Page 21 of Hidden But Not Safe

Now he had a lot more reminders to deal with.

He dragged out his phone, unsure how else to answer her. His hand had hovered over the ‘delete’ button on the Notes app earlier, but he hadn’t been able to erase her brief conversation about animals.

He opened up a new note and typed out his answer.

‘Abandoned recycling factory.’

“Huh.” She curled her arms around her legs. “You’d think this place would be too obvious.”

‘Forgotten. Trees and fences.’

“That’s true. I remember feeling like we were entering the woods or something when my ex drove us inside.” She snorted. “That asshole had to be high as hell to bring me with him. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, but then, he rarely did.”

There was a dullness to her words.

“He did a lot of drugs, so he was always high. Me too. It was easier to zone out since he couldn’t get me off. But maybe that was the drugs, too.” She sighed, laying her cheek on top of her legs, facing him. “I was ready for a change even before he hit me that day. And Julio was hot. Going down on him in front of you all like that really got me going.”

She didn’t laugh. She didn’t even seem to be seeing Naz.

“It’s better with Julio,” she mumbled.

Naz remembered the way Julio had grabbed her neck. He shook his head.

Her eyes took in the movement. “It is. He’s good at fucking. He may be possessive, but I like that. When we’re alone, he doesn’t slap me or anything. I think I annoy him, though.”

Naz didn’t confirm or deny it. He didn’t want to lie to her, and it seemed like she already knew.

“I annoy everyone. Even when I know it’s not good for me, I can’t keep my mouth shut. When I try, it feels like it winds me up more, so I don’t bother trying.” Her eyes searched his. “Do I annoy you?”

Did she? Here she was, talking, but he didn’t really want her to go away.

He shook his head.

Her amber eyes softened around the edges as her hair slithered over her arms. “That’s another thing. You’re here. That makes it better, too.”

Naz let his phone fall to his lap. It rested over his pocket, and he thought about giving her the giraffe.

Meg yawned, not bothering to move her hand to cover it. “What’s your favorite color?” she asked.

Instead of reaching for his phone, he reached for the hem of her shirt, giving it a tug.

“Black?” She let out a soft snort. “That figures.”

She continued to stare into his eyes, quiet for once. He could hear the buzz of the fluorescent light overhead. He missed her voice.

She stretched out her legs beside his, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Mine used to be red. A bright red, flashy and eye-catching.”

He leaned his head against hers. Her hair tickled his cheek.

“It’s gray now. Like your eyes.”

That she liked his eyes made butterflies twist in his stomach. He really was pathetic.

Chapter 8

Julio found Naz in the morning. Meg had already gone back to the trailer, so it wasn’t like he caught them together or anything.

Naz wasn’t sure Julio would care. Maybe he found cuddling with Meg as annoying as listening to her talk.

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