“I was so tired last night,” she continued. “I could barely keep my eyes open, and I didn’t want to sleep on the sidewalk.Honestly, the thought of sleeping anywhere out in the open gives me hives. You never know what could happen.”
I nodded along. She wasn’t wrong; there were enough sick fucks out there to make anyone wary, much less a petite, defenseless woman.
“I thought about trying to find you, but I didn’t want to wake anyone up.” She shifted in the booth, looking increasingly uncomfortable. “So I… crashed on one of the flatbeds under a tarp.”
“You slept on one of the equipment trucks?”
She nodded slowly.
“And I take it you didn’t wake up until it was too late?”
“Yep.”
“Damn,” I said. “That is kind of funny. Just a little bit.”
She smiled. “I was trying to get away without anyone seeing, but you saw how that went. Revel found me, and I… kind of threw you under the bus. Sorry about that. But I want to thank you again for saving my ass.” She reached across the table and placed her hand on mine. Electric sparks zipped across my skin at the touch. I stared down at her slender fingers for a moment before dragging my gaze up to meet hers again.
Heat crept over me, followed by my shirt sticking to my sweaty skin.
Did it suddenly get several degrees warmer in here?
“Thanks for lying and for not letting him call the cops,” she said.
“N-no problem.” She withdrew her hand, and I immediately missed her touch. I cleared my throat and tugged at the collar of my shirt, looking out the window next to us at the busy downtown street. “You have a warrant or something? Is that why you didn’t want the police called?”
She shook her head in my peripheral. “No warrants. That I know of, anyway.”
That she knows of.I laughed and tried again. “Not a fan of law enforcement?”
When I looked back at her, her expression was distant. Worried.Sad.
What the hell happened to her?
“Let’s just say someone is looking for me,” she said, her eyes flitting around nervously like she was looking for eavesdroppers. “Maybe several someones. And I really don’t want to be found.”
She was running, which was how a lot of people ended up with the circus. Revel and Night had both run away from dark, abusive pasts they never spoke about. Even Hallow, according to what I’d heard from the rest of the troupe, had run away when they were a kid.
Finding the circus at our darkest moment was a story we all knew too well.
I hadn’t run away, per se, but I’d been lost, unsure what path to take when the circus found me.
The circus showed up for everyone when they needed it, even when they didn't realize it. It was a haven for the broken, a sanctuary for the unwanted.
And now, Arina was here.
Last night, I’d been captivated by the idea of a new troupe member. A new face, a new act. It was all so exciting. But everything that happened after had nearly changed my mind.
I’d tried to talk to Night after he made me suck him off, even masturbated on the couch at full volume while he read his book. He’d barely looked in my direction. As soon as we parked in Dallas, he’d left without a word—or gesture—and I hadn’t heard from him since.
I didn't mean to piss him off. I didn't think it would be an issue, all things considered, but clearly Night didn’t want to hear about Arina. He’d been in a mood ever since I brought her up last night.
If she joined the circus? I could already imagine how angry he’d be with me.
Not to mention Revel… He was adamant about her not joining, and he was clearly pissed that she’d made it to Dallas with us.
And Zero…
I cringed.
