Lead Me Home (Fight for Me #3)(10)

She thought I didn’t see her.

Problem was, I could see her too well.

“You knew what you were signing up for when you moved in here.” There was no question behind it. Just an accusation.

A frustrated laugh jolted from her mouth, and from behind, she shook her head. “Sometimes there aren’t any other options, Ollie.”

She slowly turned to face me, and she lifted her chin a fraction.

Defiantly.

Proudly.

That was my girl.

Proud and way too brave and far too sweet.

A dangerously reckless combination.

“We work hard. We make do. We accept that sometimes our lives aren’t as pretty as we might like them to be. We accept that our lives don’t look the same as we once imagined they would.”

Regret tumbled through me at that.

I was the holder of so many of the dreams she’d whispered about.

Dreams she’d trusted me with.

I was the image that no longer looked the same.

“It wasn’t like I was going to continue to live with my sister once she got married and became a mom. So here I am.”

She lifted her arms out to the sides like her reasoning was going to deter me. “Home sweet home.”

She started for the kitchen that was only separated from the living room by a change from old, worn carpet to dinged-to-shit linoleum.

I surveyed the disaster again. Unease knocked at my ribs. My voice was low when I spoke. “Looks personal to me. You sure there isn’t anything you want to tell me?”

She kept walking, dipping to grab three boxes of cereal that had been pulled from the pantry and dumped onto the floor.

But I saw it.

The misstep.

The way her spine went rigid in fear.

Hiding.

She was all too quick to cover the ripple of disquiet.

Her words shifted into an overcompensating rant that rode on her breath. “Little punks need someone to teach them a lesson. I mean, seriously, how uncool. Breaking shit for the fun of it. I just never have gotten that mentality. Making life harder for someone . . . because what? They’re bored?”

She sucked in a saddened breath. “And my grandma’s stuff . . . she’s gonna be so heartbroken that I don’t have it. It’s hard enough that she’s fallen sick. People don’t even realize the things they do really hurt. Or maybe that’s exactly what they want.”

There was an undertone to all of it as she tossed the boxes back onto the shelf. Like she was processing.

Like she knew exactly who’d done this.

“Do you have a bat?” she asked, whirling around to face me.

Her expression had turned eager.

Actually fuckin’ serious as she looked back at me like she just stumbled on the solution to all the world’s problems.

Or at least hers.

Unreal.

She had to be insane.

Or driving me there.

“You’re coming home with me.” The words were out before I could stop them.

Yeah, it was a bad idea.

But there was no chance in hell I was gonna leave her by herself. Not with the lock on the door broken.

Like a lock made a difference anyway.

“What?” Her brows lifted so high they disappeared beneath the long, wispy bangs that framed her face.

Her goddamned striking face.

Eyes wide and sincere and true. Color that shouldn’t be possible.

High, carved cheeks. Smooth, olive skin. Plump, pink-tinted lips.

That smattering of brown freckles that crested the bridge of her nose and dusted beneath her eyes made her appear so damned young and innocent.

But it was that body that bristled with an undercurrent of energy and fire that sent streaks of light radiating from her like the breaking day.

Couldn’t stand the thought of her energy fading away. This crazy energy that emanated from her skin like the glow of neon colors.

Couldn’t stand the thought of someone touching it.

Snuffing it out.

Dimming that light until it was cast into darkness.

“I said you’re coming home with me. You can’t stay here by yourself.”

Her mouth dropped open in offense, and she propped her hands on her narrow waist, trying to come off as valiant and strong when I saw the panic quiver through her veins.

Yeah.

I was fucking panicked, too.

“Excuse me, but I’m not sure when you decided you got to make decisions for me.”

“When some asshole busted in your door, that’s when.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to your place.”

“No?”

“Nope.”

I dug out my cell phone. “Fine, I’ll call Lillith, and I’ll drop you off there.”

Horror crested those pink lips. “Don’t you dare, Oliver Preston. It’s almost midnight. You’re going to freak her out. This is Lily we’re talking about, and you know the last thing I need is for her to get all worried over me. She’ll have Brody trying to build me my own sky-rise apartment or something.”

Sounded like a good plan. I knew there was a reason I liked the guy.

“Rex and Rynna, then. Or maybe your sister Sammie. I’m sure she has a cozy couch.”

So what if I was goading her.

“Are you crazy? And wake up their kids?” she screeched as she pointed at me. “And don’t you dare say Hope and Kale. Chances are, we’d catch those two right in the middle of something they don’t want us to interrupt. They can’t keep their hands off each other. I think that was one of my best matches to date.”