Page 14 of Leif

How had we gotten out of there safely? Why hadn’t the guys followed us?

I retraced my steps back inside and found the young man wasn’t on the couch anymore. Creeping toward the bedroom, I strained my ears to hear anything they might be saying.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Leif’s patient voice brought a smile to my lips for some unknown reason.

“You’re taking me under your wing?” The kid sounded stunned. “But I asked you before, and you said no—”

“Things have changed.”

I peeked in to see Leif standing in front of the window, his powerful back to me with both arms clearly crossed. The steel flex of his arms and the strong, corded muscles of his back woke up some feminine need in me, and I let out a silent sigh. He was dreamy, that was for sure.

Not that I cared. I wasn’t the kind of girl to chase after boys or be all starry-eyed over some well-muscled hunk. Even if he did make my heart beat fast and my mouth dry up.

“Was it because I told you about my parents?” The kid sounded upset, and I glanced at him. His dark hair shone in the light, and he was every bit as tense as Leif.

Leif sighed, his arms lowering to his sides as he continued to study something outside. “Partly. And partly because I trust your intuition. You knew something was wrong before we even talked. Without seeing anything that should have tipped you off. That’s important. I’d like you to watch my back, and I’ll watch yours.”

“Like partners?” The kid’s tone of voice lit up, and an undertow of excitement washed through.

Leif nodded. “Like partners. Is that agreeable? I’ll teach you everything as we go, and we’ll watch out for one another.”

It dawned on me that these two didn’t know each other well at all. But Leif had said he wound up with the kid because he stowed himself away. I’d just assumed that happened a long time ago, not freaking today.

“Agreeable? It’s freakingawesome!” His infectious excitement seemed to bring a chuckle out of Leif.

I walked in as if I hadn’t heard a thing. “Got that bag for you.”

Both guys turned around. The kid blinked at me, his gray eyes wide as he swallowed hard. Leif’s narrowed a tiny bit as if he was running back through everything he’d said, rethinking all of it.

“Thank you.” Leif nodded.

“Hello, I’m Hitch.” The kid stepped forward, offering me his hand. “We didn’t officially meet earlier because first you were passed out, then I was passed out. We’re like one of those high school parties I never got invited to.” His expression fell a bit, and I stepped in and took his hand.

“Melanie Jacobs. My friends call me Mel.” I reconsidered. “Or they would if I had any friends. My partner calls me Mel.” I smiled at him, and he gripped my hand tightly.

“Well, we’re friends now, so your friends call you Mel.” His grin lit up the whole room, and he gave Leif a significant glance before ambling toward the door. A moment later I was alone with Leif.

I walked over and gave him the bag. Part of me wished I could trust him, but what I’d just seen… how had he been shot while I didn’t have so much as a scratch on me? It just didn’t add up.

He took the bag from me, his eyes locked on mine as he swung it toward the bed. He opened it, his gaze moving to the clothing within, and I crossed my arms.

“How did you carry me when you got me out of their clutches?”

His hands went still in the bag with a dark tee shirt in his fingers. A second later, he let it go and faced me.

“What do you mean?”

“Guys?”

We both glanced over at Hitch. His eyes darted between us, and he cleared his throat. “I just checked the fridge, and there’s not much there.”

Leif reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. From it, he produced a card and offered it to Hitch, who took it with a look of hesitation. “Get whatever you want, but take the car.”

Hitch nodded. “Gotcha. So they don’t call the cops because of all the bullet holes. Smart.” He tapped the card to his temple.

“Town is a good three hours out, so call me when you get there and on your way back, okay?” Leif’s concern made something warm and fuzzy dance in my belly. I could see him trying not to show his worry while giving healthy rules to the teenager.

“Will do. I’ll call. What do you want me to get?” Hitch glanced from Leif to me and back again.

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