Page 34 of Bazooka
“The apartment is empty and you’re safe,” I said, which was most important for him to know. “Look around and see if anything’s missing, then pack for a few days.”
As he did what I said, I inspected the place. It wasn’t ransacked or anything; in fact, everything seemed to be in place, which was odd. It didn’t look like a burglary, and I liked the other possibilities even less.
When Luz appeared with a backpack slung over his shoulder, I took in his stricken face and eyes widened in fear.
“Let’s go home,” I said with a weary sigh. “We’ll talk about this later.”
On our way back, Luz was silent as a tomb, while I called Jordan. I told him to send the team to Luz’s apartment so theycould collect evidence, if there was any. Only when we came to my apartment and Luz plopped down on the sofa did he speak.
“Who the fuck was that?”
“That’s what I wanted to ask you,” I said, sitting down beside him. “Is it possible that those rugby guys found out where you live?”
Luz made a face. “Unlikely. They don’t know who I am or where I live. Maybe it was a burglar?”
With everything that had happened to him lately, it was too big a coincidence.
“Do you even have something worth stealing?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Not really. My Pokémon card collection, maybe.”
I suppressed a smile. “How about money?”
“I have it, but not at home.”
I looked at him, only to see him burying his face in his hands, looking fucking broken. Like a shell without a pearl in it. Like a balloon without air in it. And I couldn’t bear to see him like this. I witnessed my fair share of bloody crime scenes and brain-splattered walls, but to see him broken was somehow worse.
“Hey,” I said, touching his arm. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I don’t think so,” Luz said, sniffling. “My life is a fucking mess.”
“No, it’s not. It just seems that way because you have been through a lot.”
He shook his head but said nothing.
“Hey,” I said, sterner this time. “What did I say?”
“You said I’m a pest,” he muttered.
I frowned in confusion. “What?”
“In the morning. You told Patricia that I’m a pest.”
I grinned. “Or a stray kitten. And kittens are cute.”
Instead of a reply, he turned toward me and rested his head on my chest. Or rather, he slammed his head into it, as if he'dmisinterpreted the distance between us. At first, I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t been hugged by another human being since I lost my parents as a six-year-old. Was it even a hug? His head on my chest was the only point of contact. A part of his body was touching mine, but was it enough?
I cleared my throat, and, after a few moments, I raised my arm and flung it over his shoulder. It felt weird. A little uncomfortable even, but my arm kind of fitted there, so I left it there.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said, as Luz snuggled against me as if I were a cushion. “Tomorrow is a new day.”
“You think?” he said, burying his face in my neck.
What the hell was I supposed to say but lie?
“I know. It will be just fine.”
Chapter 5
