“Morse?” She snorted, facing the man in question.
“As in Morse Code. Earned it in the Air Force. You know, while I was serving the country and all that.” He studied her with open curiosity. “Aren’t you supposed to be up in Canada teaching third graders?”
This sounded like a conversation I had no business in, so I sat my ass down and got back to work, pretending I couldn’t hear them.
“School’s out for the summer.”
“So, you just… what? Showed up on my doorstep? I’d ask how you found me, but that’s public knowledge on the social media profile I used when I friended you. What I don’t know iswhyyou’re here.”
“Can’t a girl miss her family?” she asked.
“Not our family. A girl would have to be crazy to miss those fuckers. Don’t bullshit me, Meals. What are you really doing here?”
She sighed. “Making a mistake. Obviously. I should go.” She headed toward the door, but Morse got there first, blocking her escape.
“Go where? You must be desperate to hop a border and fly across the country to get to me. You know I’ll help you, I always have, but you’re high if you think I’m not gonna at least flick you shit after all this time. Talk to me. What’s going on?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her drop her head in defeat.
“I need help.”
“Okay.” Morse grabbed her shoulders, getting her to meet his gaze once again. “What kind of help?”
“I think I’m in danger.”
5
Mila
“HOUND, I HATE to interrupt your flow, but can you give me and my cousin a minute?” Levi asked the man who was working at the other desk. “This shouldn’t take long.”
“Yeah, sure.” Hound stood, pushing his chair in before turning to face us. “Of course. Take all the time you need. I’ll be in the kitchen with my phone on me. Just shoot me a message when you’re ready for me to come back.”
Levi nodded. “Thanks, brother.”
Hound was a good-looking guy. His facial hair was that perfect length between a five o’clock shadow and two days’ worth of growth. It wasn’t unkempt enough to make him look homeless, but it added a sexy rough edge to his boyish good looks. Standing about six feet tall, with broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist, his knock-off Dockers and Target brand shirt appeared to be hiding one hell of a fit body. Despite being in great shape, he moved with a slight limp. Halfway to me, he must have stepped wrong, because he sucked in a sharp breath. Clenching his fists and jaw, he took a measured step, as if testing out the stability of his leg.
Our gazes met, and a staggering amount of pain and determination stared back at me. It was… intense, yet strangely comforting. They say like calls to like, and for one precious moment, he seemed to actually seeme. Not the education, expensive clothing, and guises I hid behind, butme. I felt exposed, like he knew my struggle.
I excelled at reading people, but I’d never shared a wordless conversation like that with anyone. Before I had time to process the strange connection, he was gone, making me wonder if I’d imagined the whole thing. If I’d read too much into the intensity in his eyes. The door closed behind him, snapping me back into reality.
“Is that guy okay?” I asked.
Levi eyed me suspiciously. “Why do you ask?”
“He looks like he’s hurting.”
Levi’s brows drew together like he was trying to figure me out. “Hound had an accident in the Navy. Fucked up his back pretty good. A handful of surgeries have restored functionality so he can at least walk and bend over, but nobody can seem to do shit about the pain. Unless science makes some miraculous breakthrough, he’ll most likely live with that for the rest of his life.”
Hound couldn’t have been much older than me. Disgusted with the universe that had subjected him to such a bleak future, I shook my head. “Damn.”
“Yeah, life sucks. Now, when are you gonna quit stalling and tell me about this danger you think you’re in?” he asked.
Growing up, I’d been able to fool everyone but Levi. I hadn’t seen him since he’d left to join the military, but the familiar way he called me out on my shit made me smile. Ignoring his question, I asked, “Do you ever miss home?”
Home.
The word filled me with both longing and fear. It wasn’t a place I missed, but a time. No, a feeling. An innocence. A chapter of my life when people only died of natural causes and I didn’t worry about how Levi would look at me when I finally broke down and told him what I’d been up to.
