“That’s not what I mean. Sit down, okay?”

I sink back into my chair. “Then what do you mean?”

“Something’s off. She looks spooked.”

I nod. She does. “So what’s your point?”

“My point, man...” His dark brows knit. I don’t remember ever seeing Seth so serious. “This girl shouldn’t be spooked. She shouldn’t be sad.”

I stare at him. The hell?

We don’t talk much with Seth. He’s not brooding and aggressive like his cousin Shane, but he’s not loud and easily excited like Ocean or Jesse, either. He’s a quiet guy. And now he can’t stop talking.

“... so if you know there’s anything she’s afraid of,” Seth is saying, “anything Shane and I can help with... If she needs someone to protect her. We’re here for her. I’ve talked to Shane, and he feels the same way.”

I rub my face. Bleary or not, I’m obviously missing something here. “Why are you so eager to help her?”

“Why not?”

“Dammit, Seth. You think I’m an idiot?” I bang my fist on the table, making the mug jump and coffee slosh. Is he doing it on purpose, trying to make me hit him? “You said she helped you out once,” I bite out the words, “but going out on a fucking limb, I’d say there’s more to it than that, right?”

Seth looks away but not before I see a flash of pain in his expression. I’m good at reading faces. I’m good at connecting images with emotions. I’m a visual artist, after all.

And that flash of pain reins in my anger. I sit, patiently waiting for him to decide if he can trust me with his story or not. Because I’m sure there’s a story there. I can feel it in the shape of this meeting, in his reactions and words.

He finally turns to me but drops his gaze. I swear, if he did anything to hurt Ev in the past, I’m not gonna forgive him, no matter how bad it makes him feel now. I’m gonna punch his face into pulp.

The fact I’ve never been so angry on someone’s behalf before doesn’t escape me, but I can ignore it if I want, dammit. It’s my own fucked-up mind.

“You didn’t know us back then,” Seth says quietly. His body is slightly hunched over, and he spreads his hands on the table. “It was before Zane took us in.”

They’ve only known Zane for a few months, whereas I’ve known him for years. I was his apprentice back when I lived with my last foster family. Those were the good times, before I was sent back to the residential facility and ended up running away as often as I could.

Christ, I don’t want to remember that place.

Seth is silent for a while. Looks like he doesn’t want to remember, either.

“Being on the streets sucks,” he eventually says. “Having no home sucks. Having no options fucking sucks.”

Understatement of the year, if I ever heard one. I nod nevertheless, to encourage him to continue.

“We’d been on the street, on and off, for two years. It’s vicious, man. You can’t get out of that loop easily. Shane wasn’t well.” He taps his temple. “I mean here. He was in a bad place. It’s his character, but he’s also lost more than me, so...” Seth wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “You know how people pass you by and don’t even see you? As if you’re part of the ground you’re sitting on. Trash to be swept out in the morning. Or they get pissed at you for ruining their day by reminding them their stupid little problems aren’t important.”

I wait, trying not to tense up again. I do my best to unclench my hands. All I want is to forget, and his story brings back all sorts of nightmares. Damn, not sure I wanna sleep tonight.

“So, there I was, trying to keep Shane from going off the edge,” Seth muttered. “Wasn’t holding up so well myself, either. It was raining, and the cars would splash us passing by. Shane hadn’t eaten in days. He even refused water. I think he’d given up. And then she appears.” Seth looks up at me, a half-smile on his face. “She really saw us, man. Looked right at us and came to squat in the puddles to ask how we were doing. You should have seen Shane’s face. It was like he woke up for the first time in days. She went and bought us warm food and a blanket, and then she passed at least every other day to check on us until Zane took us in.”

Their story matches my own in many ways. Okay, so that’s why this is important to Seth. We sit in silence for a while.

Then he says, “I’ll just keep an eye out for her. See if anyone has been bothering her.”

“She saved my life,” I blurt, not even really knowing why I’m telling him this. “But she doesn’t remember me.”

His brows shoot up. “For real?”

“What do you think?” I shake my head. “But it’s more than that.”

“You want her.”

“Damn right I do.”

“She’s hot,” he agrees, and my hands curl into fists again.

“Hands off her, Seth, do you hear me? Shane, too.”

“I heard you the first time.” He rolls his eyes at me and gets up. “She’s yours. I get it.”

“She’s not mine,” I whisper. Not yet, anyway.

And seeing how the truth may turn her off, maybe not ever.

Chapter Six

Evangeline

Leaving the cafe, I hurry to the bus stop as fast as I can. The rain has stopped, but evening’s falling, and I keep seeing Blake in every shadow and dark place. I make it home and barricade myself in my room, then lie on my bed and try to sort out my thoughts. My heart races a thousand miles an hour.

Blake wouldn’t know Seth. Would he? He wouldn’t hurt him. Jesus, I really hope not. Maybe it’s time to go to the police. Denounce him.

Yeah, and for what? Saying he will harm random homeless people if I talk to them? He hasn’t done anything—not yet.

Warn Seth? But what can Seth do? He’s only in danger if I’m seen talking to him. As is any person I’ve helped in the past.

Crap. Micah... I left him at the cafe without any real explanation. Is he pissed with me, I wonder... And I left my walking stick. No way can I go back in there now, not if Seth is still there, not if Blake is watching...

This is crazy. Blake managed to scare me for real. This is stupid. He won’t hurt anyone. He’d go to jail, and his family would never live it down.

But what if he does hurt them? There had been something wild in his eyes.

I could ask for a restraining order. But not coming near me doesn’t mean he can’t go near anyone I talk to afterward and beat the shit out of them.

It’s as if a rat is gnawing at my stomach. I never knew fear could feel so tangible. As I stand at my bedroom window, looking out¸ I wonder if lying low would be enough for Blake to forget about me and give up. They say that about bullies—that when you stop struggling, they lose interest.

God, I hope so. I want to take back control of my life. I want to do stuff, to experience things, to really live.

Micah. His hot kiss, his strong body, his gentle voice... I should have told him what’s going on, but my first thought was to get away fast, before Blake saw. Now I wish I’d stayed just a moment longer to ask for his phone number.

Too late. At least I know he works at the tattoo shop, Damage Control. He must have my walking stick, too. A good excuse for me to drop in.

Not that I really need the stick, as my flight from the cafe has proven. Yes, my knee aches dully, but I can do without.

Heat rushes up my neck, and a shiver of pleasure goes through me at the memory of his touch. Truth is, any excuse would do if it allows me to see Micah again.

***

I’m standing outside Damage Control, passers-by jostling me in their hurry to get to their jobs or the shops or their families... A cold wind is blowing.

Rocking back on my heels, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket, I study the tattoo designs pasted on the inside of the glass. Octopuses, aliens, flowers, abstract symbols.

Stop procrastinating, Ev. It’s been days. Just get inside.