Salvation Read Online Free Page B

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and grabbed him in a hug, then handed him all his money. I started to hand mine
over, too, but Tommy said, “Skye always forgets that he needs to pay the bridge
toll goin’ back into the city. You better keep a few bucks with you, you’re
gonna need it.”
    “Thanks,” I said.
    It took a lot of effort, but we somehow
managed to get the clock into the bed of the pick-up truck, wedging it in
diagonally. We tied it down with lots of rope, but I was absolutely convinced
it was going to go flying off on the Bay Bridge.
    We were just about to get in and drive
away when Skye exclaimed, “Woah, what is that?” He dashed off across the junkyard,
reminding me of an errant puppy, and skidded to a halt beside a bunch of sheet
metal. He slid aside some big, heavy panels and revealed an old neon sign, of
which only a corner had been visible. “Tommy, I need this!” he
exclaimed.
    I walked over to my new friend and took
a look at the art deco sign. It was about five feet high and seven feet wide,
and it said ‘Welcome to the Buena Vista.’ It had at one time been red and
white. Now it was scratched, rusty and faded out, but he said softly, “It’s so
beautiful.” I really wasn’t sure why Skye was so captivated by it, but then,
not many people saw the world like he did.
    “You can’t afford that, Skye,” Tommy
called out.
    “How much is it?”
    “More than nothin’ and that’s all you
got right now.”
    Skye looked dejected, but after a few
moments he dragged the big metal panels back in place, covering the sign
completely, and said resolutely, “I’m coming back for that, just as soon as I
make some money.”
    “It’s been here for years,” Tommy told
him. “I’m sure it’ll be around a few more weeks, don’t you worry.”
    “Promise you’ll call me before you sell
it to anyone else.” Tommy agreed to that, and Skye looked relieved.
    Soon we were on our way back into the
city. The giant, precarious clock in the bed of the pickup had a calming effect
on Skye’s driving, so much that when he wiped his hands on his jeans and
started to eat his sandwich, I didn’t feel the need to panic and dig my
fingernails into the dashboard. Instead I joined him, enjoying the view of San
Francisco’s gorgeous skyline as we crossed the bridge.
    When we finished our sandwiches and were
back on city streets, Skye asked, “Do you dance?”
    “Do I what?”
    “You know. Dance.” He let go of the
steering wheel and raised his arms up over his head, shaking his body to a tune
only he could hear. I gasped and grabbed the wheel, and he grinned at me.
    “No, not even a little. I’m incredibly
clumsy. Why do you ask?”
    “Okay, don’t laugh, but I moonlight as a
go-go dancer. The place where I work encourages the dancers to partner up, but
all the other guys at the club are kind of snooty. I was wondering if you’d
like to join me. It pays really well.”
    “You’re kidding.”
    “About which part?”
    “All of it.”
    “I’m totally serious. In fact, if you
wanted to, we could go in tonight and make a hundred bucks apiece.”
    “Um, maybe you could, but I couldn’t. I
don’t exactly have the body of an Abercrombie model, you know.”
    “Like I do?”
    “Plus, I’m pretty sure people would pay not to see me dance,” I said.
    Skye rolled his eyes at that. “Come on,
live a little! You’re exactly the right type for this place. It’s a club for
older businessmen who like twinks, and they’d love you.”
    “That’s kind of creepy.”
    “I know, but so what? You don’t have to
sleep with any of them. The only person that’d even lay a finger on you is me.”
He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at me.
    “Even if this somehow didn’t sound like
the worst idea ever, I seriously can’t dance. I’d make a fool of myself.”
    “We can practice beforehand. I’ll be
Baby and you be Patrick Swayze, since you’re a couple inches taller than me.”
    “You’ll be what?”
    “Baby? As in, nobody puts me