A couple of hours into the party, Owen was still feeling like the biggest jerk in the world. He’d tried to enjoy the festivities his parents had set up for Hayley but he couldn’t seem to find a jovial bone in his body. He was in a bad mood and what bothered him the most was that Leah was acting as if the incident between them had never happened.

It hadn’t helped anything that he was surrounded by twenty screaming ten year olds and their parents. Anne had seen her son’s lackadaisical attitude and had suggested he invite someone his own age to keep him company. He’d immediately called his longtime friend Jeffery. They’d both played varsity football all four years of high school and now that they’d graduated, a football scholarship was in their sights. He was sure his friend would have been offered an academic scholarship as well if he’d paid more attention to his studies than the female population on campus.

He couldn’t completely blame Jeffery for the amount of attention he got from the opposite sex. Jeffery was a good looking guy with sweeping brown hair and piercing blue eyes. The girls at school had gone gaga for his boy band looks and athletic build.

“Hey man, who’s that?” Jeffery pointed toward Leah who was bent down, feeding a miniature colt in the small petting zoo the Greenburg’s had reserved for the day.

“No one,” Owen sneered and took a swallow of the punch Jeffery had spiked with vodka. He was hoping the alcohol would take the edge off but nothing seemed to help his mood since his encounter with Leah earlier.

“She’s hot.” Jeffery nodded his approval and took down his own drink.

“Dude, don’t bother. She’ll be gone by tomorrow. And besides, since when have you been into black girls?”

Feigning offence, Jeffery gave his friend a look.

“Hey, I’m down with the swirl. Plus, they’re all the same color on the inside.” Jeffery winked and let out a laugh.

Owen rolled his eyes, not finding any humor in Jeffery’s attraction to Leah. “Just stay away from her. You don’t wanna get mixed up with that, trust me.”

“Why not? Does she have a communicable disease?”

“Just don’t.” Owen snapped and quickly gulped down the rest of his drink.

With a frown, Jeffery studied his best friend closely. He’d never seen Owen so troubled before and when he followed his line of vision to the girl in question, Jeffery’s smile grew slowly.

“You have a thing for her.”

“What?” Owen shrieked, catching the attention of some parents in attendance. He gave them a reassuring smile before turning back to Jeffery. “I can’t fucking stand her.” He hissed and stood to refill his cup.

Jeffery followed suit and trailed behind his companion. “Well, something’s going on. I’ve never seen you this brooding before.”

“Look, Jeff, I don’t give a shit what you do with concern to Lee. Just know that she’s trouble and if I were you, I’d leave it alone.”

Leaving Jeffery to contemplate his words, Owen made his way into the house for privacy. He couldn’t control what Jeffery did or said, but he damn sure could control if he decided to listen or not.

The young man turned his attention back to the beautiful stranger feeding miniature horses. Jeffery considered “trouble” his middle name, which deemed Miss Lee right up his alley and directly in his sights. He’d never been good with following instructions or heeding warnings. It only made it that much more intriguing to play with something that wasn’t meant to be played with. He smiled lazily and moved in Leah’s direction.

“Excuse me, but I don’t think we’ve met.”

Leah turned her attention away from the farm animal she was stroking to look over her shoulder. She was met with a wide grin that didn’t seem at all sincere. In fact, it actually looked more like a sinister smirk, almost as if there was something going on behind the innocent blue eyes.

She gave the boy a once over and then turned back her goat. “Nope.”

Not accustomed to being ignored, Jeffery’s smile faltered a bit but he replaced it with a challenging grin as he picked up some feed to give to the animal himself.

“I’m Jeff. What’s your name?”

“None ya.” She deadpanned and brushed off her jeans as she stood.

“Nice to meet you, None ya. Are you a friend of the Greenburg’s?” He held out his hand for her to shake. She glanced down at it and brushed by him without a word.

Not all together fazed, Jeffery continued to probe. “You must have arrived here earlier this week. Are you staying for the summer?”

Leah began to walk away, annoyed with twenty questions. But Jeffery followed closely behind.

“We have pretty hot summers here. But luckily it rains al—”

“Look, Jay—”

“Jeff.” He countered with a smile, hoping he’d broken her.

“Whatever. I’m not particularly in the mood to be friendly. So, it’d be in your best interest to quit while you’re ahead.” She flashed a faux smile and made her way into the house for some quiet.

Jeffery watched her backside as she made her escape into the house. He couldn’t say he much cared for rejection but he loved the thrill of a chase. He’d get to know mystery girl, one way or another.

****

In the middle of pouring himself another spiked drink, Owen heard the backyard screen door open then shut. He quickly capped the vodka and tried to hurriedly conceal his actions before the intruder figured out what he was doing.

“You wouldn’t be willing to share any of that, would you?”

Owen turned to look over his shoulder and spotted Leah with a plastic red cup in her hand, her eyes pleading for an alcoholic drink.

Shrugging disinterestedly, Owen moved aside. “Go right ahead.”

He watched her over the rim of his cup as she reached for the glass bottle and poured a considerable amount of vodka. He wondered how much punch she had added beforehand, considered checking himself for the briefest moment. Owen continued to lean against the counter, sipping his drink and watching Leah.

“Hiding out?”

Leah’s head snapped up at the question, as if she’d forgotten he was still in the room. “Are you?” She said with a raised eyebrow.

He nodded truthfully, which surprised them both.  “Avoiding a friend.”

“That Jeff guy?”

Owen groaned. “You met him? Oh God, whatever he said, just ignore him. He’s a moron.”

“I picked up on that pretty quickly.” Leah deadpanned and swirled the contents of her drink.

“Jeff really can’t help himself. He has no filter or boundaries.”

Leah blinked, not sure why he had struck up a conversation with her at all. They weren’t friends, or even acquaintances. This had been the first civilized discussion they’d had since meeting, she noted. She found it odd that even though this was a new occurrence, she wanted him to continue talking. Pushing the idea from her head, she gulped down her drink and hissed at the after-burn.

“Oh my God,” she coughed, not expecting it to be as strong as it was.

Partly concerned, Owen moved to her side quickly and patted her back to assist her in breathing. When her hacking subsided, he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“You okay?”

All she could do was, as her voice hadn’t completely come back yet. With his hand still on her back, Owen couldn’t help be noticed how small she was, yet still supple. Under his palm he could feel her spine protruding a bit from beneath her shirt but didn’t observe her as being malnourished. She looked healthy enough, especially for having been on the streets for some time. It hit him then that she was going to be leaving in a few hours and she’d have to scrape for every meal. In that instant, regret settled in his gut.

Unfamiliar with the sensation toward the girl he still considered untrustworthy, he pulled back and put space between them. He opened his mouth to say something snarky, if for no other reason than to put them back on familiar territory but he was interrupted by Hayley’s voice.

“Hey! What are you guys doing in here?”

The both jumped back, even though they weren’t close enough for anyone to make assumptions.

“Nothing!” They said simultaneously.

Hayley raised an eyebrow and shifted her gaze between the two teens. Shrugging, she reached out and grabbed Leah’s hand. “C’mon! We’re about to cut the cake and open presents!”

Leah couldn’t help but grin as she was tugged along by the birthday girl. She looked over her shoulder briefly at Owen, wondering if he’d follow.

“I’ll be right there.” He lifted his cup as a toast and gulped the rest of it down.

“Okay, but hurry. I don’t want you to miss anything!” Hayley beamed and pulled Leah through the backdoor.

Alone, Owen sighed and poured a shot worth of Vodka into his cup. He swallowed the liquid quickly and stuffed the alcohol back into Jeff’s backpack. He hoped once the alcohol digested that it would relax him.

Compassion; that’s all it was he was feeling for Leah. She didn’t have anyone, and though she was still a thief in his eyes, he wasn’t going to antagonize her. In truth, he didn’t know her or what she’d been through. And in finding out about her parents, he’d decided he was going to tolerate her for however long she was with them, which he hoped wouldn’t be much longer.

Owen reached for Leah’s discarded cup, stacked his on top and threw them away before he made his way outside to watch his baby sister open her presents.

****

Virgil Boyle sighed and tapped a cadence on the arm of his leather chair. “She’s seventeen years old. A child. And you’re telling me that you can’t find her?”

The question was directed at his right hand man, Timothy Gates; a mousy looking individual that one would write off as weak and unassuming. But the man had a talent for knife throwing and information retention, which made him an asset as a partner.

“Sir, we’ve checked homeless shelters, soup kitchens, the whole nine.” Gates said and shifted nervously.

The older man’s voice remained relatively calm as he regarded Gates. “Have you tried hotels? Inns?”

Gates shook his head. “The obituaries maybe? She could be dead for all we know, and you’re wasting precious manpower on a dead kid.”

“I assure you. She is not dead. If that were the case, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I may be old but I’m no fool, Gates. She’s very much alive and I want to know what she knows. I could go to prison for a long time,” Virgil hissed and scooted to the edge of his chair.

“How about I just kill the kid—”

Abruptly, Virgil stood and pointed a finger at Gates, his eyes filled with fire. “You hurt her and I’ll chop you into tiny pieces, but not before I’ve ripped out your heart. That of which I’d put on display.”

Gates held up his hands innocently. “Okay, okay. We don’t hurt her and I’ll let the other guys know. But what exactly do we do with her once she’s found.”

The older man sat back, regaining his composure. But his eyes still held warning. “That’s not your concern. Just find her.”

 With a nod of confirmation, Gates left Virgil to himself. Once he was alone, Virgil sat back in his chair again. He fingered the photograph on his tabletop and lifted it to eye level. A younger version of Leah smiled back at him. She’d probably been about fifteen in the photo. Her hair was longer and her eyes held an innocence that he was sure was long gone. He wasn’t sure of the things she’d seen or what she knew about her parents death but he knew he needed to find her.

****

Later that evening, when all the guests had left, a small black Labrador yipped before it turned over on its belly, waiting for a rub. Leah rolled her eyes but did as the animal wanted.

“Got a name for her yet?”

Hayley reached for the dog and lifted it into the air. When she brought it back down, the puppy lapped at her nose. “I dunno,” she giggled and set it down again.

“What about Cujo?” Owen mentioned from the recliner as the pup began growling and tugging on his pants leg.

Hayley rolled her eyes and plucked the puppy up again. “She’s a girl, dummy. I’m thinking maybe…Princess.”

“That’s cute,” Leah yawned and stretched out on the rug.

Anne entered the living room and smiled as she watched her youngest fawn over her new puppy and her oldest observe with faux disinterest. She surveyed Leah most of all. The girl that had come to them just days before seemed to be assimilating well. Although Leah had claimed she was leaving tonight, the even breaths she took while sprawled out on the rug told Anne she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Time for bed, Birthday girl.”

Hayley turned to her mother and pouted. “Mom, please can I stay up until midnight? Me and Princess aren’t sleepy.”

Anne chuckled as Hayley yawned. “I’ve heard that before. You’ll thank me tomorrow, kid. C’mon.” She held out a hand to her daughter.

Picking up Princess, Hayley snuggled into her mother’s side.

“Night, Hales. Happy Birthday.” Owen waved and let his head loll to one side, his eyes closing.

“Oh Owen? Help Lee to bed when she’s ready. Poor thing is exhausted” Anne said over her shoulder. “And turn off the lights before you head up.”

Owen listened to his family’s fleeting footsteps up the stairs as he began to protest, but he knew his mother would only chew him out later. He groaned and pushed himself from the recliner to kneel next to the sleeping girl. He shook her once, hoping it would jar her, but she remained still. With the roll of his eyes, he tried again, calling her name in conjunction with the shaking.

“Leah, wake up.”

She whimpered softly then settled into sleep again. Maybe it’d been the alcohol that had made her so tired, he thought. Because nothing waking her up. One an irritated sigh, he positioned his arms under her body and lifted her from the floor. As he carried her up the stairs, he recalled the first time they’d met and how light she’d felt in his arms then. She didn’t curl into him, but she did hold on. When he reached the guestroom and pushed the door open, she began to wither from his hold.

“Thanks for the lift,” she smirked once her feet hit the floor and turned to flip on the light.

Owen blinked in disbelief. “You weren’t asleep? And I carried your ass up the stairs?” He threw his hands up and waited for her to explain.

“I’m a light sleeper. I didn’t feel like walking, so I let you carry me.” She shrugged as she pulled back the bedspread.

“Unbelievable! You…I really can’t stand you.” He grunted and ran a hand over his face.

“Feeling is mutual.”

“When are you leaving again?”

She whipped around to face him. “What the hell is your problem? One minute you’re civil, and then the next you’re on a rampage. Do you have a dual personality disorder or something?”

“Of course not,” he seethed “I just don’t like the idea of a criminal roaming around my house.”

“Get over yourself already. If I was going to take something, I’d have done it by now. And it certainly wouldn’t be something of yours.”

He suddenly stood straight and narrowed his eyes. “So, you did take something?” Owen reached for the pockets on her jeans to inspect them.

She slapped his hands away and moved to shove him back, but he caught her by the arms and held her in place. They both froze when their eyes locked. Their bodies were pressed close, so much so that Owen could feel the beat of her heart against his own.

Leah swallowed inaudibly and began to step back. “Let me go.” She tried to sound menacing but her voice came out almost desperately, as if begging him not to come any closer.

Still watching her, he flexed his fingers slowly and released his hold. He back away slowly and when he stood in the doorway, he stalked down the hall toward his room.

Leah remained still as she watched Owen make his exit. She’d had no idea what had just happened or what was about to happen. The boy apparently had a malfunction. She’d never met anyone who had such a rollercoaster of emotions. She just couldn’t keep up with his mood swings and was becoming sick of having to deal with them at all. Leah had planned to leave tonight but she knew Hayley would never have allowed that, not that she was trying to stay for the girl.

Tomorrow, she thought as she prepared for bed, she would be out of here. Nothing was going to stop her; not Hayley, Anne, David and sure as hell not that crazy kid down the hall. After tomorrow she wouldn’t have to deal with yipping dogs, nosey parents, happy-go-lucky ten year olds, and idiot teenaged boys with smooth lips.