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Abram
would expire of outrage on the spot if he could see it.
    The thought gave her courage and
she let Roxy guide her to a table in the corner. She could see Tanner, or
rather the back of him—his unkempt dark hair was unmistakable. He’d stripped
off his leather jacket to reveal a T-shirt and a leather vest underneath, and
she could see tattoos snaking all around his big arms. An older black man sat
with him, dressed similarly, his vest decorated with patches. His thick, bushy
beard put her in mind of a Viking, but there was a kindness in his face that
she liked instinctively. The third person at their table was a black woman with
thick, glossy hair that Beth envied immediately. She was laughing wildly at something
Tanner had said, slapping his arm in an easy, affectionate way that Beth envied
even more.
    Roxy all but
pushed Beth down onto the stool next to Tanner’s. “Look who I found hiding in the kitchen! Beth,
this is my old man, Judge, and this is Tamsin.”
    Tanner turned to smile at her, his
entire face lighting up, and if the other two spoke, Beth didn’t notice. She
smiled back, warmth threading through her. In the dim lights he looked
enigmatic, a little dangerous, but for that beautiful smile. She wondered how
she looked to him, dressed in someone else’s clothes. Not that the ones she’d
been wearing when he found her were any better. Much worse,
in fact.
    “You okay?” he asked her. “Sleep
well?”
    She had to lean in to hear him over
the music and he slid his arm round her shoulder as she did. It was a
protective gesture that both soothed and stirred her. "I'm fine," she
assured him. "Just hungry."
    "Well, take the edge off while
we wait for pizza." Tamsin pushed a beer towards Beth.
    Beth hesitated, then thought of how
furious Abram would be and accepted. She sipped her beer while the others
chugged theirs, savoring the taste. Even so, by the time the pizza showed up,
she was a little lightheaded, just enough that the room felt hot and her body
felt fuzzy at the edges. It was a nice feeling, she decided, leaning closer in
to Tanner. He still had his arm around her, his touch creating a simmering
tension in her belly that she didn't have a name for. But that was nice too.
She tried to keep track of the bubbling conversation around her, but compared
to the heat of his body against hers, their talk didn't seem to matter.
    "When we're done eating, we
should talk," Tanner said to her as she reached for a slice. Her stomach
lurched a little, and she became aware of the group's eyes on her.
    "Of course," she said,
not really sure what she was agreeing to.
    Roxy reached over from her seat on
Judge's lap and squeezed Beth's knee. "Don't look so scared, honey."
    "Long as you're here, you're
safe," Judge added. Tanner gave him a sharp look that Beth didn't
understand, but the older man smiled at her, leaving her in no doubt he meant
what he said.
    Still, she could only manage a
couple of slices before she felt sick, and worry over what Tanner wanted to say
erased both her appetite and the light buzz she'd got from the beer. She eased
out from under his arm and stood up. Tanner jumped up immediately, knocking his
stool over and earning a burst of laughter from Tamsin.
    "Let's go somewhere
private," Tanner said to Beth, turning his glare briefly on Tamsin. She
didn't seem to care anymore than Judge had.
    He took her out the front door,
where they stood under a porch sheltered from the wind, and stared out at the
rows of bikes and trucks together in silence for a few minutes. There was a touch
of awkwardness between them that she hadn't felt inside. Well, there was really
only one thing she could imagine he wanted to talk about, so she decided to
break the silence.
    "You want to know what I'm
doing, don't you? What I'm running from?" She hugged herself, both against
the cold and the anxiety filling her.
    He glanced down at her, expression
soft. His scowls may not have affected his friends, but his