Page 25 of Shadow and Skulls

“Kelsie, I have to go out of town tomorrow. How …” He tries to regain control of his emotions, running his fingers through his hair. “How am I going to protect you if he’s still breathing? Just let me go take care of the problem.”

My arms fall to my side, the concern pulling at his brows makes me pause. He’s giving me a glimpse of the vulnerable parts of him that are hidden beneath all that glower and ink.

“I won’t put myself in that position again. I can promise you that.”

He shakes his head, spinning in a circle as if he’s coming out of a fog. “I’m … I’m sorry. This is all very … God, I’ve been so inappropriate with you. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Right before my eyes, a new man emerges.

His fingers wrap around his jacket as he stares down at it. He shakes his head sadly. “Go get the toy, and I’ll get rid of it. I’m sorry.” He closes his eyes. “I’ll leave you alone.”

The air leaves my lungs, but weirdly not in relief. I feel like someone just punched me in the gut.

“Um, it’s okay. It’s not hurting anything.”

He combs his fingers through his beard. “I’m not like Jason, Kelsie. I … I just got caught up in the persona.”

I don’t like the way he calls me by my real name. It feels cold coming from him. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. It will all be over soon.” He shrugs into his jacket, not looking at me. “Ash is right. You should talk to Dan about what’s going on with your boyfriend and school. Trust him. He’s a good man, and he’ll know how to handle it.”

When he starts to walk toward the door, toward me, I don’t move.

“Kelsie, move.”

I stare at his chest. I’m not sure what I’m doing, but I don’t want him to leave. “No,” I whisper.

“Kelsie,” he groans. “Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is.”

“When are you coming back from the run?”

He sighs loudly.

“When?”

“I don’t know. A few days. A week maybe.”

“You’re right, you know.”

“About?”

“It does make me feel bad when men touch me,” I admit quietly, dropping my head to stare at his boots. “But it doesn’t feel bad with you.”

I might be the biggest fool right now, but what if he is my only chance at making that deep, soul sucking feeling go away? What if he’s the only one who can fix me?

When I feel his fingers brush along my cheek, my eyes fall closed. For a brief moment, I allow myself to lean into the palm of his hand. For reasons I don’t understand, it feels safe. Good.

“When I get back, we start again,” he says quietly.

I nod, fighting back tears. He leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead. “You stay clear of Jason.”

Again, all I can do is nod as he backs away from me.

The motor of my dad’s bike rumbles from the driveway. As if someone flips a switch, Tank winks at me before calmly making his way toward the back door. He pauses on the threshold.

“I’ll see you later, little shadow.”

My shoulders fall in relief when he uses his pet name for me. The minute the door closes behind him, the front one bumps against my ass.

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