Irving let out a whistle. “I know Brick doesn’t have that. So why are you telling us this?”
Lilith crossed her arms, assessing the two of us carefully. “If I made a list of people Brick cared about, it would start and end with the three of us, right here. You probably know as well as I do that he’ll get himself killed before he even considers asking for help, especially with how convinced he is that he’s putting other people in danger just by spending time together. I have no idea who he is to you, and I’d be lying if I thought there was anything you could honestly do, but I couldn’t sit there at the bar keeping this to myself.”
The concern in Lilith’s voice tore me right open. I wanted to help Brick out, and a weird part of me sincerely believed we could do something, but I had no idea what that might be. And in the back of my mind, Brick’s warnings still echoed.
I thought about all the ridiculous fantasies I had invented over the years. I’d always imagined myself running around with men like Brick, getting into trouble and then having them show up and save me at the last minute, swinging fists and conquering villains. Now I actually had found a guy like him, and the tables were reversed. He needed our help, but I was left feeling as powerless as ever.
How do you save someone else, when you’re still dreaming about someone saving you?
“Do you know about the fight?” Irving asked. “Where it’s going to happen, who is organizing it, that kind of thing?”
“Just the neighborhood it’s in,” Lilith answered. “Brick has a business card in his wallet with more information, but I didn’t get a chance to write it down when he spoke to me last.”
Irving stood up a little straighter. His brow furrowed, and his lips tightened, just like when he used to come into the comic book shop and act all quiet and intense. But this time, it wasn’t pain that I saw in his eyes, or fear. It was that determination.
He looked strong, and damn if strong wasn’t a sexy look on Irving.
“Thanks for telling us,” he said. “There’s a lot to think about, but I might actually have a solution.”
