“Eight.”
He didn’t say anything after that, still taking me in.
I moved forward and reached up.
He went still, letting me get closer to him, close enough until my fingertips touched his bruise.
“This?” He was eyeing the bruises on my face. “I’m thinking I got mine in the same way you got yours? Someone got mad at you?”
I nodded, feeling sad.
He gave me another grin, but this one was a mask. Adults did that a lot. Smile when they didn’t feel it. They were faking, but with him, it felt like it was just something he did all the time. I didn’t feel he was trying to lie to me. Like it was his mask for the world, so others didn’t see the real him.
Did that work? I couldn’t tell.
“In my case, I deserved it. And I finished it. There’d be nothing you could do to give someone a reason to do that to you.” His smile faded. His mask fell, and I knew this was the real him. “You want me to hurt them? I’m good at that sort of thing. The ones who did that to you?”
My breath hitched. He was serious.
He leaned closer, dropping his voice. “You don’t have to decide now. You think on it. If you decide you want me to hurt them, I will.” There was movement behind the door. The sound of voices was nearing. He sighed and stood up. “Don’t tell them you met me. Okay? Miss Marcie would give me a whole lecture on top of the normal lecture I know is coming my way.”
I frowned.
Catching my look, he stepped around me, now standing on the cement, and he wasso tall. He looked down at me, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a cigarette, lifting it to his mouth. He didn’t light it, still just holding my gaze. “Listen, this is a good place. Miss Marcieis a good woman. I’m sure she already creamed her pants at seeing you. No doubt she’s going to treat you like a princess, but by the looks of it, you deserve it. You been through a rough one. We all have been.” He lit the cigarette and took a drag before motioning to the house, stepping farther around me.
I moved with him, my back now to the house. “What’s your name?” My voice was still a whisper, but I got it to sound stronger. Like an adult.
He was inching farther and farther away, but his eyes didn’t waver. He stopped now. One more step to the side and he could disappear into the neighbor’s backyard. He lowered the cigarette. “They’re going to tell you things about me, but it won’t be true. It’ll be true for others. Not you. A promise from me to you. You never have to be scared of me.”
I got warm all over. He meant it. It was one of those sacred promises made. A rare one that was meant. I knew he meant it. I just felt it.
I whispered back, “You don’t have to be scared of me either.”
He just continued to stare at me. “I know.”
The door started to open behind me.
The boy said, “My name’s Creighton. You can call me Eight.”
“Blake?” Mr. Nathan was in the doorway, frowning. His gaze swept behind me. “Were you talking to someone out here?”
I looked again, but he was gone.
Chapter Two
Blake
Fourteen years later
I needed to rub my eyes because I couldn’t be seeing what I was seeing.
So I did.
I looked again.
And yep. I actuallywasseeing this beautiful brownstone.
Something wasn’t computing because there was no way this was where I’d be living for my senior year at Faulkner State College. This place was amazing. This was where rich people stayed. Like, millionaires and billionaires. Not college students that were poor, very poor. Like me.
