Chapter 4

Elijah and Mr. Mike talked with each other as he drove us back the way he came.

I sat silently and wondered if his family would miss him when he was gone. If was the good person he was pretending to be, or if it was simply an act.

I turned my face to glance out the window as Elijah draped an arm around my shoulders.

Mr. Mike asked him what happened to his leg, and I was worried that if he told him the truth, we’d be dropped off on the side of the road.

“Doctor fucked up when I was born,” Elijah replied with a shrug.

“How so?” Mr. Mike pressed him.

“He missed when he was circumcising me,” he answered with a laugh as he held out his hands a considerable distance apart.

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly.

It was good to know that even though his brain was slightly muddled, he still was able to discern what he should and shouldn’t say to strangers.

No matter how nice they seemed to be at the given moment.

But, truth be told, it was never a stranger who caused either of us harm. It was the people who were supposed to love us best and take care of us who had made us into the fiends we had become.

“How much farther?” I asked, leaning around Elijah to glance at Mr. Mike.

“Um, shouldn’t be more than thirty minutes,” he said after he glanced at the watch on his wrist.

I nodded and leaned back, rested my head against Elijah, and swallowed a sigh.

Mr. Mike’s watch didn’t look fancy enough for this to be worth our time.

Maybe I could talk Elijah out of it.

I’d just have to figure out a reason to stop again and try to get him alone.

---

“Thanks for stopping. I should have gone again before we left the diner,” I said to Mr. Mike with a sheepish smile.

“It’s fine, Maisie. You take your time and I’ll gas up while I’m waiting,” he assured me with a kind grin.

As I pushed the door of his pick-up truck open, I met Elijah’s eyes, and he cleared his throat immediately.

It was an easy enough signal that we could remember.

I would give him a particular look and he would clear his throat to let me know that he understood.

“I should probably go too, just in case,” he announced as he hopped out after me.

“If you kids want to grab some snacks, tell them inside to add the charge to my pump,” Mr. Mike hollered after us.

I grinded my teeth together, then instantly regretted it as I pressed a hand to my jaw.

“What’s up, Mais?” Elijah inquired curiously as we stepped into the convenience store.

I shook my head as I continued walking toward the back, my eyes glued to the restroom sign painted in big, bold black letters above an entryway.

Once we crossed the threshold, I reached for Elijah and set him against the wall.

“I don’t think he really has any money,” I told him softly.

“How come?”

“Think about it, Lij. His watch looks like it’s made of cheap plastic, the diner was a place that even we could afford, and his pick-up truck looks like it’s being held together by rust.”

He pursed his lips as he looked away thoughtfully, causing me to grind my teeth again. Sometimes, he wouldn’t give way to common sense, and it was something I had been trying desperately hard to work with him on.

“Ow, fuck,” I grumbled softly as I pressed my hand against my jaw a little firmer this time.

“Stop, Mais.” The gentle touch of his hand as he pulled mine away from my face and brought it to his lips made me smile slightly.

“Sorry,” I said quietly. “These are really uncomfortable today.”

“So, take them out,” he suggested as he pulled me against him and rested his chin on the top of my head.

I shook my head vehemently, and he chuckled.

“Mais, I don’t care about that,” he assured me for what seemed like the millionth time since he found me again.

“I know, but I like to keep up appearances as best as I can when we’re out in public,” I replied quietly.

“Hm.”

I gently pulled away from Elijah and tucked my hair behind my ears. When he reached for me again, I took a deep breath and headed for the women’s restroom door.

I didn’t have to go before, but now that I knew I wouldn’t be able to change his mind, it jogged the need.

Besides, no matter how strong my sweet Elijah was, I knew he’d still need my help.

And I refused to ever let him down again.