That set her off again.
Jace grabbed both arms. “Enough. Now, answer Mack.”
“Because I’m retarded,” she screamed.
The three stood silently for a moment.
“We’ll deal with that bullshit later. Right now, we want you to come with us.”
She dug in her heels. “You said you weren’t cops.”
“We aren’t. We’re concerned citizens,” Mack said.
“Or you’re perverts,” she hissed.
Jace nodded. “I can see how you would think that, but you’re going to have to trust us.”
“I don’t trust anyone except Mirna.”
“You’ll learn to trust us later. Let’s go.”
She dug in her heels. “I can’t. Mirna needs me.”
“Sweetheart, the old guy said she’s been around for years.”
“You don’t understand. She’s sick.”
The men faced her again.
“With what?”
Kaylin shrugged. “I don’t know, but her breathing is getting worse, and her lips are turning blue.”
“Have you guys tried the Emergency Room?”
She shook her head. “She won’t go there. She’s terrified of it. I’ve tried.”
“How about we help you with her?” Mack said. “But you’ll have to come with us without fighting.”
“If you help her, I’ll do anything,” she said.
“Let’s go.” They were at the end of the alley when Jace noticed she still had food in her arms. “Baby, we’ll feed both of you. You don’t need that.”
Kaylin shook her head. “I’ll bring it. There are more people around that could use it.”
Damn, she was sweet. She was too sweet to be there, and he was surprised she hadn’t been raped or killed already. Hell, she might have had bad things happen to her. They’d find out eventually. They’d do what they could to take care of the situation because they wouldn’t let her stay on the streets another day.
Chapter Two
Kaylin’s heart still had not calmed down from her terror when the men grabbed her. Mirna always told her to be invisible, so the monsters wouldn’t get her. After talking to them, these men didn’t seem like monsters, but she could never be sure.
She walked calmly between the big men, aware they both had a hand on her. She guessed it was because they thought she would run, but if they could help her friend, she’d deal with her fear. It felt like she’d dealt with terror her whole life. They walked several blocks until she took them down another alley. This one was wider and didn’t have a dead end.
“She’s over here.”
She took them over to Mirna’s home, which was made of wood and cardboard.
“Mirna, I have some people that want to help you,” she said.