Page 36 of Light

Light scrubs a hand over his mouth and then crouches down to fist-bump Tyler. "Damn, kid. You got skills."

Tyler laughs and bounces back toward the living room, completely oblivious to the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

I glance at Light, who is still crouched down like he is trying to catch his breath.

He looks up at me and for a moment we just stare at each other, both of us silently acknowledging everything that almost just happened.

Without saying a word, I turn back to the sink and pretend to busy myself cleaning up the invisible mess.

And Light lets me.

For now.

Ten

Light

Some men needa reason to fight.

All I need is a name.

After last night, hearing all the shit that Melissa is going through only made me more determined to figure out who is bothering her. I may not be able to do much about her financial worries but I can do something about the asshole that is harassing her.

When she told me her story, she told me the man that she took the loan from was someone named Deke. All I had was a name and the previous town where she lived. It isn't much information to go on, but it did give me someplace to start.

My eyes are beginning to sting, I've been staring at the computer for so long. I did a deep search on Deke and even though I've found a few police reports and some local news about someone named Deke, there was nothing that would tell me where he was now. For all I know, he could be halfway around the world. Still, I'm not going to give up my search.

I do need a break, though.

I push away from my desk, stand to stretch before I head to the door so I can go out to the main area.

I step out of my room, yawning, and instantly freeze.

Hook, Brick, and Pipe are huddled around the kitchen island like three vultures circling a fresh kill.

Right there, sitting innocent and beautiful in the middle of the counter, is my Tupperware of Melissa’s lasagna.

My lasagna.

I lunge forward without thinking.

"Back the fuck off!" I bark, making a beeline for it.

Hook is already reaching for it, poking at the lid with one finger like he is inspecting it for explosives.

"The hell is this, Light?" he asks, grinning wide. "Some kinda secret stash? You holdin' out on us?"

I snatch it up before he can even think about peeling the lid back, cradling it tight against my chest like it is a damn newborn.

"You touch it again, you lose a finger," I warn, narrowing my eyes at all three of them.

Pipe cackles so loud it echoes off the walls.

"Look at him! Man’s about to start singing to that Tupperware."

"It’s just lasagna," Brick says, but he is smiling that slow, dangerous smile that means trouble. "Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's a love letter baked between noodles."

"It’s good lasagna," I mutter defensively, tightening my arms around it like they might rip it from my hands at any second. "And I was just being polite, alright? Melissa made extra. Offered it. I didn't ask."

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