I sit up straighter. “Okay.”
“Can I stay with you tonight? And maybe for a little while. I don’t mean to freak you out or anything—”
“Julia.” I squeeze her shoulders. “As far as I’m concerned we should spend every night together from here on out. Not to freakyouout.”
She lets out a breath, shaking her head but smiling at the ground.
“Did something happen?” I ask.
“Yes.” She swallows and on one long breath explains. “After I left your place I went back to my house to feed Ginger. Three men were waiting for me. They had weapons. They were there to take me. I think.”
I listen as a new rage grows in me.
“Are you okay?” I search her face and body for signs of pain, interrupting her story. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I’m fine. A little shaken up but okay. They hardly touched me. And you’ve been through enough today.”
“I can’t believe it. What did the police say?”
She frowns and looks away. “I didn’t go to the police.”
“Why? Go to them now. While you can remember all the details.” I’m standing up, tugging her to her feet.
A few visitors head for the nearby elevator, laughing and carrying baby balloons. She grabs my wrist and drags me to an empty hallway around the corner.
“Trust me, I won’t forget what he looks like. It was the guy from the other day at Quickstop. He came by with two buddies.”
A numbing sensation spread through me. Another person I love was attacked by a coward and I wasn’t there to protect them.
“Perfect. So we will go now and tell them everything,” I say, starting to drag her away.
“Wait. There’s more. I defended myself.”
“You did?”
“They weren’t able to hurt me. I-I actually think I hurt him much worse than he could have ever hurt me.”
I smile. “Atta girl.”
She hesitates. “I got a little out of control.” She shakes her head with a frown. “Things just happened so fast and I felt … powerful. But then I sort of let it go to my head and I lost control.”
“That will be harder to explain.” I still try to convince her to tell someone but she’s hesitant.
“There’s something else. They wore protection, like welding masks. Like they knew about my powers.”
“Maybe the guy from the Quickstop warned them about you? From last time?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. They mentioned another guy. They mentioned that they were just supposed to take me. I can’t remember exactly. But they definitely weren’t there for themselves.”
I slump back against the wall.
“There’s no chance you …” She shakes her head. “There’s no chance Lincoln would have told anybody about me?” I can see she hates even asking.
“No,” I answer immediately. “There’s no way. I trust him completely.”
She sighs. “I do too. I trust you both. But then …” She looks up and I’m already there with her.
Julia eyes reflect the panic in my own chest.
