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The young man I was supposed to put a bullet through.
“You okay?” I asked, though it was a dumb question to ask since Levi’s lip was already swelling and an ugly bruise was forming on his cheek. He was clutching his stomach with one arm.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said as he sucked in a few deep breaths. His voice was softer than I’d imagined it would be.
Of course, the only time I’d imagined it always accompanied visions of him telling Seth to shut up as he was being carved up with a knife.
The reminder of who this man was had me stepping back instead of reaching down to give him a hand. Now would be just as good a time as any to pull out my gun and finish this, but I left my hand where it was. As much as I thought this man was scum for the role he’d played in brutalizing an innocent family, Ronan’s orders had been clear. And while giving head to a guy in an alley wasn’t the most moral of behaviors, it was hardly illegal since money hadn’t appeared to change hands.
“You need me to call someone?” I asked. The injuries didn’t appear to be life-threatening, but they sure as hell had to hurt.
Levi shook his head. “No, I’m okay,” he said as he carefully climbed to his feet. Once he was upright, he leaned against the wall to catch his breath.
“You really should press charges,” I said absently. “Your boyfriend shouldn’t get away with that.” Boyfriend was the politically correct word I’d managed to come up with. Because I was pretty sure the blond was Levi’s pimp…especially after the free blow job and the crack about owning Levi.
“No,” Levi murmured. “He’s not my boyfriend…he…he was just some guy who got me mixed up with someone else.”
It was the lamest excuse I’d ever heard, but I didn’t call him on it. I certainly didn’t want him to know I’d seen him performing oral sex on the guy. As it was, I had no clue how to explain my presence in the alley.
Levi’s light green eyes came up to meet mine. His gaze swept my body from head to toe and I felt my dick stir at the perusal. That pissed me off, an emotion I couldn’t manage to contain, because Levi quickly shrank back against the wall and watched me with fear-filled eyes.
“Well, if you don’t need anything else,” I murmured as I moved away from him. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t particularly like knowing I’d instilled fear in the guy. Which was ridiculous since he should be scared of me, considering what I was likely going to have to do to him.
“Um, wait,” Levi said as I turned my back on him.
I took my time turning back around and saw that he’d stepped away from the wall a little bit. He tensed briefly and then glanced at a door on the other side of the alley. “Listen, the kitchen doesn’t open for a couple of hours, but if you want to come inside to get out of this weather, I can get some coffee going. Father O wouldn’t mind.”
“Kitchen?” I asked dumbly.
Levi nodded, but when I didn’t react, his features fell. “Um, you’re here for dinner, right?” His eyes shifted to the door opposite us and I finally saw a small sign that I hadn’t noticed before.
St. Anthony’s Soup Kitchen
Hours: 7am-9am & 6pm-8pm
“Listen, it’s okay,” Levi said and I turned my gaze back on him. “Everybody needs help once in a while, right?”
It finally dawned on me what he was talking about. He thought I was there for a free meal. I was so surprised that I didn’t respond right away, which seemed to make Levi more nervous.
“I mean, you don’t have to be homeless to need a helping hand…”
His voice dropped off as he scanned my body again and I realized he was taking in my clothes. I wasn’t wearing anything particularly fancy – just a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt that I wore untucked so it would hide my gun, which was at the back of my waistband. But my clothes were clean and in good shape – not necessarily the typical clothes of someone living on the streets.
“You work here?” I asked as I glanced at the door again.
Levi nodded and then winced slightly before lifting his hand to steady his jaw. “I’m one of the volunteers. Father O lets me open and get set up so I can leave a bit earlier to get to my job on time.”
“Father O?”
“Father O’Shaughnessy. He’s the priest here.” Levi fell silent for a moment. “Why don’t you come inside? I think there’s some leftover turkey – I could make you a sandwich while you wait. It’s…it’s the least I can do for what you did for me.”
