AN: Happy Memorial Day, readers. And a big thank you to all those in the military, law enforcement, emergency services, etc. You have our utmost respect and thanks.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter; and approve of the introduction of Old Man Cleveland. He's actually a bigger character than you might think. You'll learn something very interesting about him in the next chapter. (However, you'll need to read between the lines; I'm going to be a bit subtle about it.)
Within an old warehouse, a tall man known only as Aleix occupied himself with overseeing the proceedings while his employees worked at dismantling a stolen car. It was very fortunate that the Los Angeles cops had never thought to question their guise as an auto shop, which was only a cover-up for their true operation; especially since they had that large order of parts that was scheduled to be shipped overseas next week. At their current rate, that order could even be shipped sooner than expected. Things really couldn't be better.
At that moment, a side door opened and two of Aleix's newest employees stepped into the chop shop. For a brief moment, Aleix started to head over in order to commend them for securing the Sedan they had promised to deliver. However, his smile quickly vanished upon seeing the four teenagers that they were herding into the building.
"What is this?" Aleix barked, glaring at the four teens.
"They saw us breaking into the Sedan, boss," one of the car thieves explained. "We didn't want to take the risk of them getting the cops." In response, Aleix delivered a brutal punch to the car thief who had spoken, paying no attention to the Boho Kids as they instinctively flinched.
"Where's your brain!?" Aleix spat. "What would it matter if they fetched the cops? By the time those pigs would have responded, the two of you would have been long gone with the Sedan, unless you were too stupid to get a move on! And now, these brats know where we are!"
"We won't tell anyone," Kris offered. "Will we guys?"
"Definitely not," Alvin agreed. "Not a soul. We can even sign a…" Alvin quickly trailed off, effectively intimidated by the glare Aleix was giving him.
"Take them out back," Aleix snarled. "We'll deal with them after we finish with that Sedan."
A short time later, the Boho Kids had been locked in a secure bike cage that stood outside the warehouse. The moment the car thieves had all gone back inside, confident that the cage would hold them, Rodolfo and Zack examined the combination lock that had been used on the cage door.
"Great!" Rodolfo grinned in satisfaction. It's a single-dial, not a thumbwheel lock!"
"What does it matter what kind of lock it is?" Alvin groaned, sinking to the ground in defeat. "We don't know the combo either way, do we?"
"No, but single-dial padlocks have a keyhole in the back," Rodolfo pointed out. "Thumbwheel locks don't. That means it can be picked. Zack, Aunt Emily taught you how to pick locks, remember?"
"What, pick this lock?" Zack gave Rodolfo a look. "Great idea, Rodolfo. With what?" You got anything on you?"
"Oh, yeah," Rodolfo's smile faded. "I forgot about that."
"What about your pocketknife?" Kris suggested. "You have it with you, don't you, Brown Eyes?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't really come with a lock pick on it," Rodolfo pointed out.
"No," Zack suddenly laughed. "But it does have those little tweezers. Great idea, Kris; if Mom can use a bobby pin to pick a lock, then we can probably use the tweezers in the same way. We'd probably have to break the tweezers to use them, but you never use them anyway, Rodolfo."
"You think that'll work?" Alvin asked, beginning to feel hopeful.
"No, not really," Zack admitted. "But it's the only plan we have."
For the next few minutes, Rodolfo, Alvin and Kris kept their distance, allowing Zack to concentrate as he attempted picking the lock with the broken pair of tweezers from Rodolfo's pocketknife. Just when it seemed as if their plan wouldn't work, the padlock clicked open.
"We're out!" Zack cried in a loud whisper, making careful note to keep his voice down so the car thieves wouldn't hear them. Being very careful not to make too much noise, Kris and Zack slowly pushed open the cage door before silently slipping away.
"Hang on," Zack whispered as they rounded a corner. "Where are we going, anyway?"
"Anywhere but here," Alvin replied. "Now hurry up, before those guys realize we got away!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Kris nodded as the friends quickly continued their escape from the warehouse. No one said another word until they had traveled a considerable distance. It was only then that Kris stopped and sat down on a nearby stoop.
"Kris, what are you doing?" Alvin cried, staring at her in shock. "We can't stop now."
"I'm sorry," Kris sighed, fighting back a yawn. "I'm…just really tired."
"She's got a point," Zack stated, glancing at the time on Rodolfo's watch. "It's nearly midnight. Don't know about you and Kris, Alvin, but Mom and Dad usually have Rodolfo and me in bed by now, except on special occasions."
"I guess you're right," Alvin relented. "But there's just one problem. Where are we going to sleep tonight? We don't even have enough money to get a room at a cheap motel. And those car thieves stole my cellphone, so we can't call Dad to come pick us up here."
"Hey, you got any ideas, Rodolfo?" Zack asked.
"Why are you asking me?" Rodolfo looked away, frowning.
"Well, for starters, you're the one who has experience in spending time on the streets, so…"
"Are you talking about that time when I ran away from home when I was thirteen?! Zack, I was only on the streets for a few hours. I was home before ten. Plus, I wasn't even alone out there. I told you about that street drummer who brought me home, remember?"
"Wait, you ran away from home, Brown Eyes?" Kris' eyes widened. "You guys never told me about that."
"It's a long story," Zack shrugged. "We'll tell you about it sometime. If we ever get home again. Right now, I think Alvin has a good point. We need to find somewhere we can stay."
"Maybe he can help," Kris smiled, pointing down the street to a heavily bearded man who was clearly homeless. "After all, a guy like that's an expert when it comes to situations like ours."
"Kris, I don't think…" Alvin started to express his concerns, but before he could finish, Kris had already jogged over to the homeless man and began chatting with him as if he was an old friend. Hesitantly, Rodolfo, Zack and Alvin joined her, just in time to hear her finish relating their story to the homeless man, who they now could see was Latino.
"….And now we have no money, or any way to call Mr. Coffin, and we're all very tired and lost, so there's very little chance of us finding a police station or other safe refuge tonight. Do you think you could help us out? Like I said, we have no money to offer you in return, but I do have a Snickers bar in my pocket. It's probably a bit smooshed and melted, and I know it's not very filling, but it's all we have, and it's yours if you want it."
"Kris," Zack forced a chuckle, taking her arm. "I…I don't think he's gonna help us out."
"And why not?" the homeless man demanded, looking down at Zack in a scrutinizing manner. "You think just because I live on the street, it automatically makes me the type of person who would only look out for myself, don't you?"
"Uh," Zack gulped. "N...no, that's not what I…"
"Don't try lying, kid. I can see tell that's what you were thinking. However, I suppose I can't completely blame you. After all, it's what society teaches you to think.
"Lucky for you, Specks, Old Man Cleveland here knows these streets are no place for kids like yourself. Don't you worry. I'll get you back home again."
"Really?" Alvin smiled, barely believing it."
"Just stick by me, son," Old Man Cleveland smiled back, his deep brown eyes filling with kindness. "You'll be safe with me. And I don't even need that Snickers bar for payment. This one is all on me."
