Chapter 5
I choked on nothing but air. “What?”
Colt glared at Ronan. “I was going to ease her into things.”
“We don’t have time,” he growled.
“Will someone explain what’s going on?” My voice wasn’t loud, but it still had both guys turning in my direction.
Colt shuffled his feet. “I’ve been watching you for the past few days.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. “I saw you. I thought I was losing my mind, imagining some invisible friend…” Because the truth was, the only friend I had was Briar.
Colt met my gaze, so much concern in his. “I’m sorry. I know I didn’t have any right. I just—I didn’t want to interfere in your life if you were happy.”
My focus dropped to my shoes, my cheeks heating. All I could do was stare at the place where the fabric was fraying. I’d need new shoes before winter, and that would mean taking on more shifts at the diner.
“LeeLee,” Colt said, his voice a coaxing croon. “You don’t talk to anyone. It’s like you’re a ghost. No one even acknowledges your presence.”
That hadn’t always been the case, but over the years, I’d gotten good at fading into the background. It was safer that way.
“And no one should live like this,” Ronan snapped.
The heat on my cheeks intensified. “I’m fine.”
Colt moved in closer. “You’re not. And I can help.”
“We can help,” Ronan corrected.
“Look at me, LeeLee.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my gaze to Colt’s.
His own swept over my face as if he were memorizing it. “We’ve got more than enough room. I’ve already talked to our school, and you can start whenever you want. You’d be safe.”
“And you wouldn’t have to live in a trash heap,” Ronan said under his breath.
Colt whirled on his friend. “You’re not helping.”
For the briefest second, rage flashed in Ronan’s eyes.
Somehow, I knew that it was an anger that was always there.
He simply kept it covered most of the time.
“I’m just speaking the truth.” He reached out and knocked against the outer wall.
“She doesn’t even have insulation or electricity.
Can you imagine how cold it is in the winter? ”
Colt’s jaw ground together. “Again, seriously unhelpful.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I’m not eighteen. Maryanne will never let me go.” For all the threats of kicking me to the curb, I knew my so-called mother would never let me leave and head off to some life that might be better. A life where I could dare to be happy.
A grin spread across Ronan’s face, but it had a feral quality to it. “Leave that to me.”
My eyes flared as my gaze ping-ponged between the two guys. It finally landed on Colt. “Is he serious?”
Colt shrugged, but tension still radiated through him. “Ronan has a way of bringing people around to his way of thinking.”
That might be true, but Ronan had never met my mother.
He seemed to guess my uncertainty. “Give me ten minutes, and she’ll sign the paperwork.”
Paperwork? They’d come prepared. “This is crazy.”
Ronan’s eyes narrowed. “No crazier than staying somewhere you’re clearly miserable.”
I winced. Because it was true. There was no way that going to stay with Colt and his father, a man who’d always been kind to me, would be worse than this. And if it was, I’d leave. I’d be eighteen in nine months, and I could keep a low profile until then.
Colt moved in even closer. So close I could feel the heat coming off him in waves. “Please. I need to know you’re safe.”
There was such desperation in his voice that any remaining reservations melted away. “Okay.”
Breath whooshed out of Colt, and the tension that had strung his shoulders tight eased. “Thank you.” He turned to Ronan. “Move fast.”
Ronan’s grin widened. “With pleasure.”
He disappeared into the piles of junk just as quickly as he’d appeared. Colt turned back to me. “Do you have anything that you want to bring with you?”
I glanced around the space. There wasn’t much. But I needed to take what I could in case I had to run. My gaze settled on my cat. “I can’t go without Briar.” There wasn’t anyone who would care for her without me here.
Colt studied my feline. Briar bared her teeth at him. “Okay.” He pulled out his phone and began texting. “I’ll make sure there’s all the stuff at the house that a cat would need.”
My throat tightened. “Thank you.”
Colt shoved the phone back in his pocket. “We really do need to get going, though.”
“Of course.” I hurried over to my makeshift dresser and pulled out an old duffel bag.
I began shoving the few clothing items I had in it.
They were all a bit raggedy, but if I was going to finally be free, I could use the money I made while working to buy some new things instead of my mom taking it to feed whatever habit currently held her captive.
Zipping up my bag, I dropped it on the bed. Then I bent to empty my backpack. I wouldn’t need the textbooks, but I wanted my notebooks and pens.
Colt sucked in a breath, and I froze.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I hadn’t been paying attention. Too lost in the possible taste of freedom. And my shirt had ridden up, exposing the black and blue marks along my side.
Slowly, I straightened and turned to face Colt.
His eyes were fixed on my side, as if he could still see the marks. The gold in his irises glowed like fire. “Who. Hurt. You?”