Page 27 of Sir Avery's Wish
Eli squirmed in his chair. “I don’t think so. Lenny hasn’t gone back ever since…” Eli dropped his head in his hands. “I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
Avery tilted his head. “Are you talking about Kiss of Leather? Did something bad happen to you both there?”
Eli’s head snapped up. “No! That place is awesome. We went there together that night and were thinking about joining.”
“So, you’re from LA?”
Eli finally met his gaze and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never lived anywhere else. Lenny’s my best friend. We went to high school together.”
“I see.” Avery ran a jumble of questions through his mind, each one competing for priority. “How old are you?”
For all he knew, Eli was just out of high school and should return to his family, if he had one.. The thought was gut-wrenching, but it might be in Eli’s best interest.
“Twenty-five. I’ve been living on my own for a while, worked in a laundry there.” He gave a small shrug. “I couldn’t…” Eli heaved a sigh. “I didn’t know what to do after high school, and I couldn’t decide on anything. I went to a community college in the Valley—that’s where I’m really from—but every semester I’d change my mind about what to study. I finally gave up.”
Avery noted that Eli’s demeanor had changed as he spoke about typical life challenges. Instead of being frightened, he was frustrated. Maybe now he’d be able to discuss the real problem.
“What made you choose Boston? It’s a tough city to be homeless in.”
Eli snorted. “Yeah, no kidding. When I bailed on you and was freezing my…er…behind off in the park, I was thinking the same thing.” He tucked curls behind both ears, a few of them springing free in defiance. “It was a panic decision. Combination of getting as far away from LA as possible and what city do I at least know a little something about.” He shrugged again. I usedto visit my grandparents here every summer, but they’re gone now.”
Avery nodded. “That makes sense.” He adjusted his position in the chair, readying himself to dig deeper into Eli’s situation. Eli seemed ready to finally unburden himself. “Tell me about Kiss of Leather. I’m not sure how it fits into whatever happened to make you run from your home.”
Eli groaned. “I think somewhere deep inside, I’ve always known I couldn’t hide forever.” He sucked in a deep breath, then locked eyes with Avery. “The night Lenny and I went to Kiss of Leather was incredible. But after we left, I drove Lenny back to his place in the Valley, and we witnessed a murder.”
Avery swallowed hard, fighting to keep his composure. He’d imagined several scenarios that could have caused Eli to run. He’d been certain that it was due to abuse of some sort. But this? Never.
“Tell me what happened.” Avery’s voice was steadier than he felt.
Eli twisted his fingers around the water bottle, the plastic crinkling under his grip. “We were sitting in my car, just talking. It was late, maybe one in the morning. Out of nowhere, this SUV pulls up behind us on the street, and a woman tumbles out of the truck, then runs past us. Next thing I know, this guy shoots her. Right next to me, right freakin’nextto me.”
Eli’s breathing accelerated, and it seemed as if he was having trouble catching his breath. Avery couldn’t stand to see him so upset. He leaned toward him, opening his arms in a silent invitation. Eli shot across the short distance between them, falling into Avery’s embrace, and throwing his arms around Avery’s neck.
Eli broke into sobs, his face pressed against the crook of Avery’s shoulder, his body shaking as he cried uncontrollably. Avery rocked him as he rubbed his back in slow circles. He didn’tshush Eli. What Eli needed was to express his emotions freely. He’d been suffering for too long by holding everything in.
After a few minutes, Eli’s crying began to slow until he was taking in the occasional shuddering breath or sniffing. Avery reached over Eli to snatch a few tissues from the box.
“Here you go, sweetheart.”
Eli accepted them, wiping his face and nose. “I’m messing up your nice outfit.
Avery encouraged him to rest against his shoulder, laying a hand on the side of Eli’s head while continuing to embrace him with the other. The weight of Eli against his chest felt right, as if they were meant to find each other. The surge of protectiveness that had been coursing through his veins all evening came back with a vengeance.
“I know this is hard,” Avery murmured. “But you’re safe here with me. Take your time.”
Eli shifted in his arms, wiping his face again with the crumpled tissue. “The killer saw us. He pointed his gun at my car, but we ducked down. I heard more shots, he was trying to hit us through the windshield, but he missed.” His voice quavered. “I jetted out of there, but he chased after us until I managed to lose him.” Eli’s bottom lip trembled. “I was terrified he’d gotten my license plate, would find out where I lived. I had to get away.”
Avery swallowed past the lump in his throat, battling his own terror over what Eli must have gone through, the horrible realization that Eli could’ve been killed.
“You feared the killer would come after you.”
Eli nodded. “Or my family. If I stayed in town, I couldn’t avoid them forever. They’d come to my apartment if I tried to stay away.” He winced. “Poor Lenny. He’s been staying with a friend. He’s too scared to go back to his apartment where the murder happened.”
“Understandable.” Avery’s mind conjured up various ways Eli and his friend could free themselves from their predicament. “And you didn’t want to go to the police?”
Eli tensed. “Noway. They’d want us to identify suspects or whatever. What if they caught the guy and we had to testify?” He bit down on his lower lip. “Are you going to tell?”
Avery continued to stroke Eli’s back. “It’s not my secret to tell. But I do want you to consider that there’s still a killer back in LA who might hurt someone else if you don’t speak with the authorities.”
