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“No.” She swallowed. “I was on my way home.”
“Where is home?”
She bit down on her lower lip. “Putney.”
“Fine.” He looked over his shoulder. His men and the criminal had disappeared. “Let’s go.”
“Go?” She skimmed her eyes over his face then down the alleyway. “Go where?”
“To get you home.”
“Oh. I’m okay. I’m fine.” She wasn’t. Her chest was hurting, her head was swimming and she felt like she might be sick. “I’ll just grab a cab.”
“I wouldn’t hear of it. Come.” He spoke with the authority of a man who was used to being obeyed. Melinda’s mind, swamped by the bizarre turn of events, began to focus on processing the appearance of this stranger.
“Who are you?” She asked, not moving from her position near the wall.
“My name is Ra’if,” he said smoothly, slowly, as though he knew she was only barely holding on.
“Who were those men?”
“They work for me,” he said with a tight smile. “Melinda? You are shivering. You need to get warm.”
“Am I?” She looked up at the sky and a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose. She blinked. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually this wishy washy. I just …”
“You’ve just been mugged,” he said gently. “I’m quite certain you aren’t yourself.”
“It’s not that.” A frown drew her brows together and she looked at the ground, where her attacker’s body had just been lying. “Do you think he was on drugs?”
A muscle jerked in Ra’if’s cheek. “Yes.”
She nodded. “Me too.”
Was Brent attacking women? Was he mugging in the streets to get cash for his next score? Was the father of her child going to end up in prison? And was that her problem?
I want to wake up Christmas morning and hug my dad. I want him to give me a present, and I want him to come to Church with us.
“What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be taken to the police.” He shrugged. “In my country he would end up in prison for what he did to you. Here?” His expression showed disapproval. “He will probably be given a warm meal and then turfed back onto the streets.”
Her heart was squeezing. “You would want him to be in prison?”
His expression shifted minutely and she thought, for a moment, that she saw sympathy in his features. “Not necessarily. But nor do I think the streets are a good home for someone like him. It isn’t a solution.”
“No.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m fine. You should just keep running.”
His laugh filled the night air with the kind of magic that she thought only Christmas could induce. “You’ve just met me, but I feel I ought to save you some trouble. I’m not a man whose mind can easily be changed. I will be making sure you get home safely, and that you have something to eat.”
The flutter in her heart was stupid. He was just being a Good Samaritan, and he deserved better than to have her getting distracted by the perfection of his face and the strength of his body.
“You’ve just met me, but I feel I ought to save you some trouble. I’ve been on my own a really long time and I can take care of myself.” She forced her legs to carry her a few steps down the street. “I’m glad you came along when you did, but I would have been fine.”
The man’s eyes narrowed and then he laughed again. “Fine, fine. Have it your way. At least allow me to buy you dinner. To be sure you are okay before you go on your way.”
She opened her mouth to object but he shook his head. “It’s a compr
omise.”
