Page 27 of Bad Guys Need Love Too

Her face fell, but she nodded bravely. “I understand.” With shaking hands, she pulled the turquoise and orange woven bracelet off her wrist. “Here. Take this.”

“What’s this for?”

“It’s a friendship bracelet. To remember me by.”

Something told him he wouldn’t need a bracelet to remember her by.

CHAPTER 13

Lark hadn’t uttered a sound throughout his entire story. It was the most words he’d said to her since they met, and she wanted to process every single one of them.

She was glad they’d gone back to the car to have this conversation. Everyone in the diner would’ve thought he was breaking up with her when they saw the tears that kept pooling in her eyes as he spilled his guts.

She’d always wondered what had happened to the sweet, grumpy, terrible card player she’d met that day at the trailer park. He’d been so beautiful, despite the scowl he always wore and the nasty black eye he’d sported.

She’d noticed him lurking in the shadows the day her family moved into that place. But when he never made a move to talk to her, she’d taken matters into her own hands.

In the back of her mind, she always thought they would’ve been great friends if they’d gotten the chance.

“You look so different. I never would’ve recognized you,” she admitted.

“I hit a growth spurt about a year later.”

She cleared her throat when he didn’t offer any additional info. “What happened to you that day?”

Lark very clearly remembered what happened on her end. When Ren disappeared, she’d gone in, woken her mom up from her nap, and they’d called the cops. It took them a while, but they eventually arrived. They would’ve let Dave go since they only had Lark’s version of events to go off of, and he hadn’ttechnicallydone anything illegal. But since he had several outstanding warrants against him, they’d hauled him away. She’d never seen him or his trashy wife again.

“I hitchhiked into town. Called CPS. They placed me with a new family two towns over.” His expression was rueful as he added, “They were a little better than Dave and Yvette.”

But not much, his tone implied. Her heart broke for the little boy he’d never had a chance to be. “Did you at least make other friends?”

“I met Tenley not long after I met you. She’s the one who taught me that I wasn’t as powerless as I always thought I was. That I was capable of protecting what was mine and everyone I cared about.”

Lark felt her brow furrow of its own volition. “How did she do that?”

“She reminded me that being smart could get you out of just about any trouble you ever ran into.” He chuckled. “Having somewhat loose morals helps, too.”

“So…you’ve been doing that ever since? Protecting people? Is that how you knew I was in trouble?”

He broke eye contact for the first time since they’d started their conversation. “Yes.”

“Why me?”

He looked surprised that she’d have to ask. “You saved my life that day. If you hadn’t stepped in when you did, I might’ve stayed in that place long enough for Dave to finally kill me. He would’ve. Of that, I’m sure.”

She shuddered at the thought. “Why didn’t you say something to me? Try to reconnect?”

“I didn’t want you to be…taintedby anything I’ve done.”

She swallowed hard. “What exactly have you done? For me, I mean.”

A muscle in his jaw flexed, but his eyes remained downcast. “I’ve watched. Made sure you were safe.”

That probably should’ve made her more uneasy than it did. Except… “When you’re watching, do you see me when I’m, um…”

His eyes flew back to hers. “No. Until the contract was taken out, I never had cameras in your home. I checked street cams and my own outside cams to make sure you were safe and no one was bothering you. That’s it. I know what I do is an invasion of privacy, but it’s notthatmuch of an invasion. I swear.”

OK. She believed him. But it also seemed like he still wasn’t giving her thewholestory. “And whatelsehave you done to protect me?”

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