Steve was a little irritated with his current position. He had been farmed out to do a security assessment for a company and as part of the assessment he had to live in the area. Yes, the company had provided him with a nice unit to stay in, but that didn't disguise the fact that the general area was a shithole, and a splendidly odoriferous shithole at that.
As far as Steve was concerned, the less time he spent in the neighbourhood, the better. It was the blackout that got the better of him. Some idiot had anticipated the green light and been wiped out by a truck coming through on a late amber. Together, the car and truck had taken out the power pole outside Steve's apartment block and he had zero power. On a hot, stinking, summer evening.
Opting to eat out, Steve visited a nearby restaurant, enjoyed a reasonably good dinner, and decided to amble back to his unit. If the power wasn't back yet he'd just run his laptop off batteries for a while. Quietly confident in his own abilities he had no qualms about crossing the park on his way home.
Shelley was loitering around in the park, hoping for a stray idiot. One of her boys flagged the approach of a victim. Steve, strolling through the park, found an attractive young lady standing in the path, observing him. He observed her right back.
Eighteen or nineteen, he guessed. Quite attractive. Blonde, and he was fairly sure that it was a natural colour. Not enough light to tell the colour of her eyes. A very nice figure with clothes that tended to conceal while hinting at revealing. Altogether a very neat little package.
"Evening," Shelley said, a nice lilt in her voice. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare fifty you could let a hungry girl have?"
"Sorry," Steve said, shaking his head. "There are some things I don't buy, especially when I can get it for free."
"That's OK," Shelley cooed. "I wasn't exactly selling anything. We just thought you might like to make a donation."
"We?" asked Steve softly.
"We," agreed Shelley, speaking just as softly.
Hearing a footstep behind him Steve turned, making sure to keep one eye on the young lady while he did so. The young men were spread across the path behind him. Two were in their late teens with the third looking to be somewhat older. The boys didn't worry him. The man was rather husky and carrying what looked like a piece of piping. That could hurt if it connected.
"Why don't you all back off before someone gets hurt?" Steve suggested.
"Ah, why don't you just give us your wallet before you get hurt?" Shelley riposted.
"Not going to happen," Steve drawled. "Last warning."
Shelley sighed. Why did idiots have to be idiots? He looked such a nice young man, too.
"OK, guys, take him down, but try not to hurt him too much. Just grab his wallet and we'll be out of here."
The three muggers moved closer, Mr Blunt Instrument leading the way. Steve waited, assessing the distance. Timing it nicely he dropped, hands and one foot on the ground, his other leg shooting out in a stamping kick, raking down the length of the big man's right shin.
With his leg kicked out from under him the man fell. The two boys froze to the spot in shock, looking at their fallen friend.
"If I were you," Steve said, rising to his feet, "I'd take him to see a doctor. I think he's going to need stitches for that leg."
The man was making a funny noise as he eased his trouser leg up, looking to see the damage. His shin had been laid open for quite a way, deep enough to see a flash of bone. Steve winced in sympathy.
"Ah, your leg's not broken and there's no major blood vessels impacted," he said, "but I'd still get that attended to ASAP."
"Don't just stand there, you morons," snapped Shelley. "Help Jack up and get him to the doctor."
"What about him?" asked Moron One.
"If you want to have another go, be my guest," said Shelley, waving her hand towards Steve. "No? I didn't think so. Mark him as the one who got away and help Jack."
"It's terrible when you can't get decent help, isn't it?" Steve sympathised. "Sorry about your boyfriend but he'll recover."
"He's not my boyfriend," snapped Shelley. "Do I look as though I'm desperate?"
"So, no boyfriend at all. Well, you're young. You'll get one eventually."
"What makes you think I don't have one?" asked an indignant Shelley.
"Well, the two morons wouldn't interest you and if you had a boyfriend he'd either be with you or he'd be stopping you from being such an idiot in the first place. So logic says no boyfriend."
Shelley gave Steve an irritated look and turned to walk away, stopping rather abruptly when his hand came down upon her shoulder. She spun around to face him, drawing the knife she carried at the same time.
"Do you have a problem?" she asked.
"Yes, I do," Steve told her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded handkerchief. He held it by one corner and shook it out while Shelley watched, puzzled. Her head jerked back in reflex when he threw the handkerchief at her. At the same time his hand flashed out, capturing hers. He calmly extracted the knife from her grip, folding it up and putting it in his pocket.
"You set your boys on me, trying to mug me. I think a penalty is called for. Would I be right in saying that you're the brains and leader of your little group?"
"What if I am? We didn't actually do anything to you. You're the one who attacked us. We should have you charged."
