Did I care? Should I care? Probably not, but no woman deserved to be subject to the depraved acts and intentions I’d seen in their eyes.
The deadbolt on the lock clicked, and I shot to my feet in a ready stance, determined to go out fighting if it came down to it. Instead of men, I was met with a naked and perfectly curved silhouette.
“Run,” she muttered and took off down the hall.
I blinked several times in a stupor before rushing after her, just in time to see her turn down a corridor.
“Helena!” I whisper-shouted when I came to a split hallway and had no idea where she’d gone until the creek of a door and the rays of a fading sun lit up the small space. “Hey,” I said, grabbing at her wrist once we were both out the door, taking notice of the blood staining her hands and the fresh wounds on her face and body. “Are you okay?”
Rolling her eyes and breaking my hold, she darted through the car lot, making a run for an alley behind the compound. I followed behind until her steps slowed, and she leaned against the brick of a neighboring building, exhaling what looked to be a long breath of relief. Hands in her hair, she slid down and sat on the wet asphalt.
“We have to get far from here before they realize we’re gone. But I can’t exactly walk around the damn city with my ass hanging out.”
“It’s a nice ass.”
She shifted her gaze toward me, and I couldn’t tell if she was going to curse or crack a smile at my poorly timed joke.
“It’s agreatass. But it would be a little flashy for a Tuesday night out on the town, don’t you think?”
I nodded, unable to hide a smirk.
“Well, I’m fresh out of shirts, love. But if you stay here, I’ll see what I can find.”
“I won’t hold it against you too much if you don’t come back.”
Kneeling in front of her, I put a hand on her knee, trying my damnedest to focus on her face and not that sweet little cunt peeking out from between her thighs. “Well, you didn’t have to come back for me, and you did, so the least I can fucking do is bring you some clothes.”
She scoffed, licking her lips and wincing slightly when the tip of her tongue rolled over split flesh. “No one gets the privilege of killing you but me, Silas. Can’t just skirt my duties for an easy way out.”
I said nothing and simply straightened as I moved toward the end of the alley, spilling onto the still-bustling street where strangers veered away or crossed the road to avoid me. I wasn’t going to take it personally since I knew I looked like hell. Shirtless, dried blood, long hair wild and untied. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone ended up ringing the police. Hell, what would I say?
I patted my pants pockets as if I didn’t already know those bastards had taken my wallet and phone. And that’s when it dawned on me. How would I secure clothes for Helena? I was many things, but never a thief. At least not outright.
“Señor?” a young boy, no older than ten, approached. “Agua?” he asked, holding up a glass bottle, dark brows pulled together in a look of genuine concern. I nodded and downed the cold liquid in seconds, not realizing how thirsty I’d been. It was then I felt the hollow pang of hunger in the pit of my stomach. Hours after my last meal, I hadn’t had a chance to think about food. My thoughts immediately went to Helena. Already so thin, I wondered if she was hungry too—and regretted the thought almost as soon as it was born.
“Gracias.” I bent to his level and motioned toward a woman tending to a storefront where colorful dresses hung from a display rack. She was closing down, collecting the garments several at a time. “Es tu madre?”
He nodded enthusiastically and obliged when I asked him for one more water bottle. Trotting across the street, the boy quickly disappeared into the store seconds after his mum. I darted across the same path, knowing I only had an extremely short window to grab what I needed and be gone before getting caught. I tore an emerald-green dress from the rack without regard for its size and raced back to the alley, where a nude body lay sprawled across the concrete. My steps faltered for a millisecond until I noticed the bald head and crew socks did not belong to the woman I’d left behind.
“You killed him?”
She came around a large dumpster, her thin frame completely dwarfed by what I assumed was the unconscious man’s light blue collared shirt and khaki shorts.
“Oh, he’s not dead,” she said, waving me off. “You’d be amazed at what men are willing to do for the promise of a good fuck.” Her smirk held a gleam of mischief as she clapped me on the chest. “Walk blindly into dark alleyways after naked strangers…get lured into hotel rooms…” Her voice trailed off with a taunting chuckle.
Low blow.
“Worst fucking decision of my life.”
“Now, Silas—look at all the fun we’ve had.” She attempted to take the green dress from me, her hand grazing mine. That familiar zing I’d come to know when touching her buzzed beneath the surface of my skin.
“Tell me something. Why did you come back for me?” I asked, snatching back the garment.
She met my darkened gaze, brows twitching. “I already told you; no one gets to kill you but me.”
Helena clutched the dress, and I pulled her forward, causing her to barrel into my chest.
“Bullshit,” I said, tugging her even closer. “You risked getting caught just to come find me, when all you had to do was walk out the door and never look back.”
