Page 4 of Finding Shelter
“You can just give me yours and save some hassle.”
Ledger nodded. That was easier, especially since he wasn’t a hundred percent sure he remembered how to add another person into the system. “Let me see your phone. I’ll add myself to your contacts with my number, alarm PIN, and the address here. Then youshould be set.”
Kash motioned toward the kitchen. “I left my phone on the counter.”
Together they stepped into the kitchen. Kash grabbed the device, unlocked it, and then handed the phone to Ledger. Ledger went straight to the contacts. He tried not to think about Kash’s blank wallpaper. Maybe he read too much into a small thing, but the wallpaper on people’s phones was a popular avenue for expressing oneself or showcasing someone they love. Kash had a black background, devoid of life.
While Ledger typed, a text message flashed across the screen.We have a quick job if you have time.There was nothing inherently bad in the message. For whatever reason, a gut feeling hit. Kash just seemed so hardened.Dangerous.
Ledger finished and passed the device back. “A text came through while I was typing my info.”
Kash nodded and shoved the phone into his back pocket without looking at the device, obviously giving no fucks about any messages. “It’s nearly two a.m. I guess I should pick one of those rooms.”
Ledger nodded, even as a sense of sadness overcame him. He hadn’t sat and spoken with anyone in a while. While Ledger was tired, he already knew he wouldn’t sleep. Ledger made his way down the hall. He motioned toward the path they walked. “Pick any one of these.”
“Which is closest to you?”
Ledger had to hide his emotions before he turned and met Kash’s stare. “There’s a guest room next to mine, but it’s tiny.The bathroom is basically just a small sink, walk-in shower, and a toilet. These rooms are a lot bigger with much better bathrooms.”
Kash never broke eye contact. “The one next to you. I can’t keep you safe at night if I can’t hear you shout.”
That made sense. Ledger still felt bad, though. Kash deserved a better room.
“Come on.” Ledger brushed past him and headed in the opposite direction. Kash was such a big guy, Ledger had to turn sideways to scoot past him. If he wasn’t mistaken, Kash intentionally forced Ledger to touch him. Maybe he was losing his mind. When he reached Kash’s new bedroom and the lights flared to life, a major detail hit Ledger. As Kash strolled into thebedroom, Ledger couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed sooner. “You don’t have any luggage.”
Kash eyed the room. He didn’t meet Ledger’s stare. “The airport lost my bags.”
Ledger shook his head. “Why didn’t you say something? We could’ve made a quick trip to buy what you need until your bags are found. There’s nothing open now.” As he spoke, Ledger realized it wasn’t just the bags. Kash hadn’t spoken much at all. He hadn’t told Ledger anything of value about his life now. Kash had spent the night asking questions and focusing on Ledger. Ledger hadn’t even noticed the deflection.
“I’m good. Tomorrow, I’ll get a car and pick up whatever I need. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like I’ll sleep anyway. Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”
Ledger had never wanted to stay put so badly in his life. He wanted to hear Kash’s every story. “I have a pair of pajama pants you can borrow. Everything you need to shower is in the bathroom. If you can’t find what you need, I’ll probably have something you can use. I want you to feel like this is your home.”
The intensity of Kash’s stare had Ledger holding his breath. “This place already feels closer to home than any place I’ve lived in years. You’re here.”
Ledger swallowed. He had to be reading too much into Kash’s every word. They had known each other for a long time. That was all. It had to be all.
“Well, I’m not going anywhere, so… would you like those pants?”
A smile lit Kash’s face. His eyes twinkled with silent laughter. “Yeah. I want your pants.”
There was so much humor in Kash’s tone, Ledger couldn’t help but smile. This was the Kash he remembered. He was steady, serious, and kind, but he was also playful with a slightly wicked sense of humor. Damn.
“I’ve really missed you.” Even though Ledger kind of wanted to bite off his tongue, he didn’t take his words back. He had a feeling Kash needed someone to miss him.
“Me too.”
The funny thing was, Ledger didn’t know which of them Kash meant. Ledger had a bad feeling it was himself.
Chapter Three
Kashstaredatthedark bedroom ceiling, wearing Ledger’s pants. He couldn’t stop over-analyzing every second he spent with Ledger. All the nights he heard Ledger pace, and Kash had joined him, ran through his mind. They had never spoken about anything heavy. Yet, somehow, he had also told Ledger every ugly detail of his home life. Ledger had never judged him or acted like he would call CPS. He understoodKash took care of himself, and life in the system would be worse than powering through a couple of months. It wasn’t like he had been physically abused or anything. His mom had just checked out long before she died. No big deal. A lot of people had worse problems than he did—like Ledger. Ledger had a cheating husband who loved tormenting his son. Of course, it had made perfect sense for Ry to leave on Valon’s eighteenth birthday. The possibility of paying child support had kept him trapped in a marriage he didn’t want anymore. Except there were real people hurting from his every shitty move. While he knew Ledger suspected Ry slept around, he had never found definitive proof. Kash knew that because he knew Ledger. Ledger wasn’t weak, and he had a backbone of steel. If he couldhave proven he wasn’t simply crazy—at least according to Ry, who called him that all the time—Ledger would have kicked his ass to the curb. But Ledger wasn’t the type to throw away a twenty-year marriage over a gut feeling. Unfortunately, Kash had known Ledger’s suspicions were true. Not only had Kash stalked Ry until he found the truth, but Ry had also propositioned Kash a time or two. Kash was two years older than Valon and had graduated two years ahead of him. After he walked across that stage he never thought he would conquer, Kash grabbed a bottle of Jack from his mom's old stash and went home with Valon to get absolutely shitfaced. When he heard quiet steps moving through the house, Kash immediately climbed out of bed to sit with Ledger. Except it wasn’tLedger, and Ry had been way too welcoming. That encounter had shaken Kash a bit, especially since it turned out to be the first in a long line of uncomfortable nights. While he stayed at Valon’s place more than his own home, he wasn’t allowed to sleep in the same bed as Valon. They had given Kash a bedroom—very likely due to Ledger worrying about his safety at home. No matter the reason, Kash had been alone and unprotected each night as he slept. After that night, Kash had started working on beefing up his muscles and sleeping with a gun. The piece had been his dad’s, and Kash had hung on to it for years to keep it from his mom’s drunken hands. Kash had to teach himself how to use the gun, but he had never possessed any qualms about murdering that rat bastard if pushed. Thankfully, Ry never tippedKash’s hand. That was good because, as it turned out, Kash didn’t own a single ounce of remorse or reluctance when it came to killing anyone at all. Maybe he was a psychopath. It was possible life had simply broken Kash. No matter the reason, Kash was completely unmoved by the light leaving someone’s eyes. A lot of people were better off dead. Ry was one of those people.
A thought hit, distracting Kash from his Ledger musings. Honestly, it wasn’t too late for Kash to take out that target. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t change the past, and Ledger might look at him differently. That would kill Kash. Until he set eyes on Ledger tonight, Kash hadn’t remembered the full extent of his heartbreak. He thought the hurt had eased. It turned out the traumahad just gotten easier to carry. Now he remembered everything, and Kash hated it. Well, he hated Ry. But that was—
Kash’s thoughts died a swift death. A bright light lit his ceiling from outside, and a shadow crossed. Kash was out of bed in a flash. Like a total dumbass, he hadn’t secured a weapon yet. He thought it could wait until morning. Now he saw how wrong he had been. He jetted down the hall.
Ledger was right behind him. “What’s happened?”
