“Cab,” she said groggily, pushing herself out of my arms. “Get a cab and take me home.”
I flagged down a cab and helped her in, giving the driver the address to her house. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to my chest. Let the driver think we were making out. He’d seen her. I’m sure he wouldn’t blame me.
“Are you okay?” I whispered into the hair above her ear. “Is there anything I can do?”
She hung on to the front of my shirt and tilted her chin to look up. “No. But thanks for catching me.”
“What did you see?”
“You first. What did you see?”
Her jaw had gone slack, her eyes blank, and her limbs loose. “You were limp, staring out at the dark like you could see something playing out in it.”
Hallie nodded and then shivered. “I could.”
“Your face … it was like you lost yourself for a minute.” I didn’t want to tell her how much her features had changed. “Then you and the guy separated.”
“I did.” A deep wrinkle formed between her brows.
“Then the veil went dark.” Or sewed itself shut. I didn’t want to say it, because it sounded too crazy, and we were running high on crazy already.
She nestled into me and held on tighter. “I became someone else. A man, one who’d done terrible things, and another man was choking me. Then I was me again, and I … pushed.”
“Has anything like that ever happened to you before?”
“No.” I heard fear in her voice. I’d known her for a week, and I was certain Hallie Girard didn’t do fear. “You’re the expert. Can you explain it?” she asked.
“I don’t know the answer.” A primal drive kicked in when I looked into her eyes. “But I will.”
“I believe you.”
We reached her house. I paid the driver and helped her out of her seat. She held on to my arm, just until the cab drove off, and then she pulled away, promptly hitting the sidewalk on her knees.
“Damn!” She went on her palms next, uttering several more curse words.
Hallie prized her independence and I wanted to give it to her, but she was in obvious pain. I dropped to a squat beside her, resting my elbows on my knees, my hands outstretched.
“I’m not leaving you. I can help you get to your house, or at the very least, I can walk behind you. Whatever you want.”
“I don’t want anything.” She bit her lower lip as she stared at my hands. “From anyone. I can handle situations by myself. Usually. This … this is … different.”
I reached out farther. “It’s five minutes of assistance, just enough to get you to your room.”
“My room, huh? Are you trying to get another flash?”
“Not tonight. I won’t make any promises about tomorrow.” I smiled, and watched as the teasing softened her. When she smiled back, my heart gave an extra kick in my chest.
Hallie took my hands and I helped her stand. She held on tight, and when we reached her house, she stopped at the side entrance.
“I’ll take it from here,” she said. “Carl’s on duty, and he won’t rat me out or ask any questions. Thanks for getting me home.”
“So, tomorrow. Do you want me to come back, or are you planning to … what was it? Put my man berries in a vise and hand me over to your dad?”
Her laugh was soft, her eyes curious. We looked at each other, and in that long moment, we came to an understanding.
“Yes,” she said. “Come back tomorrow.”
Chapter 7
Hallie
Dad’s bedroom door was open.
“You did it,” I said from the hall, “again.”
Even though it was almost midnight, he still had on his tie. His holster and gun sat on the top of his dresser. I knew the safety was on. For the millionth time, I started to wonder what drove him to constantly arm himself inside his own home, but stopped.
The answer was my mother.
He gestured me inside. “I did what again?”
I’d showered and changed. My knees were completely healed, but my legs still felt wobbly. From my fall. Not from nerves.
I sat down in the armchair by the window. Bulletproof glass, of course. “You brought somebody in to handle business you should’ve taken care of yourself.”
He didn’t look at me, just loosened his tie.
“Dune knows I’m the Infinityglass. So do you.”
Now Dad spun around to face me head-on. “He told you that?”
“No, Daddy,” I said softly. “Mom did.”
Sadness came into him slowly, pulling down his shoulders and the corners of his mouth. I hated to watch him carry regret for her choices. She’d thrown us off so carelessly, and he’d tried to make up for her absence. He’d really tried.