Page 46 of Under Fire

“Time flies, Alisa.”

“Indeed.”

She folded the bill, stuffing it in the envelope, hiding it away. There were things she didn’t want anyone to see.

Watching him cross his arms, Alisa didn’t miss one fact. Dean was not the boy she’d grown up with anymore. A handful of years in the Marines, he had grown up quick. His recent tour in Iraq had made him a man.

“Sorry about your mom,” Dean said, flat-toned. “She was a nice lady.”

She dropped her gaze, wishing only to count every tiny pebble at the bottom of the stairs and to get away from his pitying gaze.

“Happened fast, didn’t it?” he continued.

Alisa nodded, biting her lip.

“Need any help?” he asked.

She shook her head, the bill burning beside her. She damn well needed help, that was for sure. She was losing the house and was being hounded for everything else they owed. Cancer had cost more than just her mother’s life. It was costing her own, too.

“Alisa,” Dean pressed, “look at me. You’re not fooling anyone.”

She flickered her gaze up, still silent. His face held stern, unapologetic. She knew him well enough to know he had an agenda. He’d always been like that.

He carried on, “I know what’s happening here. I know you need money. You need help.”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard—” she started, but he cut back in, his gaze trailing up and down her perched form.

“Don’t bullshit me. We both know.” His arms dropped from his chest, and he reached inside his jacket.

That was when she caught the wording of the badge on the breast.Deadeye MC.

“Is that some sort of bike gang?” she probed, peaking her eyebrow, desperate to change the topic.

Pulling out his phone, he chuckled. “Ah—just a little thing me and the guys put together in Iraq. It’s nothing.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, questioning. What was he up to?

He pointed at her with his phone. “Do you have anywhere to go at the end of the month? I can put you up somewhere.”

She found herself folding her arms protectively. “I’m fine.”

“Where are you going to go?”

She tightened her arms around her ribs, holding on for dear life. The truth was…she didn’t know.

A pause found them, which he seemed to savor as he drank her in. Nearly curled up in front of him, he apparently sensed her vulnerability. He was practically salivating.

A sly grin crossed his lips. “You don’t have a plan, do you?”

Her eyes grew hot. He wasn’t wrong. And she was close to being screwed.

“Look… Everything has just happened so fast,” she pleaded for her self-respect. “I haven’t had time to even think.”

Not even about how she’d just been accepted to med school. The school sure as hell wasn’t going to pay for her to attend, and getting a loan was nothing more than a pipe dream with her credit.

Dean licked his lips, focusing on her, like she was the last unicorn on earth. He knew something.

“Alisa, you don’t have to do this alone. You need help.”

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