“Kill babies.”
His jaw grinds tight and there are several footsteps where we’re silent. “I don’t think so,” he finally says, “but you never really know sometimes. Things happen fast, or the intel says a building is clear, and then you find out it’s not.” He shrugs. “You can let that shit eat you alive, or you can tell yourself you did the best you could and move on.”
I stop on the corner to wait for the only traffic signal in this shitty town to tell me it’s safe to cross, even though there’s not a car in sight, and turn to look at him. “Which have you done?”
He looks at me for several beats of my speeding heart, then steps into the street without waiting for the light. “You see that guy anywhere near you, I want you to call me.” He pulls his phone from his pocket. “What’s your number?”
I rattle it off with a shake in my voice and he types it into his phone. The next second, mine is ringing.
“Save that number in your contacts,” he says. “Better yet, speed dial. You even think you catch a glimpse of him, I want to hear about it.”
“I don’t think he’s really dangerous.”
His feet slow as he looks at me all protective. “Nothing is beyond a guy who’ll do something like that to get a girl to hook up with him.”
“Okay,” I say, typing SOS into the name spot on contacts. I don’t want Destiny to see his number and think I have a reason to want it.
We reach the gun shop and our door just beyond. “Thanks,” I say, digging in my bag for the key.
He looks around, his brow creasing. “This is it?”
“Home sweet home,” I say, unlocking the door.
He still looks unsure as the door creaks open. “This isn’t the greatest area.”
“But it’s the cheapest.”
“My complex is pretty cheap,” he says.
I step through and turn to face him. “Three seventy-five cheap?”
He shakes his head then looks over the door lock. “The landlord should replace this entire door and frame. There’s dry rot. Anyone could just kick this in.”
I shrug. “You get what you pay for.”
He scowls at the deadbolt a moment longer then swings the door most of the way closed. “Lock up.”
I flick him a sharp salute. “Yes, sir.”
He raises an eyebrow and those dark eyes drill through me. I think he’s going to yell at me about disrespecting the uniform or something. Instead, he says, “And don’t forget it,” then closes the door. I twist the deadbolt and a second later, the knob rattles and the door shakes. “Tell him to replace this door,” he calls through it.
“Yes, sir,” I repeat.
“Good night, Lilah,” he says, then I hear the fall of heavy boots on the sidewalk.
I press my hand against the door, listen until his footfalls fade out, and climb the stairs to the apartment.
Destiny’s in the kitchen, mounding spoonfuls of chocolate chip cookie dough onto a baking sheet.
“My birthday’s not until January,” I say, dumping my tips on the table.
“They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Bran. My stomach cramps as I drop into the seat and start sorting bills.
She turns and nods at the money. “How’d you do?”
I think about telling her what happened with the stalker, and that Bran walked me home, but decide she’ll only panic and tell me I can’t go back. “I got there a little late, so not as good as last weekend.”
She rinses her hands and brings a plate of cookies to the table, slipping into the chair across from me. “Still looks like a pretty decent haul.”
“I guess so.” I watch my hands stack the cash into a single pile. “A redhead was hitting on Bran when I was leaving the bar.”
She sighs heavily and reaches for a cookie. “Doesn’t surprise me.”
“You’re not jealous?” I ask, lifting my eyes to her now that I think my face won’t betray my own jealousy.
She nibbles at the edges, obviously uncomfortable with the thought. “We’re in the ‘I’m giving him space’ phase of our relationship.”
“What does that even mean?” I ask, grabbing a cookie off the plate.
“It means Bran thinks he doesn’t do relationships, so if I push him, he’s going to push back. But I can see the truth in his eyes. The string of women is getting old. Before too much longer, he’s going to realize he wants more, and I’m going to be the one who gives it to him.”