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I tugged onold, hi me when I wasn’t around I slipped my backpack off my shoulder and pulled a wool beanie out of the front pocket I slipped it over my head, made sure all my hair was tucked underneath it, and scowled at hier I’m in I’m the one as tied up and knocked around He won’t be looking for a boyyou weren’t when you were looking for me" He frowned even harder at the reminder I’d already been overlooked under his nose once "I can’t sit in that loft doing nothing while you dissect every single thing on Goddard’s co I’m as much a part of this as you are, even if you can’t seehere in front of you"

He rocked back on his heels and lifted his hands like he was trying to deflect the truth inbad that can happen to you if you’re not careful When I close ht next to my sister"

I swore underinside someone else’s life and clothes I can’t be whoever this is forever I need to get back to being antic, heavy y sweatpants that were rolled up so I could ithout tripping over the theuise, but it was no longer working for me I wanted to feel like I was back in my own skin and back in control of rinding furiously behind his storue with me, then snapped it shut and looked back toward the open door of the expensive loft "LetGoddard’s tax returns for last year and I’ll go with you, wherever you want to go"

I should have known he wasn’t going to risk ain He was a minute too late the last tiain, but I wasn’t his responsibility I wasn’t his to take care of or to protect, even though a tiny part of me screa alone I want to see what’s going on at that nonprofit Soht and the kind of kids ould utilize that place aren’t going to talk to you They won’t trust so That kind of despair clings to you It leaves aand radiated too much power for skittish street kids to feel safe in his presence They would cla I would be able to slide through the ranks unnoticed and unquestioned in a way he never would

His head jerked back and his chin lifted "What do you think I have, Noe?" His tone was brittle and raspy re he’s always had, his erous weapon it was The safety was on and he’d only put his finger back on the trigger when I needed help

I sucked a breath through ray was as sharp as the edge of a knife I was talking about his nice house and his designer jeans and boots I was thinking about the fact that he was covered in obviously expensive artwork Those diamond studs he wore in his ears were no joke and any kid as hungry and homeless would resent the hell out of them I didn’t mean to diminish the fact he’d lost just asa pretty cushy and comfortable kind of life, and that wasn’t the case for

I touched my ear where it was covered by the hat "You have those shiny rocks in your ears and your glasses say Gucci Anyone who has to find their dinner in a du to notice those things, Stark"

He er set of jewels and the second smaller set They were an oddly feminine choice for such an overtly masculine man to make, but on hied to Savina I never take theut I reached out a hand to touch him, to soothe, but he backed away, eyes hard If my words had wounded him, he’d taken the pain and locked it away, solacial when it suited him His armor wasn’t on the outside, it rapped around his insides, tight and impenetrable

"Snowden" I took a step toward him but halted when he held up a wide hand and shook his head, telling o with you" It was a stateotiation "Once we get wherever it is you’re detero, I’ll wait outside"

It wasn’t the best option, but it was the only one he seerabbed so for the stairs and taking off on hi anyone push back when I laid down the law, and I wasn’t sure I appreciated his high-handed attitude, even though it was clear he believed he was acting in my best interest

When he headed in my direction, I noticed he’d added a battered, black baseball cap to his outfit and had tossed on a orn hoodie that covered up his massive bulk He still wouldn’t blend in, but he lookedthe streets of the Point and less like an eccentric genius who could make his own rules When he reached around me to call the elevator, the bottolimpse of the nine milliun had re it tucked into Stark’s waistband was a vivid reer was all around, and maybe I had been foolish in my rush to involveidle When I stopped , all the memories and recollections I swore I left behind had tihts was never fun Being alone with hts and Stark’s silence was even less fun, so I did what I always did: I ran away from it

We shuffled into the elevator and i quiet The only sound between either of us was the sound of our breath Mine were slow and steady as I tried to cal heart and nervous twitches His were low and furious He was breathing fire, and again I wondered how one man could have cold inside of him, when he also ran so hot I could feel his frustration pulsing in the air around us, but he didn’t say a word until I started for the front doors of the coain and told e on the lower level

I shookthe bus" The kids I wanted to talk to could spot a fake fro to blow my shot at infor up in an unmissable 4x4

When Stark made a face that clearly displayed his opinion on public transportation without saying a word, I calmly pointed out, "The cops won’t pull a bus over If Goddard still has people looking foron a bus"

He snorted in response but followed me out the front door anyway "Buses have ca for hinition software It won’t matter that you’re dressed like a boy; your face is still the sauhed and looked at him out of the corner of my eye It was time I leveled with hi out the fishy nonprofit was so i his own e but reasonable when it ca with ras he did to Julia," I shook ust "You know she wasn’t his first victio Before he had someone in his own home he could violate, he had to find victi to bet he started the nonprofit for no other reason than to have an endless pool of desperate, hopeless victi, alone, and scared, there is no end to the risks you’re willing to take when soood to be true I iine Goddard violated those kids, and the small amounts of money he took from the donations were bribes to keep the his house down around him was to uncover all his secrets This one is one that definitely needs to see the light of day Julia won’t ever get the opportunity to tell her story, but the other people that man has hurt should be able to They deserve to have a voice" Just like I’d deserved to be heard when I tried to tell people as going on in my house up on the Hill

I felt the warmth of his hand on my lower back as the bus rolled to a stop in front of us The doors whooshed open and the driver gave us a considering look as we trudged up the steps I dug my transit card out of the front pocket of e to pay for his ride We made our way to a couple of empty seats I had to put my backpack on my lap to make room for him, but even still, he took up ether fro a lot of odd looks I realized he was the only person on the bus who kneas a woman, and to everyone else we probably looked like the world’s ht turned h, which earned me a lifted eyebrow from the man seated next to me