Page 12 of Harbinger of Destiny

But a fist struck him in the face and made him jerk sideways. When Amy had rounded the counter, she saw who’d struck the thief: Joshua. She realized immediately that the shorter guy hadn’t tripped on his own. Joshua had tripped him.

Joshua now kicked the guy on the ground. “Give the money back!” he growled, while blocking the door so neither of the two thieves could escape.

Meanwhile, the few remaining customers stared at the melee. When the taller thief who was still standing tried to strike Joshua, Joshua pounded his fist into the guy’s face and made him sway.

“I said give the fucking money back!”

Speechless, Amy watched as the guy on the floor reached into his pocket and pulled out the banknotes he’d stolen. Joshua snatched the money.

“If I ever see you guys again, you’re dead!” Joshua warned, while the taller one helped his friend up.

“You should call the police,” a customer barked, while the two thieves scrambled to get out the door.

“It’s handled,” Joshua replied calmly and nodded to the customer who’d spoken up.

Then he bent down and picked up one of the banknotes that had fallen out of the thief’s pocket in his haste to escape Joshua’s wrath. He made two steps toward Amy, holding the money in his hand.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I should ask you that,” she said. “You helped me.”

The magnitude of his actions made her heart beat faster. If Joshua hadn’t gotten the tip money back, she wouldn’t have enough money to pay her rent and would be out on the street by tomorrow. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.

“It’s all good now,” he said.

“I don’t know how to thank you. If you hadn’t stopped them…”

He smiled and stretched out his hand. “Here, you’d better put that in your pocket.”

Grateful, Amy took the money and shoved it into her apron’s pocket. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

He reached for her arm and squeezed it briefly. The physical contact broke the last dam that was holding back her tears. She spun around, not wanting anybody to see her cry, particularly not Joshua. She didn’t want to appear hysterical in front of him. And she realized why: she cared about what he thought of her.

8

A HARD DAY’S NIGHT

Joshua watched Amy’s shoulders quiver as she sobbed quietly. He’d spent the last week reading every little thing about her that he could find in the records he’d downloaded before his time jump. He understood her financial struggles, and if he needed any confirmation as to how bad her situation was, he only had to remind himself of what he’d witnessed: Amy had taken his half-eaten discarded muffin to eat.

The excitement he’d felt about traveling to the good old times was gone. These weren’t the good old times. These were barbaric times. No human should have to scrounge for food. He’d seen plenty of homeless, mostly men, but also women, sleep on the sidewalks of Santa Monica, and was appalled by the callousness of the people of this era as they stepped around them rather than help them. But Joshua hadn’t been sent to this time to help the homeless. He’d come to offer Amy a way out of her situation. He doubted that she would refuse if only he could bring himself to befriend her.

But it was easier said than done. Every time he looked at her, the scarred side of her face seemed more prominent than anything else about her. What would it be like to kiss her? He couldn’t imagine it. He’d only ever been with beautiful girls, had never given a second thought to those not considered pretty. He knew he would at some point have to force himself to get close to her. And now was as good a time as any.

“Why don’t I help you clean up the mess?” he asked. “I think those sandwiches need to be tossed.” Joshua glanced behind the counter where the sandwiches had landed in a puddle of coffee that had spilled from a tray with dirty dishes.

“Oh my God, the sandwiches. My boss will find out that they weren’t paid for. And I can’t sell them now.”

The tone in her voice told him that she feared reprisals from her employer.

“Why don’t you charge them to me?”

She turned around and wiped her tears away. Her eyes red and puffy, she shook her head. “No, I can’t let you do that. You’ve already helped me more than anybody.”

“I insist.”

“I can’t accept that.”