Page 46 of One Second After Another

Penny exhaled harshly. “Well, she does know. At any rate, it works.”

Then, Luca had another thought. Fuck his thoughts lately, too, because they were getting him in more trouble than they were worth. So was his damn life.

“Did your grandfather abus—”

“No,” she interjected before he could ask more. “He had a revolving door of children at his disposal—he was the gatekeeper. They would give him anything to get what they wanted. Allegra, though ... that was different. She was always jealous whenever he paid me any kind of attention. I look so much like her and back then, it was worse. It was bad all over.”

“How so?”

“You don’t want to know, Luca. It’s all ... rotten.”

A chill settled deep in Luca’s veins, but he didn’t show it. Everything about Penny’s history was uncomfortable. To deal with, to talk about, or even think inside the privacy of his own mind. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like to actually be her.

“And I just hate her,” Penny added. “In the end, that’s where I settle it. I hate her.”

Well ...

He understood that.

Too well.

“We should go,” he murmured.

He hated to do it. Penny seemed content in her quiet stillness on the dock. With her legs hanging over the edge, swishing to and fro, she didn’t seem ready to move. Not that it mattered; they didn’t have a choice.

“Better not linger,” Luca added. “We wouldn’t want to be noticed when I’m sure every hound in this city is out sniffing for you.”

Penny dared to glance over her shoulder, her blue gaze glittering up at him when she asked, “Literally or figuratively?”

“Well,” he considered, “maybe a bit of both.”

Her laughter was the best sound in the world, but especially because he hadn’t been expecting it in the first place. Before he could think better of it, Luca placed his outstretched hand down for Penny to take. Palm up, he left it open.

She could take his help—even if it was only to get up—should she want to. Or, his hand could be there for her to take when she stood up without his help.

Luca grinned when she pulled on his hand to steady herself to her feet. The windswept mess of her hair still managed to look good, especially with that smile stretching over her pretty face. Then, her hand squeezed his when she asked, “He told you I came back—little Cross, I mean?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Did he tell anyone—”

“You mean like his parents because you could have put him in serious danger just by being anywhere near him?”

Penny’s stare narrowed. “I didn’t mean for him to see me in the first place. He was just ... there. And then I couldn’t even trick or lie to him because he’s—”

“Way too smart for that.”

“Kind of amazing, actually.”

Luca smirked. “Some people call him strange.”

“Yeah, well, fuck those people.”

He chuckled.

Right.

Fuck those people.