Page 37 of His Other Half

"Still..." Chrischris approached her. "We don't want you out at night alone."

She tilted her head. "We?"

"We feel like Paco would want you protected." Chrischris lifted his chin. "I'll wait outside with you until he gets here. It'll only be a couple of minutes. Rick lives close. It won't take him long."

Cami shrugged, letting her know she had no idea what was going on. Josie went outside, staying close to the apartment to wait. Secretly, it pleased her that she wouldn't be alone. Until he'd mentioned her going out at night, she hadn't thought of her own safety in her worry about Paco.

Since she'd left the Rez, the one time she went out alone at night was when she went to the casino, wanting Askook to see her, so she could get to Cami and bring her home. That was a mistake, but her friend's life was at stake. She'd do it again.

Cami stepped out with her. She said softly, "I don't like leaving you alone."

"I'll stay with her until you get back." Chrischris put his hands in his vest pockets, standing off to the side of them. "She'll be fine."

She studied Cami. If her friend showed any hesitation, she'd stay.

"It's okay. I'm safe with him." Cami squeezed her hand. "I'm more worried about you."

"I'm sure the other Tarkio members will be there, too." She turned at the sound of a loud rumble. "I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Be careful." Cami waved to her.

She jogged over to her car, not knowing what would happen when she reached Paco. Glancing in the side mirror, she met the stern gaze of Rick. She hadn't met him, and if he'd shown up at the body shop before, she hadn't remembered seeing him.

All the Tarkio members were intimidating if she went by their appearance alone. But the stern face looking back at her was a shocking reality that she'd traded one group of men at the Rez who wanted to hurt her for a group of men who wanted to protect her. That kept her from freaking out.

The short ride to Paco's house ended when she pulled into his driveway. There were four motorcycles in front of her vehicle, and she made sure she parked off to the side in case they left first and could get around her car.

Walking to the door with Rick, she inhaled deeply. The connection she had with Paco was private. It was strange to have others around while she talked to him.

"Remember, you can leave whenever you want. Say the word, and I'll follow you home to make sure you're safe." Rick opened the door before she could thank him.

The stench inside his house reached her nose before she spotted Wyatt, Slick, and another Tarkio member standing in the living room. She looked around for Paco, and when it was obvious he wasn't in the room, she raised her palm in question.

Wyatt motioned his chin toward the kitchen. At the same time, sharp banging filled the house. She slowly walked toward the noise.

At the sight of Paco opening and shutting the cabinets, she forgot about the others in the house. All he wore were a pair of jeans. Stripped of everything else, his messy hair emphasized the bags under his eyes.

Paco pulled out a plastic container, ripped the lid off, and then tossed the Tupperware to the floor and reached for another cabinet. She stayed at the edge of the kitchen, out of his way.

Behind the frantic behavior, he seemed angry.

"Paco," she said softly.

He stilled his hand on the shelf. She waited until he turned around, and she stepped forward when he continued to keep his back to her.

"What are you doing?" She leaned, wanting to see his face.

His gaze connected with her. The pain reflected in his eyes stole her soul.

Something was wrong.

His eyes, while focused on her, were empty. With his black pupils dilated all the way, she couldn't make out the creamy chocolate brown of his irises.

It was like he looked at her, but he wasn't seeing her. She couldn't see him. The change made him unrecognizable.

She placed her hand on his arm, needing him to be Paco again, not this stranger looking at her.

His muscles tensed against her palm. Her mouth dried.