came first, no matter what, so I better not let myself be lured into a false sense of security around him. “I ran away from home when I was twelve.”
I couldn’t hold back a shocked gasp at his flat admission. Huck was sent away when he was only sixteen, which was bad, but it seemed ancient compared to Vernon’s age when he ventured out on his own.
“I was on the streets for about a year when I bumped into Huck. Literally.” He snorted and got a faraway look in his eyes as he recalled the past. “I was trying to pickpocket him. I wanted his phone and his wallet. Only, Huck knew what it was like to be on the streets and saw me coming from a mile away. He was never a mark or a sucker for anyone. He told me he would feed me and find me a place to sleep that night instead of calling the cops or kicking my ass.”
Vernon shook his head slightly, making his white hair fall into his eyes. “He found a shelter that would take an unaccompanied minor for a little while, and when he figured out how smart I was, he found me an education program and a scholarship for gifted kids that got me off the streets for good until I graduated high school. I was in every accelerated program he could find. He got my family to sign the paperwork to get me into the programs when I told him they wouldn’t. He also got them to sign my emancipation papers. I have no idea how he did it, but he makes miracles happen regularly. Kind of like you, I came to this school because Huck was here. Starting college so young wasn’t easy, but the guys made it easier. Harlen helped me find my footing; he was my first real friend I ever had. Huck always kept an eye on me, and Fisher was like the father figure I never knew I needed.” He pointed a finger at the shocked expression on my face. “Do you know why I’m telling you about my history with Huck?”
I shifted uneasily under his intense scrutiny before responding. “Because you want to make it clear how important he is to you.” It wasn’t a question. I knew exactly why.
Vernon nodded slowly, and I realized under his ethereal appearance, he could be just as scary, if not more so, than the other two young men I now lived with.
“I owe Huck everything. So do Harlen and Fisher. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, we wouldn’t do to protect him. If you’re going to fuck up his life, if you’re going to make him miserable or hurt him in any way, none of us will let you live in peace. We will make it so you spend every single second regretting the moment you walked back into his life. You seem determined to be in this house and in Huck’s way. I just hope you understand the full ramifications of whatever it is you’re doing.”
It was on the tip of my tongue that I had no goddamn clue what I was doing, that I’d been operating on instinct and fear lately, so I’d forgotten what it was like to have any direction other than running away from the monster who was constantly chasing me. Had I considered Huck’s consequences of crash landing back in his life? Not enough. Honestly, I was glad these guys had Huck’s back. He’d always thought he could take on the entire world by himself. Now he had a very capable group of like-minded misfits to help him bear the weight of the endless battles he was bound to wade into.
Before I could get a word in edgewise, a deep voice rumbled from the doorway. “Don’t try and scare her, Vernon.”
Both our heads whipped around at the sound of Huck’s voice. He had an arm lifted, resting on the door jamb. He was dressed in nylon shorts and a faded shirt that had big gaps where the sleeves should be, showing off the fact the ink on his arms wasn’t the only place he’d modified his body since he’d been gone. He had on sneakers and his hair was damp, looking close to black with what I assumed was sweat. My guess was he’d come from the gym, and Vernon and I had been so engrossed in our conversation, we hadn’t heard him come up the stairs.