Читать книгу A Justified Bitch - H.G. McKinnis - Страница 11

Daylight brought an unfamiliar guard to the holding cell. “All right, ladies, up and at ’em.”

The Green M&M hopped to her feet. “Someone bail us out?”

The guard scanned the room, her eyes focusing on Rasheeda’s sleeping body, the psychedelic finery cascading from her rotund form in a Dali-esque version of Easter. “Saturday is shower day.” She banged her baton on the steel mesh. “Everybody up.”

Helen stepped forward, her hair hanging in damp ropes down her back. “I’ll stay here. I like this room.”

The guard rolled her eyes. “Not gonna happen, lady. Let’s hit the showers.”

Helen rubbed her arm where the rough steel of the bench had scraped off a scab. “I don’t really need one. Too much bathing dries the skin. It’s not healthy.”

The Green M&M wrinkled her nose. “You can’t go around smelling like roadkill.”

The guard banged her baton again. “Ladies, you’re all showering.” She hooked a thumb toward Rasheeda, who had rolled over and covered her head. “Somebody wake up Sleeping Beauty. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Bobby gave the guard a slow up and down, then pointed at her black steel-toed cop shoes. Don’t go. It’s a trick. Check those out.

Helen looked. The heavy shoes did bear a striking resemblance to the ones that tried to annihilate her lawn.

The Green M&M brightened. “Come on, Helen. I’ll cut and style your hair.” She cocked her head toward the guard. “My styling kit’s at the front desk. Can we get it?”

The guard eyed Helen who had hooked her fingers through the metal of the bench. “If we let this woman fix your hair, will you take a shower?”

Bobby nodded his approval. Ask how much it will cost.

“How much do you charge? I didn’t bring my wallet.”

The Green M&M grabbed the gate, working her fingers through the mesh. “I just want to get out of here. No charge.”

“All right, let’s get a move on.” The guard waited until Rasheeda stumbled to her feet before running a key card through the electronic lock. “If you hurry, you can get a hot breakfast.”

“Breakfast!” Helen could feel her eyebrows rise. “How much does that cost?”

“The county is buyin’,” the guard answered, “but only if you take a shower.”

The Green M&M grabbed Helen’s arm. “Enough already. Let’s get you pretty.”

The Easter Egg grabbed the other arm. “Real pretty. With those big eyes and high cheekbones, you could be a real looker.”

Helen glanced back at the small room. Good company and free food. If only she could stay.