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He shuffled his feet. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve—”
“Sit down, buddy.” Carol popped to her feet and offered her chair to him.
He studied her, looking unsure whether to follow her command.
“You plan on ditching my friend again?”
He shook his head.
“Then sit down and talk to her.” She hefted her purse onto her shoulder. “In fact, you can take her home. I’m out of here.”
Brick’s gaze followed her as she flounced out the door before he slowly lowered himself to the chair. His black T-shirt strained as he folded and then unfolded his arms.
“I thought you wanted me to stay away from you,” she said softly. “Kind of hard to do when you keep showing up in my space.”
“Fair enough.” He watched his hand as it flexed around his bottle of Bud.
The man always focused anywhere but on her. “You can’t even look at me?”
When his gaze traveled upward, his face betrayed his harsh need. “I can look. The problem is making myself stop.”
She had so many questions about who he was. Why he made her brother so sure he was dangerous. Thank God Carol hadn’t heard Will’s accusations. Otherwise, she’d still be giving the guy the third degree instead of strapping on her seatbelt and heading home.
She frowned. Maybe she should be doing the same…but which scenario? Ask the questions or walk away?
The old Liv would have chosen the latter.
“Are you a drug dealer?” The words popped out of her mouth before she made a conscious decision to ask.
Brick swallowed deeply from the drink he’d carried to the table. “I’m not, but I work for one. I don’t sell his product, but I won’t lie to you, what I do is no better. It’s—” He ground his teeth. “I hate it. I’m trying to get out, but it’s complicated. And dangerous. It’s why I blew you off. You shouldn’t be anywhere near my kind of life.”
Okay, he was trying to walk away. He couldn’t be all bad.
Brick didn’t wait for a response. “I want you to be safe. Do you…have someone to keep you safe, Olivia?”
Keep her safe? Who could’ve kept her safe from the cancer when it appeared out of nowhere last year? No one. She’d fought it and fucking won. She didn’t need anyone to keep her safe. What could be a bigger threat than the one she’d already faced?
“I’m safe.” Why the hell did her voice sound so breathy?
“No one is safe.” It seemed like he said it more to himself than to her.
Tough to argue the same conclusion she’d reached on her own ten seconds ago, but he looked so put out, she couldn’t help but grin. “Then why did you ask?”
He ignored the question. “I heard your brother just got out of jail. Is it true?”
She didn’t answer at first. Will’s nightmare was no one’s business but his own. She wouldn’t share the details, but she acknowledged the truth with a nod.
Brick leaned toward her, vibrating with intensity. “What did he do?”
“What happened with my brother is not my story to tell.” She would never spread her family secrets around. Even annoyed at Will, she’d never even consider betraying him.
“But would he ever hurt you? I know he got angry—”
“Stop right there.” Her lips pressed into a hard line. “My brother would never hurt me. He and my sister practically raised me, and he has never laid a hand on me in my entire life.”
Brick’s face softened for a moment before his questioning look returned. “What happened to your parents?”
She didn’t talk about them much, but something in the way he asked the question struck a chord. He cared about her answer. “My dad had cancer. He died when I was nine. Five years later, we lost Mom in a car accident. Will was eighteen, so the social workers let us stay together.” Even after all these years, the memory of losing her mom cut her wide open. She drained her wine glass and pushed it away.
