Baby Shark

Era pulled the oversized green jacket covered with patches of different rock bands that she scored from a thrift store

The taxi driver must have thought that she was cold so he lowered the temperature.

Era gave the taxi driver a weak smile and wanted to tell him to turned up the temperature of the air-conditioner because in reality she was feeling hot and the reason why she kept on tugging her jacket around her small frame had nothing to do with the cold but with the thought of what was waiting for her at home.

She tried calling her brother's phone but the one who answered was a man with a nasty tone of voice, barking at her and telling her to hurry home because he was losing his patience.

A lot of curses were spewed out of his mouth but Era decided to block them out. She blocked the nastiness and just focused on the possibility of earning more money to somehow keep those men out of their house and kept them at a distance by paying the percentage of their loans on time.

She earned a lot tonight. Ridge was quite generous with his tip which took her by surprise and left Dommie grinning like a Chester cat because Ridge had already booked an appointment to bring her out to another party on Thursday.

She scoffed under her breath, thinking how people with money could throw a party in the middle of a work week. She wouldn't understand because she's a commoner. For now, her mind was a bit at ease and her breath loosed up in her chest with the thought of earning money.

She pulled her jacket around her neck for the nth time and exhaled a deep breath. She noticed that nowadays, her life revolved with the thought of how to make money and nothing else.

"Please let me get off in front of that bakery."

The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror and said nothing but slowed down.

The bakery was about three more corners from their house but she didn't want to get off a taxi in front of their house where someone was probably waiting for her outside.

She quickly got off the taxi driver after giving him the exact amount of her fare. The driver's mouth twitched when he saw the amount but she had no time to feel guilty about not giving a tip. She had enough problems to worry about what they driver thought of her.

Pulling her oversized jacket around her body, she shoved her hands on the deep side pockets of the jacket and hunched her shoulders, lowering her head and started praying.

She was never the religious type but right now it feels right to pray. So, she prayed.

She was deep in thoughts but it didn't escape her the two men standing behind the shadows of the neighbors' decorative shrub.

She pretended that she didn't see them and just continued walking.

'Please God, let us have a peaceful night tonight.'

She exhaled a deep breath when she reached the gate of their house and saw that the small green bulb outside was on. Her father put it there to let her know that he was waiting for him home.

Remembering her father, she bit her lower lip and steady her heart for what was waiting for her inside.

She didn't have to knock twice because the door was quickly opened for her.

There are people she doesn't know in their living room but her eyes search for her mother and younger brother.

They were seated separately. Her mother was on the long couch, in between two bald men, while her brother was on the chair on the far right where her mother had to look over her shoulder for her to see him. And the man on her right side was making it difficult to do so.

Era recognized what the men were doing. They were trying to put distance between them to create fear. She gritted her teeth in anger but didn't make any comments or reaction on what she noticed because she knew that the men were observing her.

"I'm here," she curtly said.

"And we are here for the money."

Era pulled her gaze away from her brother to the man who was standing in the kitchen door.

She didn't notice him. He's tall and quite young. He seemed just a few years older than her and he didn't have the looks of the other men.

If she met him outside, she would definitely take a look because he's handsome. The way his wavy hair curl around his forehead made her want to step closer to him and swiped those locks away from his face.

"We have been waiting forever here!"

Era blinked her eyes and smacked her head mentally for admiring the good-looking hoodlum.

She fished a small bundle of cash from the inside pocket of her jacket. The real reason why she kept pulling her jacket around her body was because she was protecting the cash that she had earned tonight.

"Here,"she said, handing the cash to the man sitting on the right side of her mother.

The man grabbed the money and opened the brown envelope. He quickly scanned the amount and stood up.

"We will collect again the first week next month."

Era sucked in some air. The first week of next month was next week.

"Please, we have bills to pay at the hospital. Can you—"

"We are not running a charity here!"

Era whimpered inside but breathed deeply and took courage.

"Please, at least give us until the end of the week next month."

"We—"

"Let's go. I'm hungry."

The baritone voice stopped the bald man to stop and stood up from the couch. The other man, sitting on the left side of her mother and the guy who was standing next to Jake all walk to the door without another word.

Era creased her forehead to the handsome hoodlum who was the last one to get out of their house.

"Thank you," she said before she could stop herself.

She tilted her head to her younger brother to close the door as she dropped herself next to her mother—collapsing because she lost the strength in her legs.

"I heard the men talking. He's the new guy. The nephew of the old shark. They call him baby shark behind his back."