Page 77 of My Turn

“I don’t really know you,” she mumbled, turning to look out the back window.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a Hershey’s kiss. It made me feel like a creep, but I didn’t have a van, nor did I have gross intentions. She eyed it for a moment, then reached for it. I pulled it back and tutted at her.

“Lesson number one: don’t take candy from strangers. I’d be very upset if something bad happened to you and I’d have to resort to vigilante justice.”

Her face fell. With a small shake of my head and a laugh, I took her hand, dropping the chocolate into it.

“Lesson number two, you can trust me.”

“But you’re a stranger.”

“No, I’m not. Right now, though, I guess you could say I have a secret identity. I’ll tell you why someday, but it isn’t time yet.”

“Then, how am I supposed to know that I can trust you?”

I glanced up at the window to make sure nobody was there. Leaning close to her, I dropped my voice. “Because I knew your dad more than anyone and I’m the one he trusted to watch out for you when he was gone.”

She gasped. “You knew my dad?”

“Sure did. One day, I’ll tell you all about him. Embarrassing stories, his favorite foods, what he was like at your age.”

“Can you tell me one now?”

I hummed thoughtfully, looking at the window again. “His favorite thing to eat was a heaping pile of nachos with everything on them. Cheese, onions, lettuce, olives, tomato, guacamole, the works. If you went out to dinner with him and the place had nachos, he would get them without fail.”

“I like nachos.”

“I don’t think we’d be friends if you didn’t.”

She smiled widely, revealing two dimples. Gah, my heart. I was supposed to keep my distance, but I was getting attached to the kid already.

Maybe if I killed Mike…

No, bad idea. It was too easy to be implicated in that.

“I gotta go,” I told her as I got up from my crouch.

“But you’re supposed to keep me safe.”

“I’ll be watching, kid. You be good. Except with your dad. Be a little tyrant for him, okay?”

She laughed before she went back to her game. I closed the door softly and hurried around the back of the building. Using the downstairs unit’s patio railing, I hoisted myself up high enough to grab the bottom of Alana’s balcony. From there, it was just a matter of reaching the next wrung, then the top of the balustrade. After I pulled myself over the side, I dropped lightly onto the concrete.

Alana and Mike were in the kitchen and it looked like they were talking. She had her elbows resting on the island while he leaned his hands on it. They were separated by that barrier, but it was still too close for my liking. She wasn’t even supposed to see him anymore. I’d made that very clear.

Maybe she was selling me out. It didn’t seem like something she would do, but she’d never really been mad at me before.Even though they were different, Ben was her brother. I was sure she could channel some of his controlled craziness if she needed to.

She laughed at something he said, which made me step closer to the window. Her eyes found me and her mouth fell open. When I cocked my head, she blinked rapidly and returned her attention to her guest.

She knew she was in trouble. Maybe she should’ve thought about that before letting him into her apartment.

I grabbed onto the roof and pulled myself up so that Mike wouldn’t see me, then I waited.

The front door opened and voices followed. I wondered how vocal cords worked. It wasn’t something I’d looked into before, but I might need to so that I could remove his larynx. The world didn’t need to hear his voice anymore and neither did Alana.

“Thanks again,” he said.

“It’s nothing. Really. I’ll see you Monday.” She spoke quickly and when he tried to say something else, she muttered something I couldn’t understand before she closed the door. A minute later, the slider opened.

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