“Not Monopoly money or anything?”
Kyrian gave him an irritated glare. “No, Nick. Real, hard cash, and you’l have your own credit card too.” Nick couldn’t believe it. He was stil aghast over the amount, never mind the other stuff. “And I don’t have to do nothing il egal or perverted?”
“You just have to watch your tone, especial y to Rosa.” Wel , dang. That made him wonder one thing. … “How much you paying her if she’s ful time?” Kyrian laughed. “A lot more than I’m paying you, but it’s not enough to put up with your smart mouth. So if you want to keep this job, you’l have to show her respect.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t mouth off to women.” But that rule didn’t apply to men or real y to anyone who tried to push him around.
However, Nick did have one major concern. “Um, how much wil you be deducting out of that for the hospital bil s?”
“You keep your grades up, your attitude in check, and show up for work on time for six months and we’l forget about it.” If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
And though he was young, he hadn’t been born yesterday. “I don’t know about that. My mama says we don’t take charity from people. We pay our own way.”
“Nick …” Kyrian’s voice was strained. “Look around. I’m not going to miss it. You were headed the wrong way down the street, when, for whatever reason, you made a right turn. No one made you do it. You did it by yourself. My goal is to keep you on the right path. And I know that desperate people do desperate things, so this job wil help eliminate some of that temptation. You’re a good kid and you deserve a break, which I’m sure life hasn’t given you much of.” It was true. Life had pretty much battered him and his mom from the moment he’d been born. “Yeah, but that’s a lot of money to be paying a kid for doing basical y nothing.”
“You won’t be doing nothing. You’l be part of a vital support staff I rely on to do my job. Not to mention, you keep your grades up and that’s nothing compared to what you can make working for me when you’re grown.”
Stil , Nick was skeptical. “And I don’t have to strip naked?”
“Oh God, no. Please keep your clothes on. Neither Rosa nor I need to go blind. There’s a pool in back though, that you’re free to use whenever you like. However, I would encourage you to always have trunks on when you swim. Last thing I need is for my neighbors to start complaining or George to quit.” Kyrian moved over to a smal box on Nick’s desk and picked it up to hand it to him. “By the way, this is for you.”
“What is it?”
“Cel phone so that I can contact you when I need you.” Nick couldn’t believe it. “No friggin’ way.”
“Part of the perks of the job. But don’t abuse your minutes or texts. I get a ten-thousand-dol ar bil in one month and I wil choke you for it.” Kyrian turned it on and handed it to him. “It’s already hooked up and the number for it is on the card. Make sure your mom has it too. I programmed my number into the auto dial under two. Just press and hold it.” Nick was overwhelmed by the generosity. He didn’t know what to say. “This is just so cool. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Kyrian’s phone rang. He pul ed it out of his pocket and checked the ID before he answered it.
“No, I’ve been up for a while. Why?” He frowned as he listened.
Nick played with his own phone. Man, this thing was real y awesome.
“What do you mean there were more attacks?” That got Nick’s attention. Was Kyrian talking about the zombie stuff?
“Yeah. I’l head out as soon as I can and I’l keep my eyes peeled for, and I cringe as I say this, things out of the ordinary for us.” He listened a few more minutes before he hung up the phone.
“Is something wrong?” Nick asked.
Kyrian didn’t exactly respond to the question. “Is there someone at your school with an ax to grind against footbal players?”
Had the man never gone to high school? “Depends on the footbal player. Why?”
“There’s been two more attacks.”
Nick was stunned.
“Al of them were against footbal players. How many guys are on the team, anyway?”
Nick had to stop and think. “I’m not exactly sure since I don’t play anymore. Probably around fifty total, counting JV and V.”
“JV and V?”
He was surprised Kyrian didn’t know what he was talking about. “Junior varsity and varsity.”