I point at her. “You hide. You run. Hell, if you could turn invisible, you would. Who made you think you weren’t worth being seen?”
Her eyes shine, and she swallows. “I… I don’t…” She shakes her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I need to take the trash out.”
She turns and runs out of the room.
???
Alexis
The cold air hits my face the second I push the back door open.
I suck in a sharp breath, trying to calm the tight knot in my chest. The alley behind the bar is dark, the single yellow light above the door flickering lazily.
Good.
No one here to see me like this.
I drag the trash bags toward the dumpster and lift one up, tossing it inside with more force than necessary.
Stupid. Why did I let him get that close?
Who told you to hide, Tinker?
The words echo in my head, and I clench my jaw. Why do they make my eyes burn?
I swipe angrily at my eyes. I am so not crying because of Dexter Hawthorne.
A soft sound breaks through the quiet.
“Meow.”
I freeze.
For a moment I think I imagined it.
Then it comes again.
“Meow.”
I turn slowly, scanning the alley until the sound leads me behind the dumpster. I crouch down and peer into the shadows.
A tiny gray bundle stares back at me.
Two enormous blue eyes blink up at me from a patch of old cardboard.
“Well… hello there.”
The kitten lets out another tiny, pitiful meow. My heart melts instantly.
“What are you doing out here?” I whisper, reaching out slowly so I don’t scare it.
The little thing wobbles forward, rubbing its head against my fingers like we’ve known each other forever.
Oh no.
I gently lift it up and check its neck.
No collar. No tag.
