“Really?” Cassie questioned, perking up a little.
Her curiosity seemed to almost startle her. She quickly snapped her mouth shut and shifted a little closer to Leon.
“A lot of us in town have been through hell,” I said simply. “I’ve channeled my time and energy into this place.” I gesturedaround. “If you’re interested, I teach self-defense classes. For those who aren’t ready for a full class, I’m willing to do sessions. If you want to start building your muscles and learning how to fight back, I’m here for you.”
“I’m interested,” Leon said, almost too quickly. Then he quickly wilted before my eyes. It was like everything they said seemed to shock them. That would fade with time. It always did.
We’d all come into this town like them. Terrified and looking over our shoulders.
Hell, I was only just starting to settle until the nightmares flared up again, and then I felt like I started right back over.
“I’ll be ready to start when you are, but it won’t be easy,” I warned them. “We’ll work on building your muscles first, and then go from there.”
“Can we start now?” Leon asked, glancing at Cassie. He was desperate to find some semblance of control and I respected his determination.
Cassie just nodded along.
I looked up at Lexi, and she gave me a shrug.
“The only place we had left was their house.” She handed over a piece of paper with the address on it and a set of keys. “If you want to show them the place and have the time…”
She left it open-ended like a question, giving me a chance to say no.
My eyes flicked back to the pair in front of me. Leon was staring back at me, as if seeing if I truly was safe.
He had dark brown hair that was long enough to hang over his eyes. It was parted in the middle and straight. It wasn’t a cut that most men could pull off.
He had a few scars on his face, but I tried not to stare long enough to catalog them all.
Cassie was pretty in a classic way. She had red hair, a dusting of freckles across her nose, and wide, green eyes. Unlike hercounterpart’s all-black wardrobe, she had on a pink hoodie and torn jeans.
They also had matching sets of dark circles under their eyes. Their gaunt features and scars were enough to tell me they’d been through hell.
“I’ve got time,” I found myself saying, unsure why I agreed to it. But maybe they were the exact distraction I needed.
Part of me felt a little bit guilty for using them for my own reasons, but I knew I was doing a good thing as well. I’d make them feel comfortable and give them a confidence they didn’t know they needed.
“Do you have anything you can work out in?” I questioned.
There it was, that look of terror again, like I was about to snap at them for not having everything.
I held up a hand before they could freak out. “Don’t worry. I keep a whole store’s worth of extras. Let’s go see if we can find you something.”
I gestured for them to follow me.
“Thanks, Lexi,” I called over my shoulder as we walked away.
She didn’t hesitate to send her own farewell back before rushing out. She was always busy. Between having a pack and a family now, plus helping around Club 21 with her sister Silva, she was likely never bored.
“I’m sure Lexi gave you the same intro spiel she gives everyone,” I said as we walked down the back hallway where I kept our extras, “but you really are safe here. We run a tight ship. No one here causes trouble, and if anyone makes you uncomfortable, you can tell Lexi, Silva—hell, come get me. Any of us will take care of it for you.”
“Are you guys like royalty around here?” Cassie asked.
Most people that said it like that were being smart asses. She just seemed confused.
“No, but we founded this town. We escaped together from a bad place. This was our safe haven away from all of that. We stuck together, and we built this town from the ground up. It’s quiet here, but, most importantly, safe. We don’t have to look over our shoulders all the time, and we learned to forge our own future. When new people arrive, we find them a good job placement and a place to live. Seems she already took care of that.”
I glanced at the address in my hand.
