"Where?"
He collected her hand. "Not far."
She hurried beside him as he led her out of the homeless camp, away from his past. At the Harley, she got on behind him. It was an odd experience holding on to him from behind while a big machine vibrated between her legs.
At first, the turns scared her, but eventually, they got easier the longer she rode with him. Away from the camp, she inhaled deeply, but the rancid smell remained.
He pulled down an alley. She raised her head off the back of his shoulder. The streetlights were on.
Serge parked. "Hop off."
"Here?" She looked around and slid off the seat.
He had taken her from one dangerous place to another. She would never walk down that particular alley in her life. A person slept next to a dumpster. Garbage cans lay knocked over, and litter was scattered across the ground. She breathed through her mouth, but even that couldn't block the strong scent of urine.
He took her hand, guiding her to a door, and knocked. She rested against his arm. Already overwhelmed by his vulnerability, she couldn't fathom what he would reveal next.
The door opened. An older man with a cigar in his mouth and a white tank top that barely covered his beer belly stood in the opening.
"If you're looking for a fight, I got no one here willing to go up against you."
"I'm not fighting tonight, Tank. I'm looking for the woman you hired," said Serge.
Tank motioned him inside. "You know where to find her."
Serge led Aubrey into the building. She fought against wrinkling her nose at the heavy body odor in the room. She got closer to Serge, avoiding the boxers congregating around the two rings where fights were going on.
At the back of the room, Serge opened a door, pulled her into a hallway, and shut her in. She looked at him curiously. Tonight had overwhelmed her. He had expressed himself in a way that made her feel she would blindly follow him anywhere because trusting him was no longer a question.
The way he communicated his feelings and expressed himself heightened her sense of security in their relationship.
"I have a surprise for you." He led her up a set of stairs.
She laughed softly. "Not to be rude, honey, but I don't think a gym membership for boxing or martial arts is really my thing."
"Cute." He stopped in front of one of the doors and kissed her. "I think you'll like this."
He knocked. She leaned against him, tucking her hand into his back pocket. It felt like she had lived forty hours in the last twenty-four, and while her personal life was all falling into place, she couldn't shake off her failure at keeping the shelter open.
The door opened, and Evie stepped forward. Aubrey gasped, glancing at Serge before grabbing Evie's hands.
"You're living here?" she asked.
"Thanks to Ghost." Evie laughed. "I mean, Serge. He got me a job cleaning the gym in the mornings, and that way I can be done when Sia gets home from school. I got her enrolled yesterday."
"She's with you?" She clasped her hands together under her chin. "That's the best news I've heard all day. I'm so happy for you."
"We wouldn't be here without his help." Evie nodded at Serge. "I'll never be able to pay him off for all he's done for us. I finally feel like I'm doing something for my daughter."
"You are." Unable to contain her happiness, she hugged Evie.
"I'd wake up Sia so she could see you, but she just went to bed."
"It's okay." She waved off her concern. "We'll see each other again."
After one more hug, she walked away with Serge. She hugged him, overjoyed that he'd helped Evie find a job and a place to live. That was one less thing she had to worry about.
She jumped into his arms, not caring that she stood in a darkened alley. "I love you so much. I can't believe you never told me you helped her."
