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“Hey,” I said,pushing my hair out of my face, and peering up at Daniel standing in his open doorway wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. “I needed to talk with you in private. Is it okay that I just stopped by?”
Daniel’s surprised expression blossomed into a smile, and he grabbed me in a hug, kissing my cheek and squeezing me tight. “You’re here. Back to your old magical ways, huh?”
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking about you all day. It’s like you knew how much I wanted to see you, and—poof!—you appeared. Just like you used to over the summer.”
I wished it were as simple as that, but rather than spoil his mood immediately, I let Daniel hold me, kiss me, and stroke my hair, because after only three days apart, I wanted it just as much as he did.
“Come in,” he said, releasing me and looking up at the dark clouds crowding the evening sky before closing the door behind us. “There’s a storm coming. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to drive home tonight if it gets as bad as they’re predicting.” His eyes lit up. “But that’s not a bad thing, is it?”
“Not a bad thing at all,” I said, but I must have sounded impatient or stressed, because Daniel’s eyes grew worried.
“What’s wrong?” He tugged me close again, peering down at me.
“It’s a long story,” I said, putting my head against his shoulder and listening to his heart. So soothing and calm. “Can we go somewhere comfortable? I’m tired. It’s been areallylong day.”
“Of course.”
He led me into the kitchen where he grabbed snacks and drinks, and then he took me downstairs to the living area and rec room. I hadn’t been down there yet, and I took in the big projector TV, as well as the foosball and pool tables. Just as Kennedy had told me when I first met her. These marks of luxury and wealth now all had signs on them marked, “Best Offer—Estate Sale”—though the sign on the TV was off to the side so that Daniel could still watch it.
The couch, a sectional, was free of any such announcements. Daniel pulled me onto it, getting settled in with the snacks and drinks on the coffee table, and then he looked at me. “You’re so far away,” he complained, scooting closer.
I smiled, leaning in to kiss his mouth once before saying, “I really do have to talk with you. It’s important.”
Daniel frowned but didn’t tease me anymore about how far away I was, nor did he try to kiss me again. “All right. Just tell me. It’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”
I wanted that to be true, but this wasn’t something I had any control over. “I think Minty’s in trouble.”
Daniel’s eyelids fluttered and he closed them for a moment, gathering himself. “What’s he done?”
“An asshole named Kyle.”
“What?”
“That’s who and what he’s doing. And it’s bad.”
“Fuck,” Daniel breathed. He paused a moment, thinking. “Big guy? Treats him rough?”
“You know him?”
Daniel shook his head. “No, but that’s the kind of guy Minty hurts himself with.”
I blinked. “He’s done this sort of thing before?”
“Yeah.” Daniel wiped a hand over his face. “He got hurt pretty badly near the end with the last one. It escalated to a broken arm.”
“I thought he could protect himself? He told me not to worry because he knows—”
“Yeah, I know, and he does. He can protect himself pretty wellif he wants to…” Daniel shook his head. “He doesn’t want to.”
“So you’re saying last time he decided to ‘hurt himself,’ he let some guy break his arm?”
“Basically, yeah.” Daniel groaned and sat up straighter. I could see him pulling himself together, getting into hero mode. “So how bad is it now?”
“I don’t know!” I felt frantic, my stomach twisting and my heart aching. “But we need to help him.”
