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“Hey,” I call out. “Have you seen a girl hanging around here recently?”
His left shoulder twitches twice, then he lurches toward me aggressively. “I see, yeah. See a girl. See one right now.”
I roll my eyes. He’s as useless as the wrapper. “Whatever.”
The guy moves to block my way when I try to brush past him, a sick leer on his face. “Where are you going, baby?”
“Away from you.” I try to side step when he grabs for me, but he moves with me, his hand darting out to latch onto my arm in a claw-like grip.
He’s not the first to try that shit with me.
I twist away from him, sending my knee toward his balls.
“Bitch,” he grunts without letting go, spittle flying in my face as he shoves me back against the pock-marked brick behind me and presses his clammy body against mine. His ragged nails dig into my skin, and his pupils are dilated wide.
And then, just like that, he’s gone.
“Don’t touch her,” Logan says in a flat, it’s-not-a-threat-it’s-a-promise voice, holding the man by the throat.
He gurgles, clawing at Logan’s wrist in vain, but none of the sounds he’s making are anything like words.
“Did he hurt you, wildcat?” Logan asks, his pale death-gaze locked onto the tweaker.
“No. Uh, no. I’m fine.”
“You’re shaking.”
I am, although I have no idea how Logan noticed since he still hasn’t looked away from the asshole who grabbed me.
I brush my hands over my arms, scored red now by the tweaker’s nails.
“I’m okay.”
Logan’s gaze finally swings in my direction for a second, raking over me like he needs to see it for himself. Then he gives a decisive nod and drops his hand. “If he touches you again, I’ll kill him.”
“I doubt I’ll run into him again,” I say as the man scuttles away, broken curses trailing after him.
Logan’s eyes narrow, flicking toward the fleeing tweaker. “Maybe I should just kill him now to be sure.”
“Logan,” I start, my heart suddenly pounding when his icy gaze returns to me. Except it’s not icy at all this time, and I’m not sure what it is I meant to say anyway.
When he’d yanked the tweaker off me, he’d stepped between us, protecting me from him, and he still hasn’t moved away. Now, we’re standing close enough that our breath starts to sync… and I can’t move.
I lick my lips, and Logan’s gaze drops down to follow the movement.
“I, um…”
Logan waits like he doesn’t have anywhere else to be, his body unnaturally still in that hyper-focused way only he can pull off. I can still hear the fading sound of the tweaker’s feet pounding down the street, almost covered by the sounds of traffic from the main road, but Logan waits like nothing else exists except the two of us.
It’s like he goes through the world always a little bit separate from it, and yet right now, I feel more connected to him than to anything else around us.
I rest my hand against his chest, and I’m a little shocked to feel his heart beating madly when he looks so calm and unflappable on the outside. “Thank you,” I whisper, realizing that’s what I’d meant to say all along.
He opens his mouth, but then closes it again and just nods, the movement looking awkward.
Then he turns away and scoops the wadded-up orange wrapper from the ground. “We should check…” he smooths it out and glances down. “Chester’s.” The name of the burger place. “They might remember her.”
“Okay. Yeah. Of course. It’s over on—”
