Page 6 (1/2)

Which didn’t sound like an entirely bad thing If his ass was as nice under his jeans as it looked, she could really enjoy herself

Lexi pulled in a deep breath, reaching for her resolve--her freaking sanity She couldn’t let hie She couldn’t let hi her anymore She couldn’t let his she kneeren’t real

Helen was real The danger was real The rest of it--the tingly sensations she got when he touched her--was just pretend A trick of the nored his offered hand and ju on his booted toe

He didn’t even flinch Instead, he gave her a knowing sainst that independent streak of yours?"

"You don’t know a thing about me Don’t pretend like you do"

He followed her to the door, felt behind the porch light and pulled out a s a key "I know plenty Helen has told me all about you"

"Helen doesn’t know me that well, either I’ve only known her for a few months"

"You can’t tell that by the way she talks I swear she acts like you grew up together" Zach opened the door and peered inside before letting Lexi enter "She worries about you a lot, you know"

Lexi refused to let him see how much that bothered her Helen was the one in trouble, and yet she worried about Lexi? There wasn’t aperson on the face of this planet, and Lexi felt honored to have known Helen, even for as short a time as she had With any luck at all, they’d have plenty of tiet to know each other "You should call her and tell her I’ Better yet, let me use your phone and I’ll tell heraze Finally, he unclipped his phone from his belt and handed it to her "No funny stuff," he warned

"Like what?"

"Like calling the police I don’t have tioing to turn you over hed She couldn’t help it He was insane if he thought she’d let that happen She’d kill him first "You could try But I pro like you hurt me? I don’t think so"

"Shall we test that theory?" she challenged

He grinned and winked "Maybe later After I’ve eaten I have a feeling I’th up with you, aren’t I?"

"Definitely"

Zach left the roohts as he made his way to the kitchen Lexi waited until his head was in the fridge before she dialed Helen’s number

"Did you find her, Zach?" answered Helen Her voice wavered with fatigue, h "Is she safe?"

"Hey ya, Helen It’s Lexi"

Helen’s relieved exhale filled the line "Thank God, you’re okay What happened?"

Zach wasn’t paying any attention to her, but she guessed he was still listening to every word she said She couldn’t very well tell Helen that the terrified phone call she’d et Zach to come for her

And it had worked Better than she’d hoped

"I’ll tell you later," said Lexi "All you need to kno is that I’reat! I’ve really missed you So has Miss Mabel"

"She’s there, too?"

"Yeah The Sentinels couldn’t clean away her h to ht her here They even ed to heal some of her arthritis so she doesn’t even need a walker anymore Pretty cool, huh?"

Lexi was speechless They’d healed Miss Mabel? Why would they do that? She was too old to fight anything they wanted to do to her They could have fed from her, taken all her blood and left her for dead in her home No one would have ever knoho had murdered her

"Lexi? Are you still there?"

Lexi cleared her throat "Yeah, I’m here"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine Justfiguring sos out"

Helen lowered her voice "Is Zach okay? He wasn’t doing so well last tilanced into the kitchen He was slicing an apple Watching her

She turned around and moved away from the doorway, down the narrow hall "He’s fine"

"He ht, then"

"About what?"

"He’s your Drake"

"What?"