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with a group?” That was interesting, and something to take her mind off her troubles. “Like a tour of campuses?”
    “Kind of,” he said. He looked down, and she got to admire the play of light on his skin as they passed beneath a tree without feeling too embarrassed about it. He had lovely skin, but she still ended up focused on his lips. Such an expressive mouth. “I might have just enough time to grab some quick food, maybe a burger or something, if you still want to have dinner with me. I could even use your extra cash if you don’t think that’s too cheap. We’ll have to make it fast, though. I really can’t keep them waiting for too long.”
    She laughed. “Sure. Fast food it is.”
    The walk across the campus was nice, and it felt oddly private. The campus crowd thinned out at this time of day … afternoon classes were mostly done, and ASU-RV was a commuting campus, for the most part. She turned them in the direction of the burger bar, which was at the eastern end of the University Center. Not the best food in the world, but cheap and quick.
    I don’t want this to be cheap and quick, she thought. I want to have dinner. Real dinner. With a restaurant and a table and maybe one of those little tea candles on the table. Low lights. I might even have wine. She knew it wouldn’t happen; he’d made that pretty clear, but it was a nice fantasy.
    It ended abruptly, just as they neared the end of the University Center. The burger bar was near the visitors’ parking, and there was a long driveway for pick-ups and drop-offs. There was a beat-up white panel van idling there, and she wouldn’t have thought anything of it except that she felt Elijah’s hand close over her arm, and looked up to see that his face had gone tense and still.
    He looked like a different person. Same face, but the attitude had changed completely.
    “Change of plans,” he said. “You go back to your dorm, okay? I’m sorry about dinner.”
    “Why? What’s wrong?”
    “My boss is looking for me,” he said. “Nothing for you to worry about. Sorry, I can’t do dinner after all.”
    She finally saw that there was a big man with a shaved head standing by the van’s front fender. His arms were folded, and he looked impatient and intimidating.
    He also looked angry.
    “What’s going on?” she asked Elijah, and pulled on his hand to slow him down. “Are you in trouble?”
    “I told you, my ride was waiting,” he said. “I really have to go. Just—look, you seem nice, okay? I don’t want to get you into this.”
    “Get into me into what? Selling magazines?”
    She knew that expression that crossed his face; she’d felt it in herself many times in the past two days. That was despair, and the wasteland. “Just go, Hope. Here. Take the money back.”
    He tried to slip it to her, and she knocked his hand back.
    “No! I said you could have it!”
    “Hope, please—”
    The bald man was heading their way now with brisk, heavy steps. Hope looked around. There were a few students in view, but nobody close, and the campus cops were nowhere to be seen. “Elijah, do I need to call somebody?”
    “ No! “ Elijah took her by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Get out of here. Now. Just go.”
    “But—”
    And then the big man was on them. “You’re late, E.J.,” he said. “Time to go.”
    “Yeah, just give me a minute.” Elijah’s eyes were on Hope’s face now, and he took her hand again. “Take care of yourself.”
    The big man shook his head and put his hand on the back of Elijah’s neck. Hope guessed it was supposed to look friendly, but it didn’t, especially when she saw Elijah flinch at the touch. “C’mon, kid. We’ve been waiting on you. You don’t want Mr. Solomon to get upset, do you?”
    “Hey! Hey, let go of him!” Hope stepped forward. “Elijah? Are you okay?”
    “This your new girlfriend?” The bald man laughed and shook Elijah by the hold he had on his neck, like a terrier with a