Worth It - Lisa Oliver Page 0,10
there, because believe me, for every good Samaritan there’s a hundred people looking to bring you down, or worse. I’d been living rough since I was thirteen. My mom was getting pregnant every year to any bloke she came across. When they started looking at me instead of her, she kicked me out. Told me it was ‘our way’ and it was time for me to fend for myself.”
Paulie couldn’t stop the sobs escaping. “All I’ve wanted for the longest time was to sleep in a safe space, somewhere warm, where no one will hassle me. Is it wrong I want to work hard so I can have a full belly every day? Does my virginity make me a freak of nature? What am I doing wrong? How am I meant to fit in with regular people whose only concern is if the person they like likes them back, if their grades meet their parent’s expectations, and which party to go to on Saturday nights. None of that has any relevance to me, not when I’ve spent my whole life so far just trying to survive. I don’t fit. I don’t fit anywhere!”
“Oh fuck, Paulie, I’m sorry.” Wes was over the table in a flash, Cass’s bulk proving to be an effective barrier from the few interested diners. “Let’s get out of here, aye? We’ll go back to yours. Cass’ll bring dessert. Come on.”
“I’m sorry.” Paulie leaned on Wes, trusting the wolf would get him out of the restaurant. “I’m really trying. I promise I am. Please give me another chance. Don’t take my bed away from me. It’s my safe place. Please, don’t take away my bed.”
“No one is taking your bed,” Wes said fiercely. “I promise on all I am, no one will take your home from you.”
Paulie had no idea how they got to his apartment. It was as though a dam had broken in his chest and all the pain and anxiety was pouring down his face. He was aware of muttered voices, of Wes removing his shoes and jacket and tucking him under his warm coverlet. The voices soothed him into sleep. For now, at least, he was safe.
/~/~/~/~/
Motorbikes were kinda fun. Zeus could admit that much, but as he and Ra rode along a surprisingly empty highway, there was a tugging in his gut, like he was going the wrong way. He knew what it was, of course. The Fates believed he should be somewhere else. But even as he resisted the pull, he worried. He hadn’t heard from Cass or Wes since he alerted them to Paulie being in danger again, and hadn’t seen his screens in two hours, thirteen minutes, and twenty-six seconds…twenty-seven…twenty-eight…
I can’t spend a lifetime watching one person, he told himself grimly. Especially not a shifter… I’m not going to…
He frowned as Ra pulled over on the side of the road. Chopping through the gears, he pulled his bike to a stop and turned off the engine. “What’s wrong now?” He asked, wiping the dust off his face. This was the fourth time Ra had pulled over for no reason at all.
“My butt aches.” Ra got off his bike, arching his back and walking around. “Who knew sitting could make your butt ache.”
“It’s what you sit on. What did you expect?” Kicking out the stand, Zeus swung his leg over the wide frame and did a few discreet stretches of his own. “You’ve got a real hankering for sand, haven’t you?” All he could see was miles and miles of freaking desert with the odd cactus breaking the skyline. Now they’d stopped Zeus was aware of how hot it was, and he clicked himself up a long glass of water and took a huge gulp of it. That’s better.
Ra shrugged and then winced and pressed into the small of his back. “I didn’t want our first ride to be in traffic – gods, could you imagine inhaling all those exhaust fumes? And depending on where you’re riding, some people make laws insisting you have to wear a helmet just to get on one of these things.”
“You’ve forgotten things like licenses and insurance too,” Zeus pointed out. Scratching through his hair which was thick with dust, he said, “You really didn’t think things through very well. Living down here isn’t anything like it used to be. I keep trying to tell you that. You can’t just walk, or ride around anymore with impunity. You need identification for a start.”
“I know, I