Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(17)

She blinked at him in surprise, and Meat wondered if anyone had ever looked out for her before. Worried about her. He guessed probably not—and that made him both sad and pissed off.

She slowly sat as Meat peered into the plastic bag. His eyes widened as he pulled out the first item. It was a black T-shirt, new, with the tags still on it. Next was a pair of jeans, again with the tags still on them. She’d also gotten him brand-new socks and a pair of slightly worn, but not tattered, sneakers. The size on the jeans was about right, and the shoes would be a little big, but he could stuff newspaper or something in the toe to help that.

At the bottom of the bag was a can of soda, an apple, something wrapped in wax paper, and another candy bar.

He looked up at her in surprise. “Where’d you get all this?”

Zara shrugged again.

He wasn’t going to let it go. “Seriously, the clothes are brand-new. You said you didn’t have any money, so how’d you get them?”

“I went to Miraflores, the tourist area, and begged,” she said with a tilt of her chin, as if daring him to judge her for it.

Meat was floored. He couldn’t think of anything to say, and apparently she took his silence for disapproval.

“The tourists are more likely to give money to a homeless boy than anyone around here. Besides, no one in this area has any money to spare. I had to guess on your sizes. I hope they fit. I didn’t think you’d want to be walking around in your underthings when you leave. And you have to have shoes.” She shrugged again. “I bought the hamburger with the last of the money I got, and I stole the other food.” She stared at him defiantly.

“Stole it?” Meat asked, hating the thought of her putting herself in a position where she might’ve gotten caught. But surprisingly, he wasn’t put off by it for any other reason. Of course stealing was wrong, but he’d seen enough of how people lived here in the last few days. He’d be a hypocrite if he got all judgmental on her, then accepted her gifts. Especially when she was going out of her way to help him.

“Yeah. I’m good at it. I wouldn’t have gotten caught, if that’s what you’re thinking. The tourist shops are always crowded and busy. It’s easier than taking stuff from a local store around here. Pickpocketing would have been even easier, but by the time I’d begged enough money to buy the clothes, it was getting dark, and most of the tourists had already locked themselves behind their hotel doors.”

Meat’s head was spinning. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been so surprised by someone. He was jaded, had seen just about everything humanity had to offer, but right now, he couldn’t do more than stare at the slip of a woman in front of him.

She started to stand up and said, “Sorry it took so long. I know you’ve got to be hungry.”

Meat’s hand shot out and closed gently around her biceps before she could get up. “Stay,” he said, in a tone much gruffer than he’d intended.

She looked at him a little fearfully.

“I’ve been alone with my thoughts all day. I could use someone to talk to,” he pleaded.

After a moment of indecision, she settled back on the floor next to him with her legs crossed.

“You must be tired after being on your feet all day,” he said.

She shrugged.

“Did you get something for yourself to eat?”

She shook her head.

Now Meat wanted to lecture her. Tell her that she had to take better care of herself, but he knew he’d be out of line. She’d clearly done an amazing job of taking care of herself in this harsh environment already, and she didn’t need him preaching.

He opened the candy bar and tore it in half before holding it out to her.

She looked from the candy to his face, then back to the candy, but she didn’t reach for it.

“Go on,” he urged. “The least I can do is share the meal you worked so hard to get.”

“It wasn’t hard,” she protested, still staring at the chocolate but not lifting a hand. “Lots of people feel sorry for me when I beg, and I’m actually quite good at stealing.”

He didn’t doubt her. And if she was trying to put him off, it wasn’t working. All she was doing was making him more impressed by her resilience. He waved the chocolate back and forth. “Please? Share with me?”

Licking her lips, Zara finally reached for the candy. They ate in silence, and Meat knew he’d never forget how amazingly good that chocolate tasted. He opened the hamburger, and even though he had brief second thoughts about eating it cold for sanitary reasons, he also tore it in half, and once again handed a portion to Zara. This time she only stared at the food for a heartbeat before reaching for it.

Their fingers brushed . . . and Meat swore he could feel that touch long after they’d finished the hamburger.

They shared the apple as well, and after he’d taken a long sip of the warm soda, he held out the can to her. She shook her head.

“Why not?” Meat asked.

“It’s full of sugar,” Zara responded.

Meat couldn’t help it; he chuckled. Then he was laughing so hard he had to put a hand over his ribs to try to control the pain the laughter was causing. But he couldn’t stop.

Luckily, Zara’s lips were pulled up into a grin. She might not know what he was laughing at, but at least she hadn’t bolted from the room.