a man standing at