The woman continues eyeing me like she expects me to pull out a machete and massacre them at any second.
“Sachi, this is Tommy,” Danika introduces. “Tommy, this is my best friend, Sachi.”
“This who you’ve been texting?” I ask.
She studies me for a second, probably wondering how I know what she’s been up to. “Yeah, and my mom, except I haven’t heard back from her. It’s got me worried.”
Sachi leans in and whispers something to Danika.
“He’s okay, really,” Dani says with a tiny glance in my direction. “We’ve been talking, and I think there’s been a bit of miscommunication.”
Her friend continues to watch me warily. Smart of her except gaining her approval would probably go a long way in convincing Danika to trust me.
“Okay, so what does that mean?” Sachi asks.
“It means …” Danika peers at me again. “I think I’m going to stay with Tommy for a bit.”
I swear to God, relief has me sprouting wings and lifting three feet off the ground.
Sachi nods. “In that case, I can run by and check on your mom and gran.”
Danika chews her lip, something I’ve noticed she does when she’s uncertain. It’s fucking adorable and highly inconvenient because it makes me hard.
“I’d love that, but I’m also worried about putting you in danger.”
“You won’t. I’ll borrow my roommate’s Instacart lanyard and roll up with a bag of groceries. Easy peasy.” She grins broadly.
“I don’t know. I’m still not crazy about it. What if he’s watching the place?”
“Then he learns your mom needed grapes and a loaf of bread. It’s going to be fine, trust me.”
“Okay, but you better be careful.” Danika gives her friend another hug, then looks back at me. “No more locks, right?”
“No more locks,” I agree.
Sachi narrows already slender eyes at me and points a finger in warning. “You better not hurt her, you hear me?” The girl’s got balls for someone so tiny.
“Only did it for her own good. I knew she’d take off the first chance she got, and she’s a hell of a lot safer at my place than on the run.”
She grunts as if to say we’ll see about that, then turns back to Danika. “I’ll go check on your mom as soon as I leave here, okay?”
“Sounds good, and thanks again. You be safe.”
“Ditto, babe.” The two hug fiercely. I’m glad Danika has a friend like that and fucking thrilled that the friend doesn’t have a dick.
We head out at the same time. Sachi goes south while we head north back to my place.
“I’ve gotsome emails to catch up on,” I tell her once we’re back in the safety of my apartment. “You good?”
“Yeah.” She nods, then takes her things back to her bedroom before returning to the living room. We spend the next couple of hours on our computers in a companionable silence. I think we both appreciate the break from constant tension and chaos.
She keeps her phone beside her the whole time, and I make a mental note to get her a real goddamn phone. The piece of crap she’s using isn’t remotely reliable enough. It serves its purpose, though, chiming halfway through our sandwich lunch.
As she reads a long message, her chin starts to quiver.
My entire body goes rigid, ready to shred whoever or whatever has upset her.
“Sachi says Mom was hurt. She hasn’t answered my text because she was at the doctor getting checked out. Sach says Mom has a black eye and claims she’s fine, but Sach can tell she’s moving stiffly.” Tears stream down her cheeks. “I knew this would happen.”
