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He shut the door, closing me momentarily alone inside the car as he walked around to the driver’s side. In that brief moment by myself, I drew in a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of leather seats. Then I closed my eyes and hugged myself, bone-deep certain nothing was going to hurt me while I sat there.
But then the driver’s side door opened, and a gust of chilly October breeze entered with it, causing me to shudder from the cold as the man slid in beside me. As soon as he shut the door, my ears began to ring from the silence between us, until he started the engine and clicked his seatbelt into place.
“Where did you park your car?” he asked.
I shook my head as I followed suit, fastening my belt as well. “I don’t have one. I walked.”
He didn’t answer, only nodded and pulled out into traffic.
I began to wring my hands in my lap, uncomfortable by the silence. He didn’t even turn on the radio.
Did he not believe in music? Why did it have to be so quiet?
The tension in me spiked as he completely ignored me, concentrating on driving.
So I blurted, “What now?”
After a brief glance my way, he flicked on his blinker before making a left hurt. “Now,” he answered. “I take you home.”
I shook my head, confused. “Why?” I said, trying to make sense of the entire night.
“Well, if you’d rather come home with me,” he started, his glance more mocking than flirty.
I rolled my eyes. “I mean, why did you help me back there?” I waved a hand as he slowed to a stop at a red light. “Why are you still helping me?”
Glancing my way, he shook his head. “I’m sorry; did you want to go to jail tonight? Because that’s what would’ve happened if she’d caught on to the fact that you were stealing from her. Or that you weren’t there with me. She would’ve had no mercy about it either. You cross that woman—even in the slightest, most minor and harmless of ways—and she destroys your life completely. I’ve seen her do it, over and over again, to person after person. It would’ve taken her nothing to crush you.”
Well, then.
Holy shit.
I swallowed, trying to ignore the cold icicle of dread that sliced its way straight down the back of my hoodie.
Then I glanced toward the other side of the car. “You didn’t answer my question. Why did you help me? I’m nothing to you. And you’re the one who caught me red-handed stealing from her. You, of all people, know I deserved to be punished.”
He snorted and shook his head, pressing on the gas when the light turned green. “Thrown behind bars for taking chicken noodle soup to help your sick brother? Yes, you’re such a hard-core criminal. Release the rapists, murderers, and child molesters; we need to make room in the penitentiary for monsters like you.”
“Funny,” I said dryly. “But seriously? Why should it matter to you what happens to me? You have no dog in this fight. You have no reason to go out of your way to help me.”
He glanced at me sardonically. “I take it you didn’t buy my proposal back there, so you probably wouldn’t believe it was all because of love at first sight.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Not hardly.”
When he didn’t spit back some smart-ass comment, but remained quiet, unease filled my stomach, reminding me I didn’t know this man. I did know what his mother was like, though, and that wasn’t good. Shit. If he tried to blackmail me into doing some kind of sexual
favor just to gain his silence, I’d—
“Fine,” he grumbled, slowing the car and pulling to the curb before parking. Then he turned in his seat to rest his forearm on the steering wheel and face me completely.
“No,” he said with all seriousness. “I didn’t have to help you, but if I hadn’t, then I would’ve been more like her than I ever want to be. And I’d rather burn in hell than be like my mother. So, it felt as if I really fucking had to help you, all right? Now, would you like to keep sitting here, questioning my motives all night, or do you want to go inside and take care of your sick brother already?”
“I—” I wasn’t even sure what I was going to reply. He just had that tone in his voice—that irritating, challenging, superior tone that always made me want to fight back against a person. But then I realized what he’d said about Miguel, and I finally grew cognizant of my surroundings. Growing alarmed, I sat up straight in my seat and glanced out the side window, only to blink in disbelief.
“What the hell?” I said, turning back to him and pointing over my shoulder to the building we sat beside. “Why did you bring me here?”
Squinting through the dark, he leaned my way and ducked his face just enough to look out my passenger side window. Then he glanced at me with a slight, confused shake of his head. “Isn’t this where you live?”
“You…” I shook my head slowly before I spat, “Yes! But you weren’t supposed to know that. How the hell did you know where I live?”
