Takedown Teague (Caged 1)

“It’s about a mile and a half down, actually,” I told her. “It’s in an area that used to have a park in it when all the factories were still in business. I think it was set up for people to go eat their lunch or something. I go past it every day.”

“Every day?” she repeated.

“Yes, every day,” I mocked. She glared at me. Her expression made me grin—she was such a tiny thing but definitely had a temper to her as well. Even though I was still aware of the shitty closed-up storefronts, broken glass, and vulgar smells around us, everything else seemed to fade into the background as I talked with her. “I run in the mornings.”

“Do you work out every day, too?”

“Uh-uh,” I said as I shook my head from side to side and tapped my chest with my thumb. “I’m performing the interrogation here.”

I eyed her as I pulled a cigarette out of the pack in my pocket and lit it.

“You got a boyfriend back home?”

“No,” she said bluntly.

“Oh.” I didn’t really know what to say about that. She didn’t offer anything else, and again I got the idea I should find another subject. “Favorite flower?”

“Seriously?”

“Just tell me!” I snapped.

“I don’t know…um…orchids, I guess.” She reached up and pulled the band out of her hair, which then fell around her shoulders. “They’re so complicated. You can look at them for an hour and keep seeing new parts of them.”

“You could look at a flower for an hour?” I snickered. “You need cable TV.”

“I can barely make the bills as it is,” Tria replied. “No way could I add another forty bucks a month on top of it.”

“I’ve got cable,” I told her. “You could come watch a movie with me or something.”

She glanced away, and I knew I had said something wrong. Shit, it had probably sounded like I was coming on to her. I hadn’t meant it that way—not really.

Had I?

“My mom always taught me to share.” I started babbling to make up for what I was sure was a faux pas. “Since I share it with the neighbor, I could also share it with you, ya know? I mean, what else are big brothers for, right?”

I had no idea where that shit came from.

“Big brother?” Tria repeated. Her brow furrowed, and she brought her hand up to chew at the edge of her thumbnail.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. I smiled, hoping it looked friendly and not incestuously creepy. “That’s kind of what I’m doing here, right? Helping you out and shit, like a brother would?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I guess that makes sense.”

She smiled then, and my heart sped up a bit when she turned it on me. I smiled back but was pretty sure my smile didn’t light up my face the way hers did. I was already regretting what I said, especially given her reaction to it. I looked away and down the street, somewhat surprised and not entirely happy to see our building looming closer and closer with each step. We were at the door less than a minute later, and right after that, we were s

tanding at the door to her apartment.

Again.

“So what time do you work tomorrow?” I asked.

“Six to closing,” Tria said. “I should be done by one thirty, but that doesn’t seem to be happening lately.”

“I should be done with my workout in the afternoon,” I said. “I could walk you to work.”

“It’s still light out then, Liam,” Tria said with a shake of her head. “I can’t take up all your free time.”

“I told you, it’s this or cable. Besides, walking is a decent cooldown after a long workout. I could use it.”