Page 79 of Chalk Outline

I turn around in my seat to catch her slicing gaze, as tender as a butcher’s knife—the same one she had when I first met her. She still scares me more than any man my size. I’m defenseless around her because I will never lay a hand on a woman, even if she lays a hand on me.

“Hello, lady,” I reply, slowly leaning back.

“Romina,” she corrects—even their names rhyme. “How are you?” she asks. It doesn’t sound fake, and I can tell when it does.

Why does she care so much?

I still don’t understand why she did all of this for me.

I’m nothing to her.

“I’m okay.”

“That’s all?” She crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for my reply.

I don’t know what to say. I like it here and don’t want to be forced to leave. I have never had that kind of stability. There were days when I had to scrape the remnants of butter and salt from the vendors just to get by because what we had wasn’t enough to satisfy everyone, and Mom always came first; otherwise, she couldn’t function. She made the money anyway, so I needed to ensure she could.

She needs to see that I’m a good boy and wouldn’t cause trouble because I’d be finished if she kicks me out of here. That’s my last resort.

I gulp so hard I nearly choke.

“I really like it. I want to stay.”

“Don’t worry. This is your new home for the next five years. Keep training and enjoy the routine. The freedom. After you finish training, you’ll come work for me.”

I exhale a breath of relief, glad I don’t have to worry about the next five years for now.

“What will I do for you?” I cock my head and squint against the harsh sunlight peeking through the trees.

“You’ll start small and make your own money.”

I definitely like the sound of that.

I want to be independent and provide for myself and my future…

Yeah, I don’t know if I will have a future with anyone.

I clench my jaw as the realization hits, but I nod at Romina’s softened features. So, she is capable of expressing human emotions.

“I will revisit you in two and a half years to check on you.” Her decisiveness cuts through the air between us, which means I won’t see Winona until then—if she even plans to bring her at all.

I will count every hour of every day just for a chance to see her again. Maybe I’ll earn her smile next time. It’s enough time to ask the older guys around here how to act normally instead of being a mountain of crippling anxiety.

I don’t want to disappoint her by acting like a complete idiot.

“For how long are you planning to stay here?” I ask, hoping for a thrilling answer. One that will give me the green light to pursue my new obsession. I don’t have comic books around here, which are usually my go-to; just old books and “the classics.”

Her deadly eyes study me with no end. “A month.”

It’s longer than I expected.

“How’s my mom?” I change the subject. Right before I left, I asked Romina if she could check on my mom this one time to make sure she was okay. No one was there to look out for her when I wasn’t around—not even those clowns from the circus who called themselves “friends.”

A heavy sigh that feels as though it weighs like a gigantic rock escapes her mouth. Why do I feel like I need to prepare for abomb drop? The vise-like grip on my chest makes it harder to breathe.

“I’m sorry, Reeve. I’m truly sorry. She was found dead.”

No.