Page 33 of No More Secrets

She turns back to Lucas before she registers that she’s changed her mind. She doesn’t know where she’ll go or what she’ll do, but she wants to leave. Lucas, though, is staring intently out the door. Across the street, a car is parked alongside the road. “What is it?” she asks, the fierce expression on his face making her more uneasy than she already is. She splits her gaze between him and the car.

“Nothing.” Lucas shuts and bolts the door, and she feels the blood rush from her head. His response doesn’t reassure her one bit. Something about that car bothers him. Not only that, now she’s trapped. He holds up his hands. “It’s okay.”

“That car... Who—?”

“Not sure, but right now I’m worried about you.”

“I’m f-fine.”

He cocks his head. “No, you’re not.”

“B-B-Bob...?” Her teeth chatter. She can’t talk she’s shaking so badly.

“They didn’t follow us here. I checked. They won’t hurt you anymore.” He starts to close the blinds, and she whimpers.

He abruptly lets go of the curtain. “Everything’s cool. I can keep them open if you want.” She gives him a blank stare, unsure now what she wants. The curtains will keep her hidden from Bob and Barton in case they did follow them, but she’d be hidden from anyone who could help if Lucas tries anything. She doesn’t know him. He could be lying to her like every other man she’s met.

“Ivy lives next door,” he says, cautiously, slowly, and on some level she understands he’s doing it for her benefit. He doesn’t want to scare her. “She owns the building. If you’re more comfortable with a woman, I can ask if you can stay with her.”

She shakes her head. The more people who know she’s homeless, the more likely she’ll be reported to the police.

Her teeth chatter uncontrollably. He can close the blinds. Do whatever he wants. She can’t decide. But she does need to get a grip. She’s about to have a breakdown. She hasn’t stopped shaking since Lucas found her.

Violent tremors rack her body. She can still feel their hands on her, smell their rank breath. Fortunate for her, they were wasted, and she could move twice as fast. She had the element of surprise on her side. Bob could barely keep a grasp on her ankles. She wriggled one free and nailed him in the balls, making him howl. He dropped her other leg, throwing Barton off balance with her weight. Shiloh got her footing and shot to her feet, slamming her head into Barton’s jaw. He bit into his tongue. His shout was guttural, deadly. And she feared what he’d do in retaliation.

He tried to grab her when she wrenched free but pulled off her backpack instead. Without thinking, she punched him in the mouth. He squealed in pain, eyes rolling back in his head, and dropped her backpack. She grabbed it, swung at Bob, knocking him over, then took off like the hounds of hell were on her heels. She’s never run so fast in her life.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Her head whips in his direction. “What?”

“I’m not a fan of the police, but why run away and not tell them about your mom’s boyfriend?”

“He threatened to hurt my mom if I did.” Ellis was livid when Shiloh told Harmony about him. He smacked her mom around until he convinced her that Shiloh had been lying about him. She wanted her mom to go to the police, but she refused. She insisted they wouldn’t be of help, and that Shiloh should be ashamed of herself for lying. Ellis is the most reliable man she’s met. She loves him. How dare Shiloh try to destroy what they have.

Shiloh wants to believe it was the drugs talking. Her mom was high at the time. But her words didn’t hurt any less. They only made her feel rejected and betrayed. Alone.

“Men like him don’t deserve to breathe the same air we do,” he says with deadly calm.

Shiloh rubs her arms. She can’t get warm. Her skin feels like ice.

“I’m going to repeat what I said out there.” Lucas speaks slowly, cautiously. “I won’t hurt you. I want to help. It’s not safe on the streets, but you can leave anytime. It’s entirely up to you. I’m not forcing you to stay.”

She stares at him, and he starts to walk away. “Why?”

He turns back. “Why what?”

“Why are you helping me?”

He looks at the keys in his hands. “You remind me of someone.” Tossing the keys and his wallet on the counter, he goes to the freezer and grabs a pack of peas and a bag of corn. He gives her the peas and slaps the corn against his temple.

She stares at the frozen bag of vegetables in her hand. “What’s this for?”

“We have matching shiners.”

“Oh.” She gingerly touches her eye, becoming aware of how tender it is. Barton had cuffed her good when she wouldn’t shut up.

Lucas settles on the tweed couch, knees spread. He plants an elbow on his thigh, holding the bag against his face, and watches her, followingher gaze as she scopes out his apartment. The old flatscreen. The mess in the kitchen. The stained carpeting. His laptop on the coffee table.

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