Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(62)

I smiled, but it hurt. “Yeah, that doesn’t work for me either.”

I tried to memorize the way it felt to be pressed against him, the warmth of his skin, the pressure in his embrace. It would have to live in my memory now.

A noise in the doorway drew our attention to Jez. She stood there looking apologetic. “Sorry to interrupt, but Brinley is here. He wants to talk to you, Lex.”

“Sure, we’ll be right out. Don’t let him come in here.” Pulling away from Kale was hard. I wiped a hand over my face to ensure there was no blood staining it. Then I followed Jez outside before I could change my mind.

Stepping out of the house let me leave the broken part of me back inside. My stride was steady and determined. Brinley Kane stood beside the Jeep with Jez. Allie was safely inside the warm vehicle.

“Thank you for getting her out of there.” Brinley stuck out his hand, grasping mine before I could extend it. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to know that she’s safe.”

He looked frazzled. Dark circles beneath his eyes and his disheveled, dark hair indicated that he hadn’t been sleeping much. The concern he felt for the kids he worked with was evident. This was the real deal for him. His calling. It was inspiring to see someone so invested in what they did, like it really affected his very soul.

“So what happens with her now?” I asked. My gaze strayed to the Jeep where Allie sat staring out the window in the other direction.

“I’ll take her to a youth shelter that can spare her a bed for a few days,” Brinley said. “It’s not much, but it’s a start. It’ll give her a chance to think about her options.”

From a pimp’s house to a shelter. It didn’t seem fair. How did anyone let their kid end up this way? Not that I was judging, just genuinely wondering what led to this point.

“How high are the chances that she’ll end up with some other dirtbag?” I saw no reason to sugar coat it. Leaving a hard life was tough. Sometimes there was safety in staying simply because it meant not having to brave change.

The light in Brinley’s dark eyes dimmed. “Unfortunately, chances of that are high. But I’m going to do all I can to steer her away from that. I’d like to get her back into school, but I can’t force anything.”

“If there’s anything else we can do, don’t hesitate to ask.” Jez laid a friendly hand on Brinley’s arm. “I mean it.”

Brinley smiled his gratitude before glancing toward the house where Kale was just emerging. “So, what happened? Is Ben…? Do I even want to know?”

I shook my head, meeting Brinley’s gaze. “No, you don’t want to know. Are there a lot like him?”

A tragic sort of expression flitted across his face. “More than you think. But the worst part is the johns. There is only supply because there is demand. The johns, however, they’re a lot harder to deal with.”

Jez and I exchanged a look. “I’m pretty sure we could deal with some of them,” she said. “If there’s anyone in particular, get us as much info as you can, and we’ll take it from there.”

Brinley shook his head in disbelief. A mirthless bark of laughter broke the quiet. “I can’t even believe I’m doing this. Working with a vampire and a…” he trailed off, eyeing up Jez.

“Shapeshifter,” she supplied, grinning when his jaw dropped in surprise. “Leopard to be precise. Although to be fair, Lex is a shifter too. She’s just one of those lucky hybrid types.”

I frowned, wondering if Jez was conveniently forgetting that she too was a hybrid. I was really not looking forward to the talk we needed to have.

“Well, thank you. Both of you.” Brinley nodded toward Kale who stood back by the house. “And your friend. I’m grateful for your help. But I should get Allie to the shelter. They’re expecting her.”

I opened the door of the Jeep where Allie was sitting and smiled. “Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?”

Staring at me in total silence, she shrugged, expressionless. I reached into the glove box and fished around for a pen. Then using a receipt Jez had crumpled in her cup holder, I scribbled my number on the back of it.

“Here.” I pressed it into Allie’s hand. “If anyone ever hurts you again or you’re in any kind of trouble at all, call me. I’ll come.”

Without so much as a nod, she accepted the paper, tucking it into a pocket. Then I stepped back to let her get out, and she joined Brinley on the sidewalk, standing close. Though she barely made eye contact with anyone, it was clear that she trusted him. That made me trust him too.

“Keep in touch,” I told Brinley as he waved and began to walk away. “I’d be more than happy to help you out again.”

“Thank you. I will definitely take you up on that. You have no idea how grateful I am.”

Jez and I watched him go. He led Allie down the block to a grey SUV.

“Next time,” Jez said. “I get to help kill the disgusting f*cks that hurt kids.”

Next time Kale wouldn’t be here to help. It would be just the two of us.

“I hate that there has to be a next time,” I mused, running my tongue over a fang. “But I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

Chapter Seventeen

The drive back to The Wicked Kiss was spent listening to Jez bitch about being left out of the fun. She kept the chatter going by ranting about the sick f*cks in that house and how much she wished she’d been able to make them suffer.