“I’ll deal with them later. Let’s get this handled first.”
I’ll deal with them later.
Even in my distressed state, the threat came through loud and clear. The menace was alive in Orion’s eyes, but his calm confidence was what I needed more.
The Atlas Hall parking garage was filled with luxury cars, but tomy untrained eye, Orion’s was the finest of them all.
Didn’t James Bond drive an Aston Martin?
And even though we were in a tearing hurry, Orion opened the passenger door for me, then made up for those ten lost seconds when we hit the road. He hadn’t been lying—Orion drove really bloody fast.
The interior smelled of his cologne, leather, and money. I watched, half scared, half turned on (shocked I could be turned on in my present state of anxiety), watching him maneuver the stick shift and pedals, his eyes on the road with that same calm confidence. Orion drove with a wholly masculine authority over the car, commanding and masterful. I bit my lip, watching him, wondering if I were still allowed to be a suffragette for Halloween with these thoughts running through my head.
We made it to Dash’s school in minutes, but I was still late. The school was deserted.
My little brother was sitting out front on a bench with a woman who looked to be in her early sixties, with silvery blond hair and a bright smile. If she was annoyed that she’d had to wait, she didn’t show it.
Dash ran up to me. “Harper! Harper! This is my teacher, Mrs. Andolina.”
“Hi, I’m Dash’s sister. I’m so sorry. I had car problems and—”
“Don’t you worry at all, my dear,” Mrs. Andolina said. She had a scratchy voice and a thick Boston accent. “These things happen.”
“Thanks for understanding. This is my friend, Orion.”
Dash stared up at Orion with wide eyes. “Your name is Orion? Like the constellation? We were just learning about constellations! Right, Mrs. Andolina?”
“That’s right. Orion the Warrior. The brightest in the sky,” she said with a smile. “The constellation lost sailors use to find their way home.”
Orion crouched on his heels in front of Dash. “Hey, little man. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?Myname means run very fast. Did you know that?”
Orion rubbed his chin. “I might have heard that, but it is true?”
“Itistrue!” Dash said. “I swear.”
“Hmmm. I think we need a race.” Orion glanced around. “You see that flagpole over there? Do you think you can beat me to it?”
Dash’s eyes lit up. “Heck yeah!”
Mrs. Andolina and I watched, her beaming, as Orion and Dash lined up on the sidewalk.
“On your mark, get set…go!”
I expected Orion to give Dash a head start, or to run slowly, but he took off and was soon ten strides ahead. Just when I thought he was going to crush my little brother’s heart, Orion pretended to trip and took a roll in the grass in front of the school, tumbling at least three times before landing on his back. He lay spread eagle, breathing heavily. Dash, laughing at Orion’s antics, touched the flagpole for the win.
Mrs. Andolina nudged me with her elbow. “Oh, I like him.”
I nodded, a heavy ache in my chest.Yeah, me too.
“Dash?” Orion called. “What happened? Where am I?”
My little brother came running back to Orion and pounced on his stomach with both knees. Mrs. Andolina and I both winced out of solidarity.
“Orion, I won!” Dash cried. “Are you okay?”
“I was,” Orion wheezed. “Until you thrashed my internal organs.”
