that’s fine,” I said. “But really. Don’t lie to me about it. Some asshole shows up at your house last night, you tell me to go, then you show up looking like you went a couple rounds this morning. I’m not stupid. So don’t tell me if it’s none of my business, but don’t lie to me.”
Her lips twisted together and her hand fiddled with one of the hoop earrings in her ear, still refusing to look at me. “Not that simple.”
“What’s not that simple?”
She rolled the eye I could see. “Everything.”
“Seems pretty simple to me,” I said. “Your pal David punched you in the face.”
She turned fully toward me, not bothering to hide her face now. “You don’t wanna get involved, okay? I can handle it.”
“Handle what?”
She slid the menus off the table and stood. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“If you’d come down to the beach, I wouldn’t be here.”
She shook her head and made a face. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t. But you … don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
She hugged the menus to her chest and bit down on her bottom lip. She started to say something, then stopped. She shook her head again. “You were right the first time.”
“Right about what?”
She squinted at me, the ugly red line beneath her eye puckering. “It’s none of your business.”
She turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
SIXTEEN
I left the restaurant and Bella in a hurry, furious at myself for letting my guard down. It was the first time since I’d left San Diego that I’d allowed myself to even be friends with someone and I was being dismissed. I jumped on my bike and pedaled hard, swearing the entire way back to the house. I was livid, but not with her and not with the asshole who’d beaten her up. I was angry with myself. I was alone and I didn’t need to do anything to change that. Including getting involved with her.
I was breathing hard and my legs burned as I turned into the cul-de-sac.
Zip was sitting in my driveway.
And everything else fell away.
I stopped the bike at the edge of the driveway, trying to compose myself. He looked up and held up a lazy hand in greeting, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He squinted at me, his lips stretched into a thin smile as he sucked on the cigarette. “Hey, Noah.”
My chest heaved and I stepped off the bike. I walked it past him and rested it against the side of the house. I tried to catch my breath as I walked back to him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again.
He ambled slowly to his feet, the green tank top and long cargo shorts hanging loosely on his skinny frame. He took a long drag on the cigarette, then pulled it from his lips.
“Just wanted to check out your new digs,” he said, exhaling a long plume of smoke.
“How’d you find me?”
He pinched the cigarette between his fingers and took another drag, then let the smoke curl out of his mouth. “Yeah, I heard you might not want people finding you.”
I let my breathing settle. “I meant how'd you find where I live?”
He grinned again, exposing a mouthful of dirty teeth. “I just did some askin’ around, you know? Sort of like Mission Beach around here. Somebody new moves in, locals know. You know?”
I nodded. I despised the fact that a guy like Zip could make me feel so anxious. It was all I could do to not look over my shoulder and wonder who might be coming for me.
“After I saw you the other night, I just thought … you know, we could hang out,” he said, sucking the life out of the cigarette, the butt glowing bright orange. “Being old pals from SoCal and all.”
“We weren’t pals, Zip.”
He nodded, chuckling. “Right on. That’s true. But you know. That was all just business.”
Carter and I had helped shake Liz’s brother, Alex, free from a scam Zip
Her lips twisted together and her hand fiddled with one of the hoop earrings in her ear, still refusing to look at me. “Not that simple.”
“What’s not that simple?”
She rolled the eye I could see. “Everything.”
“Seems pretty simple to me,” I said. “Your pal David punched you in the face.”
She turned fully toward me, not bothering to hide her face now. “You don’t wanna get involved, okay? I can handle it.”
“Handle what?”
She slid the menus off the table and stood. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“If you’d come down to the beach, I wouldn’t be here.”
She shook her head and made a face. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t. But you … don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
She hugged the menus to her chest and bit down on her bottom lip. She started to say something, then stopped. She shook her head again. “You were right the first time.”
“Right about what?”
She squinted at me, the ugly red line beneath her eye puckering. “It’s none of your business.”
She turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
SIXTEEN
I left the restaurant and Bella in a hurry, furious at myself for letting my guard down. It was the first time since I’d left San Diego that I’d allowed myself to even be friends with someone and I was being dismissed. I jumped on my bike and pedaled hard, swearing the entire way back to the house. I was livid, but not with her and not with the asshole who’d beaten her up. I was angry with myself. I was alone and I didn’t need to do anything to change that. Including getting involved with her.
I was breathing hard and my legs burned as I turned into the cul-de-sac.
Zip was sitting in my driveway.
And everything else fell away.
I stopped the bike at the edge of the driveway, trying to compose myself. He looked up and held up a lazy hand in greeting, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He squinted at me, his lips stretched into a thin smile as he sucked on the cigarette. “Hey, Noah.”
My chest heaved and I stepped off the bike. I walked it past him and rested it against the side of the house. I tried to catch my breath as I walked back to him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again.
He ambled slowly to his feet, the green tank top and long cargo shorts hanging loosely on his skinny frame. He took a long drag on the cigarette, then pulled it from his lips.
“Just wanted to check out your new digs,” he said, exhaling a long plume of smoke.
“How’d you find me?”
He pinched the cigarette between his fingers and took another drag, then let the smoke curl out of his mouth. “Yeah, I heard you might not want people finding you.”
I let my breathing settle. “I meant how'd you find where I live?”
He grinned again, exposing a mouthful of dirty teeth. “I just did some askin’ around, you know? Sort of like Mission Beach around here. Somebody new moves in, locals know. You know?”
I nodded. I despised the fact that a guy like Zip could make me feel so anxious. It was all I could do to not look over my shoulder and wonder who might be coming for me.
“After I saw you the other night, I just thought … you know, we could hang out,” he said, sucking the life out of the cigarette, the butt glowing bright orange. “Being old pals from SoCal and all.”
“We weren’t pals, Zip.”
He nodded, chuckling. “Right on. That’s true. But you know. That was all just business.”
Carter and I had helped shake Liz’s brother, Alex, free from a scam Zip
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