“I saw you con a guy out of three hundred bucks in less than ten minutes. Shouldn’t you be bringing in a ton of cash?”
She tensed, the knife freezing in the air. Was she about to throw it at me? I took a step back. I hadn’t meant to insult her. After a painful pause, she continued slicing the last carrot with decisive chops. Thwack, thwack, thwack. She was probably pretending those carrots were my fingers. I stepped up behind her again, gliding my hand down her arm to still her movements.
“I’m sorry.”
She paused, but didn’t let go of the knife. “I don’t steal because I want to. It’s only out of necessity. I made that three hundred last until this morning. That’s why I had to go out again.”
“That’s like a month.”
“Yes.”
“How do you survive on that?”
“I slice!” She nudged my hand off her arm and finished cutting up the carrots. No wonder she ate so much when she had one of AJ’s dinners. It was probably the only decent thing she had in a day. No wonder she was so damn slight too.
“How do you find the energy to run?”
She shook her head. “Luckily for me, I’ve never been a big eater.” She turned to face me, popping a banana in her mouth. “Tins of tuna, bananas, raw vegetables. It’s enough.”
My brows bunched together.
“I try to have at least four or five decent meals a week if I can. Why do you think I always say yes when you invite me out for food?” Her eyebrows shot up.
“Naw.” I tipped my head. “I thought it was my charming personality and good looks that had you coming.”
She snorted a laugh. “Well, that too.”
Her blue gaze softened as she took me in. Gently stepping towards me, she ran her hands up my chest and wove them into the hair at the nape of my neck.
“I can’t believe you’re here…after everything you found out, you still stayed.”
I ran my hand up her arm. “If it was any other girl, I’d be running my ass off.” Touching her face, I ran a feather light finger over her ear. “But you’re not just any girl.”
Her gaze flickered away from me, her lips pinching into a tight line as she forced air through her nose. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t.”
“You can’t come here again, okay?” She tried to pull away from me, but I grabbed her hips before she could.
“I know where you live now. I can drop you home.”
There was no humor in her gaze when she replied, “You know I like to walk…and I’m not messing with you, Zach. I’ll stay, but you have to promise not to come here again. It’s not safe.”
“Why? Why isn’t it safe?” My insides clenched. “Is someone controlling you? Are you being forced to live here? Tell me what’s going on.”
Con artists never worked alone. That’s what Uncle Alex had said. Dani had admitted she never wanted to steal. Someone must be threatening her. It made me want to break them. Anger shot through me.
“Who’s doing this to you?”
“No one. Calm down.” She stepped away from me and crossed her arms. “I’m my own boss, okay, no one is controlling me.”
And there was the guilt again.
“I just need you, of all people, to be careful…and stop asking questions. If anyone ever found out what you know about me or if they figured out you were looking for me…it could mean trouble. That’s why I’m kind of freaking out here.”
“Why trouble? What are you not telling me?”
“I can’t— Look my parents were killed by a crooked cop and he’s still out there. If he finds me…” She shook her head, expelling a heavy sigh. “What if he found you? What if he hurt you? I can’t live with that, Zach. You have no idea how bad I want to run, how my instinct is telling me to split.” She closed her eyes, chewing her bottom lip so hard I thought it might bleed.
“Do you think that cop is still looking for you?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes were wide and jittery. “I just don’t know…but if he ever does find me, I’m dead, okay? I’m dead.”
An image of her lifeless body bleeding before me made me move towards her. Wrapping my shaking arms around her shoulders, I held her to me. She wound her arms around my back, gripping tightly, her fingers digging into my shoulders.
My insides were surging from darkness to light. Light that she was safe now and in my arms, darkness because I wanted to kill that cop that had caused her so much pain. She was living in constant fear of him finding her. I wanted to know why. I needed to unpack the story, but I knew Dani couldn’t take anymore today. We’d both been on an emotional roller coaster and I was feeling the effects of it myself.
I felt her wet tears on my shirt and rubbed my hand down her back, kissing her shoulder and reminding her that everything would be okay.
But would it?
How would they ever be okay until she got the justice she deserved? That cop needed to be brought down and nothing would give me greater pleasure than doing it.
Chapter 27
ZACH
May 2014