Geoffrey Rhodes had told his wife he’d be working late—and he did stay at the office a couple of hours past quitting time. When he left, however, he didn’t head home. He went in the opposite direction, straight for the Las Vegas Strip.
“Think tonight’s the night?” Dominic asked Justine Aubrey. They were following in her ubiquitous silver Honda Accord, a few comfortable car lengths behind.
“Could be,” she said with a shrug. “Don’t know why he’d go to the Strip to meet his mistress, though.”
They trailed Rhodes to a parking garage. Rather than follow him inside, Aubrey stopped at the curb and said, “If he’s going to be wandering around the Strip, we’ll have to follow him on foot. I’ll get out now and pick him up when he comes out. You park the car and hook up with me later—we’ll leapfrog him so he’s less likely to notice us.”
“Sounds good.”
Aubrey got out of the car and stood by the pedestrian exit, striking up a cigarette while she waited—though a close observer would have noticed that she barely inhaled when the cigarette touched her lips. Dominic came around to the driver’s side, where he had to slide the seat all the way back to fit his legs in the footwell.
It took him a few minutes to find a spot. As he reemerged from the garage on foot, Aubrey texted him that she and Rhodes were in the Shops at Crystals.
Dominic walked with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets and his eyes focused straight ahead. Being on the Strip always made him tense. He’d rarely come here in the throes of his addiction, preferring the cheaper casinos Downtown and on the West Side that catered to locals, but there was no way to ignore the constant reminders of gambling on Las Vegas Boulevard. It was everywhere—the billboards, the ads, the fliers. Even the snatches of conversation he picked up from the tourists surrounding him were full of debates on gambling strategy and chatter about wins and losses.
He exhaled slowly and concentrated on the things he did love about the Strip: the diversity, the giddy high spirits, the pulsing, vibrating energy of thousands of people out having fun. These people in particular had braved the hellish heat of the Nevada desert at the height of summer for their vacations, and they weren’t going to let anything stand in the way of their good time.
Following Aubrey’s texts, Dominic resumed Rhodes’s trail inside the blessedly air-conditioned upscale mall. He caught sight of her a hundred feet away; she gave him a barely perceptible nod and melted into the crowd.
Rhodes seemed more like he was killing time than doing purposeful shopping, just ambling around the mall and browsing the window displays of the various high-end stores. Dominic stayed well back, utilizing natural cover and reflective surfaces to his advantage whenever possible. Though he had a button camera on his jacket, it wouldn’t be much use at this distance. He kept his cell phone in one hand; it was an easy way to look realistically occupied, and it also let him keep in constant contact with Aubrey.
When Rhodes stopped outside Bottega Veneta to fool around with his own phone, Dominic narrowed his eyes.
What kind of phone does Rhodes use? he texted to Aubrey.
iPhone 6. Why?
Because right now he’s texting on a Samsung Galaxy.
Ooh, secret phone, she wrote back. Nice catch. I’ll see what I can dig up tomorrow.
Rhodes wandered around the mall for forty minutes, checking his phone frequently. Dominic and Aubrey traded places multiple times. When it was his turn to tail Rhodes, Dominic had no trouble staying on task, but whenever he handed the guy off to Aubrey, he found himself more and more distracted. His thoughts kept straying to what lay just outside the mall’s doors—this building was literally surrounded by casinos on all sides. At one point, he spent a good two minutes staring slack-jawed at an ad for the Bellagio, fantasizing about blackjack, before he was able to shake it off.
Dominic was the one on point when Rhodes finally made his way to the Todd English P.U.B., so he was the one who saw Rhodes remove his wedding ring and slip it into his pocket as he walked.
“Asshole,” Dominic said under his breath.
He followed Rhodes into the restaurant, hanging back to watch him shake hands with a mixed group of men and women, all relatively young and attractive, before the hostess showed them to a table. After he updated Aubrey, the two of them ended up sitting together at the long bar in the middle of the restaurant with their backs to Rhodes’s table. Aubrey had a hidden camera sewn into the lining of her purse, so when she set it on the bar at the right angle, they were able to monitor Rhodes’s every movement via the feed on her cell phone without ever looking at him directly.
She was thrilled with this turn of events because they could expense their entire meal to the client, but Dominic couldn’t muster up the same excitement. His stomach was too unsettled to do more than nurse a non-alcoholic beer and pick at the appetizers she’d ordered, trying to pay attention to the story she was telling instead of remembering the last poker game he’d played in vivid sensory detail. His foot tapped anxiously against his bar stool until the woman on his other side gave him the evil eye and he made himself stop.
“You okay?” Aubrey asked after a while, frowning at him. “You’re sweating.”
“It’s hot in here,” he said, which was true. He drained a long swallow of his beer and wished it were the real stuff.
She glanced down at her phone. “Rhodes isn’t displaying any signs of intimacy with these women. I don’t think any of them could be a girlfriend or mistress.”
“Me neither.” Dominic had been watching the feed too; Rhodes was flirting with all the women at the table, but only in a casual way, and with none more than any other. “I don’t think any of them really know each other, actually. I saw them meet up—there was no sense of familiarity.”
“Business dinner?” she said, though her tone was dubious.
“He wouldn’t have taken his ring off for that.” Dominic raked a hand through his hair. Why the fuck was everyone being so goddamn loud?
His mood steadily worsened through the rest of Rhodes’s leisurely two-hour meal. When the group got up and left together in a happy, tipsy cluster, Dominic and Aubrey trailed along behind, arm-in-arm like a couple on a date.
It was clear that the night was far from over for Rhodes and his friends. Go to a bar, Dominic thought, glaring daggers at the back of Rhodes’s head. Go dancing, go to a strip club, go anywhere but—
They walked out the back of the Shops at Crystal and right into the Aria Hotel and Casino.
Rhodes’s group made a beeline for the casino floor, which was adjacent to the main lobby. The noises reverberated inside Dominic’s skull, all of them deeply ingrained triggers—ringing bells, electronic beeps and whirrs from the slot machines, euphoric shouts around the craps tables. Bright lights were flashing everywhere and Dominic couldn’t breathe.
He halted mid-stride just steps from the threshold. Aubrey, who was still holding his arm, stumbled against him with a startled yelp.
“I can’t go in there,” he whispered.
He wanted to, though. Right now, he wanted to go inside that casino more than he’d wanted anything else in his entire life.
“What are you talking about?” she said, disentangling her arm from his.
“I . . .” The word came out a dry croak. He swallowed and wet his lips. “I’m a compulsive gambler. I’m sorry, I can’t go in there.”
She stared at him. “You’re addicted to gambling?” she said incredulously. She didn’t have to say anything more; he could see the accusations in her eyes, because they were the same ones bouncing around in his own head. He should have anticipated that this might become a problem. He should have warned her.
“I’m in recovery, but I’m hanging by a thread. If I go inside . . .”
If he went inside, he’d feel amazing. That rush of adrenaline, the full-body thrill—gambling was better than alcohol, better than drugs, better than sex. Why was he trying so hard to resist it?
Dominic groaned in frustration and gave his head a sharp shake.
“Okay,” Aubrey said. “I won’t have any trouble keeping an eye on Rhodes in a casino. You go back to the car and wait for me. I’ll keep in touch via text and let you know what’s going on.”
“All right.” He realized his hands were shaking and hid them in his jacket pockets. “I’m really sorry.”
She nodded, and he trudged away, feeling like utter shit.
He kept his head bowed the whole walk back to the parking garage, straining against the lure of the surrounding casinos as if they were emitting a tangible magnetic pull. Every step was like slogging through knee-high mud.
By the time he reached Aubrey’s car, his breath was coming hard and fast. He got in the passenger’s seat, threw his jacket in the back, and buried his face in both hands.
He could feel so good, if he just gave in. Poker, craps, even roulette—the game itself didn’t matter, never had. It was the thrill that obsessed him, the euphoria of taking risks, laying everything on the line, chasing the big score and feeling brilliantly, powerfully alive.
Just one game . . .
Except it wouldn’t be just one game. It never was for him. Most people could gamble with no problems, win or lose a little money and walk away whenever they wanted. For whatever reason, be it biological or psychological, Dominic couldn’t do that. Once he started, he couldn’t stop. And that was why he could never start again.
He slammed his fist against the dashboard so hard it rattled the car. That snapped him out of his fugue a bit. He went for his phone, then realized it was in his jacket pocket. Once he’d retrieved it from where it’d fallen out on the floor of the backseat, he called the first person who came to mind.
“Hello?” Levi said groggily after a few rings.
It was only a few minutes past midnight, but Levi had to get up early for work. Of course he’d been asleep. Dominic hadn’t even considered it.
“I’m sorry,” Dominic said, cursing himself for his thoughtlessness. “I shouldn’t have called—”
“Dominic?” There suddenly wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in Levi’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I . . .” Part of Dominic wanted to hang up and pretend this had never happened, but he knew he needed help more than he needed his pride. “Aubrey and I have been tailing Rhodes on the Strip. He—he went into a casino.”
Blankets rustled and bedsprings creaked on the other end of the line. “Did you gamble?”
“No.” Dominic closed his eyes, and the rest came out all in a rush. “But I want to, Levi. I was right there. It’s pulling at me like it’s hooked into my guts. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I don’t know how much longer I can control myself.”
“Where are you right now?”
“Aubrey sent me back to the car to wait for her.”
“I’m coming to get you,” Levi said over the sound of drawers opening and closing.
“What? No!” Dominic was torn between tender warmth at Levi’s reaction and horror at the idea of Aubrey thinking he needed his sort-of boyfriend to rescue him because he couldn’t handle himself. “That’s not necessary. I’m in an empty parking garage with nothing to trigger me. As long as I stay here, I should be okay.”
“Did you and Aubrey drive there together?”
“Yeah. My truck is back at McBride.”
“Uh-huh. And when Aubrey drops you off and you get behind the wheel all alone, are you going to drive home?”
Dominic clenched his jaw and banged his head against the headrest a couple of times. “I don’t know,” he said through gritted teeth, hating himself.
“Then I’ll come pick you up at McBride whenever you’re done.”
“That could be hours from now—”
“I’ll be there,” Levi said, implacable.
Dominic’s shoulders sagged, his anxiety subsiding somewhat. “Thank you,” he said, though words were a weak way to express the depth of his gratitude.
“You’re welcome.” Levi was quiet for a moment. “We’ve never talked about this before, but . . . If you ever do try to gamble, would you want me to stop you? Physically?”
Dominic blinked. The possibility had never occurred to him—mostly because if the tables were turned, he wouldn’t be able to make the same offer. He doubted there were any circumstances in which he’d be willing to use genuine force against Levi, even to prevent him doing something terrible.
Levi, on the other hand, had a streak of ruthlessness in him that Dominic didn’t share. Dominic knew all the way down to his bones that if he gave his consent now, Levi wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever was necessary to stop him from gambling. He wouldn’t let Dominic ruin his life again, no matter what it took or what anyone else thought.
That was exactly what Dominic needed to hear.
“Yes,” he said. The constriction in his chest eased, and he drew what felt like his first truly deep breath in hours. “Please.”
“Okay. I’ll stay on the phone with you until Aubrey comes back.”
Dominic leaned back in his seat, trusting Levi unreservedly, believing now that he would be all right.
Levi was startled awake by the alarm clock on his phone. He slapped at it blindly until it shut up, then ground the heel of his hand against his dry eyes. Normally, he didn’t mind getting up early, but he hadn’t slept much last night.
He shifted onto his back underneath the covers. At the foot of the bed, Rebel lifted her head to look at him, then dropped back down with a tired doggy sigh.
Dominic was still asleep next to him, facing the opposite wall. The blankets had slipped down a bit, exposing the plane of his heavily muscled back and the tattoo of the Ranger crest that Jasmine had done for him.
Before Dominic, Levi had always preferred men with lean builds, and it wasn’t until he’d slept with Dominic that he realized that wasn’t a coincidence. Subconsciously, he’d always been disturbed by the idea of having sex with a man who could physically overpower him. But after everything they’d been through together and the multiple times Dominic had saved his life, Dominic’s size and strength only engendered positive feelings in him—safety, comfort, and an aching lust he was still struggling to get a grip on.
Levi traced his fingertips over the colorful lines of the shield and the motto beneath. Dominic didn’t react—he was a heavy sleeper, Levi was coming to learn—so Levi spooned up against his back, wrapping an arm around his chest and kissing the nape of his neck.
Dominic stirred and made a sleepy noise.
“Hey,” Levi said, nuzzling his shoulder.
“Hey,” Dominic mumbled. “What time is it?”
“Early. I need to start getting ready for work.”
Dominic put his hand on top of Levi’s. “I’m sorry you had to—”
“Shh. I didn’t have to do anything. I chose to do this because I wanted to. We talked about this last night.”
They’d talked about it far more than was necessary, in Levi’s opinion. Dominic had been miserable when Levi picked him up at McBride Investigations; Levi hadn’t seen him so on edge since the Seven of Spades had sent him that teasing gift basket back in April. He’d alternated between morose silence, snappish irritation, and self-flagellating apologies the entire drive to his apartment and even after they’d gotten in bed. Levi’s repeated reassurances had gone in one ear and out the other.
Dominic was just as tense now, but he didn’t say anything more. A few seconds later, he turned over in Levi’s arms so they were face-to-face, hitched Levi’s leg over his hip to pull him closer, and kissed him on the mouth.
“I forgot to ask you this yesterday,” he said, “but you know the party I’m going to at Jasmine’s parents’ house on Saturday?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to come with me?”
“Really?” Levi pulled back a little. “Am I invited?”
Dominic laughed, looking like his usual self for a few seconds. “Of course. Carlos and Jasmine want you there.” He squeezed Levi and added, “So do I.”
Levi was pretty sure Carlos and Jasmine didn’t care about his presence so much as they did about making Dominic happy, but either way, he appreciated the gesture. “I’d love to,” he said. “But you do know there’s always a chance that something will come up at the last minute and I won’t be able to make it, right?”
That had been a major sticking point in his relationship with Stanton, who had never been able to accept that his job entailed a 24/7 commitment. He wanted to be upfront about the possibility now, so it didn’t become a problem down the line.
Dominic was giving him a strange look. “Well, sure. Obviously catching murderers takes priority. Chances are they won’t bother you on your day off, though, and we can have a nice relaxing Saturday.”
Levi brushed his hand over Dominic’s jaw and then kissed him, uncomfortable with the swell of emotion in his chest. It would be nice to have something to look forward to this weekend. On Monday, he and Dominic were both testifying at the trial of Drew Barton, the man who’d tried to pin his wife’s murder on the Seven of Spades and then assaulted Levi when he realized he wasn’t going to get away with it. That was going to suck, so Levi would welcome the opportunity to decompress first.
He broke the kiss before things could go too far. Though his body yearned for more, he didn’t have time, and he doubted Dominic was in the mood anyway.
His cell phone chirped, and he unwrapped himself from Dominic to roll over and grab it. Dominic sat up beside him.
“Who is it?” Dominic asked. He patted his thigh, and Rebel squirmed up the bed to put her head in his lap for an ear scratch.
“Natasha.” Levi scrolled through the texts and sighed. “The girl I told you about last night—Adriana—she called Natasha this morning and said she needs to speak to me about the Hensley case. She won’t talk to anyone else, and she has a meeting with Child and Family Services at nine thirty, so it has to be as soon as possible. I won’t have time to drive you back to your car first.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask Carlos to help me pick it up.”
Dominic was an excellent liar, but Levi knew him well enough by now to be certain he would do no such thing. He would have hesitated to impose on Carlos under the best of circumstances; asking for help with this would mean explaining what happened, and he hated talking about his addiction even with his close friends. Either he’d pay for an Uber to take him to McBride or he’d just sit in the apartment all day, stewing in the same self-loathing Levi had seen last night.
Searching for a compromise that wouldn’t hurt Dominic’s pride, Levi said, “Why don’t you just drive me to work and use my car this morning? We can do the swap on my lunch break. No need for Carlos to go out of his way.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t actually need my car at work; Martine and I always take hers if we have to go somewhere.”
“Okay.” Dominic leaned over to kiss Levi’s cheek. “I’m gonna take Rebel for a walk while you get ready.”
At the word walk, Rebel perked up, leapt off the bed, and spun in excited circles before regarding Dominic with bright eyes and a wagging tail.
Chuckling, Dominic got out of bed as well. “All right, all right, let me get some pants on.”
“You didn’t have to walk me inside,” Levi said as he and Dominic entered the substation.
“I want to say hello to Martine.”
That might have been true, but Levi suspected that Dominic was delaying their separation because he still felt raw and didn’t want to be alone. He’d been uncharacteristically clingy all morning.
They’d made a quick stop for coffee on the way—at least, Levi had. Dominic was drinking a syrup-laced, milk-loaded monstrosity that he insisted on calling coffee despite Levi’s horrified protestations to the contrary.
Desperate for caffeine, Levi drank his in deep gulps that burned his tongue while they got Dominic a visitor’s badge and proceeded to the bullpen. Dominic was a well-known bounty hunter throughout the Valley, and the people they passed greeted him with smiles and nods and a fist bump here and there. Most were far more pleased to see him than Levi, with whom they worked every day.
“How do you make friends everywhere you go?” Levi asked.
“I’m nice to people,” Dominic said with a teasing note in his voice.
“I’m nice,” said Levi, though he wasn’t, not the way Dominic meant. Dominic was easygoing and gregarious and went out of his way to be friendly to everyone he met. Levi felt exhausted just thinking about how much energy that must take.
Shifting closer, Dominic murmured, “I think you’re very nice.”
Levi rolled his eyes, willing away his blush as they entered the bullpen. His and Martine’s adjoining desks faced each other; she was already at hers, and Natasha was sitting at his, with Adriana in a chair that had been pulled up alongside.
“Morning,” he said, setting his coffee down.
“Morning.” Martine looked up—and then even further up. “Oh, hey, Dominic.”
“Ladies,” Dominic said. “Good to see you both again.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” said Natasha, getting out of Levi’s chair. “Are you still bounty hunting?”
Levi didn’t listen to Dominic’s response, because he was distracted by Adriana. She’d frozen in her seat, staring at Dominic in pure terror. Her face was drawn and gray, her breathing shallow, and her hands gripped the arms of her chair so hard they were shaking.
Dominic noticed right after Levi did. He took a few subtle steps backward, putting more space between him and Adriana, and his body language shifted in a clear attempt to make himself look less threatening. His arms hung relaxed by his sides, his empty hands wide open.
“Well, I should get going,” he said, and even his voice was softer than it had been before. “I just wanted to stop in and see everyone, say hello.”
“You and Levi should come to dinner at my place again sometime soon,” Martine said. Her eyes glinted mischievously. “That is, if you’re done hogging him all to yourself.”
Dominic grinned. “I guess I can make an exception for one night. Just let me know when.” He touched Levi’s elbow and said, “Good luck with your case. See you later?”
Levi nodded. They’d never discussed acceptable PDA in the workplace—he wouldn’t have minded a brief kiss on the lips, but Dominic didn’t know that.
After a round of goodbyes, Dominic headed off. Levi, Martine, and Natasha exchanged silent glances, all of them aware of Adriana’s anxiety but uncertain how best to address it.
“Adriana, do you want to go talk in the room we used yesterday?” Levi finally asked.
Startled out of her petrified state, Adriana mumbled agreement. He gestured for her to go first, then looked back over his shoulder as he followed. Natasha made a call me gesture, and he sent her a thumbs-up in response.
As soon as the door closed, Adriana said, “Who was that guy?”
“His name is Dominic Russo. Have you met him before?”
“No.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “He just—he looks a lot like somebody I used to know. Is he a cop too?”
If she hadn’t been in so much distress, Levi would have laughed. “Uh, no. Definitely not.” He sat on the couch and observed the way she hovered at the edge of the room, hunched in on herself. “He’s my . . . my boyfriend.”
Okay, so maybe he and Dominic hadn’t agreed on that particular label yet, but he needed to humanize Dominic for her, and he wasn’t about to break down their entire romantic and sexual history to a teenager.
Adriana didn’t look surprised—people usually assumed Levi was gay—but she did frown. “You’re not afraid of him?”
“Why would I be afraid of him?”
She shrugged one shoulder, her arms tightening around her chest. “He’s a lot bigger than you. It would be easy for him to hurt you.” Averting her eyes, she said, “Make you do things you don’t want.”
Levi had to close his eyes to deal with the powerful surge of rage that tensed his muscles and turned his stomach. He took a moment to collect himself, not wanting Adriana to think his anger was directed at her. Only when he was sure he could control his voice did he say, “You’re right. Dominic could probably hurt me a lot if he wanted to. But I trust that he won’t. In fact, I feel safer with him than anyone else. You know, he once saved my life twice in one week.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He got hurt himself both times, just because he was trying to protect me.” Levi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I understand if his size makes you uncomfortable, but I can promise you that he’d never harm either you or me for any reason.”
“I . . .” Adriana exhaled heavily and dropped her arms. “I guess I didn’t really think he would. It’s just the way he looks—I wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t mean to offend him.”
“You didn’t,” Levi said firmly. “I’m sure that’s not the first time Dominic has gotten that reaction, and he’ll know how to handle it. He’d be more worried about making sure you’re okay.”
She moved to the chair next to the couch, perching on the very edge of the seat. “I’m fine. Would you tell him I’m sorry?”
“Of course.” He let the silence drag out a bit, but when she didn’t volunteer anything more, he said, “Natasha told me you wanted to speak with me about my case?”
“Yeah.” For the first time, Adriana looked him straight in the eye. “I lied to you yesterday.”
“About what?”
Rather than answer his question, she said, “Natasha and I talked for a long time last night. She told me that you’re a good man and a good cop. You guys are doing a lot to help me even though you don’t have to, and I don’t want to be the reason somebody gets away with murder.”
She fell quiet then, and seemed to be working up the nerve to continue. Levi waited.
“I didn’t find that credit card Downtown. I found it on the Strip.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she bowed her head. “It—it was in a Dumpster where I was looking for food.” Letting out a sob, she covered her eyes with one hand. “I didn’t want to say anything because I was embarrassed.”
“Hey.” Levi put his hand on the arm of her chair, though he was careful not to touch her directly. “There’s no shame in doing what’s necessary to survive.”
She shook her head, crying quietly, her hand still hiding her face. He handed her the tissues and then sat with her, not trying to rush or console her, just making himself available in case she wanted to tell him more.
After a few minutes, her tears slowed. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes before lifting her head with new resolve. “The card wasn’t by itself, either—it was in a wallet, a nice one. I took that and one other card and all the cash and then left the wallet there.”
“There was cash in the wallet?”
“Yeah, almost two hundred bucks. I already spent it all; I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” said Levi. “I talked to Dr. Hensley’s wife yesterday. There won’t be any charges.”
In fact, he’d been pleasantly surprised by how sympathetic Hensley’s wife—Dr. Clarissa Northridge—had been once she learned of Adriana’s situation. She’d volunteered to simply pay the credit card charges herself, so there would be no question of legal action.
“Oh,” Adriana said, blinking. “That’s good. Thank you.” She scrubbed the back of her hand over her face. “Um . . . the wallet wasn’t the only thing I found. It was in a big paper shopping bag from Macy’s with a bunch of other stuff—a cell phone, a laptop, a tablet. It had all been smashed to pieces, so I just left everything there.”
Levi sat back. As he’d anticipated, Adriana’s statement blew any robbery motive out of the water. The murderer wouldn’t have destroyed Hensley’s valuable electronics and ditched cold hard cash if they’d been driven by monetary gain.
“Where was this Dumpster?” he asked.
The location she gave him was a short, easy walk from the Mirage. She had found the bag on Sunday, so the Dumpster had most likely been emptied by now, but they’d send an officer out to be sure.
“Thank you, Adriana,” he said, after he’d jotted down all the details. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“You’re welcome.” She’d stopped crying by now, though she still clutched a wad of tissues in one tight fist. “Will I have to testify in court or something?”
“I doubt it. Your official statement should be more than enough.”
“Natasha said she would try to find a way for me to stay in Las Vegas.” Adriana picked at the tissues she held, shredding them into bits. “I’m at a group home right now, but she’s trying to get me transferred to the foster system here, so she can make sure everything’s okay.”
“If that’s what she said, that’s what she’ll do. Natasha is an amazing social worker. She won’t let you down.” Levi stowed his pen and notepad in his jacket pocket and rose to his feet. “Are you ready for your meeting?”
“Yeah. I just need a minute.”
Levi was halfway to the door when he hesitated, overcome by a sudden impulse. He turned back and sat on the couch again; Adriana gave him a puzzled look.
“When I was in college, a group of men hurt me very badly—so badly I almost didn’t survive. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and to be ashamed of that feeling. But whatever has happened to you isn’t your fault.”
She regarded him in wide-eyed silence before saying, “You don’t seem helpless to me.”
“Because I learned how to protect myself,” he said. “How to fight back. I can help you do the same, if you want.”
A ghost of a smile crossed her face, small but unmistakable. “Yeah. Okay.”
What Levi didn’t tell her was that the assault had left him with a deep well of inner rage that had only grown as the years passed. He knew how to protect himself now, true, and he’d learned how to control and channel that anger, but it was always burning inside him.
And he was afraid that one day it would rise up and swallow him whole.