Shadow had actually helped her. Why would she report him for protecting her?
The insurance company would completely cripple her if she was to make a claim. They already demanded enough as it was. Half of her problem was the outrageous rent on her unit. She couldn’t catch a break.
“That’s a big … judgment you have.”
“Believe it or not, I’d rather trust you than a cop.” She poured the broken shards into the trash, and then stood, holding onto her shoulders. She really just wanted to cry. This was not how she wanted to start her day.
Maybe she really was fighting a losing battle to keep this dream alive, to make something of herself. Most of the kids she’d known growing up were addicts, dead, or in jail. She wanted so much more.
She released a breath.
“Again, you’re not talking.”
“I don’t know what to say, Shadow.” She dropped her hands, and looked around the small space. “I think it could be time to sell up. To face reality that some people get what they want, and others have no chance in hell of ever getting it.”
“All you want is a bakery?”
“A successful one. I don’t want millions or to go jet setting around. I just want a bakery that has people coming back for more. It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember.” She shrugged. What good were dreams when they were crumbling down around her?
“You don’t strike me as a quitter.”
She stared at him. He brought out so many of her feelings to the surface—the desire to be wanted, the need to put up more walls. “You shouldn’t be thinking about me.”
“Why not? I think about you. That’s why I’m here.”
Riley stopped. “Nobody’s ever helped me before.” She knew nothing about Shadow. Instead of worrying about the dead bodies at the other side of the plaza, he was looking at her in ways that made her heart race.
“I don’t normally help women out of uncomfortable situations, but I’ve got some free time on my hands. Those guys could be trouble for you. I’m thinking of sticking around for a little while.” He sat down on one of her chairs. “I like this place.”
She wasn’t really sure if she should take him seriously or not. Distrust came naturally to her. “I just watched you kill two guys. The way you fought… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Yeah, spattered his useless brains all over the place. Probably the best thing I could have done,” he said. Then he looked directly at her. “I didn’t like his hands on you.”
Putting a hand to her forehead, she closed her eyes, counting to ten. “You know this doesn’t bode well for me. Are you like a hitman or something?”
“Or something.” He winked at her.
“This is way too much for me, and way too early. I need coffee.”
“I’ll have a coffee. I’ll have some cream and sugar, too.”
He’d literally killed for her. The least she could do was get him a coffee. He also offered to be her personal bo
dyguard, and right now she didn’t want to be alone. No one else in her life ever cared what happened to her or what someone did to her. This man, her neighbor, pretty much a stranger to her, had taken a life for her. In a weird way, she was kind of touched.
Shadow was really sexy to look at, so at least she won’t mind the view. No, she shouldn’t be thinking about how sexy he was, or the fact she liked looking at him, or that she thought it was sweet he killed someone. That was what made her weird.
Making them both some coffee, she also toasted up some bread, and found Shadow at the table clicking away on his cell phone. Putting a plateful of toast on the table, and his coffee in front of him, she took a seat. “You don’t have to stick around, you know?”
“I’ve already organized a new sheet of glass. They should have it here within a couple hours.” He grabbed his coffee. “I’ve got nothing else to do.”
“A window company that comes that fast at this time of day?” she asked, intrigued by him. “And what kind of job do you have that means you don’t have to go to work every single day?”
“The one that makes me the boss.”
She stared at him recalling the conversation she witnessed the other week. “You’re not the boss.”
He tensed up. “How do you figure?”