benign and consisted mostly of talking about work, but dinner ended in a tentative make-out session in the back hallway of the restaurant. Ari had a feeling the mutual self-imposed rule of “taking it slow” was about to crack—it just depended on which one of them would crumble first.
“Sure you can’t come with me on Friday?” Ari asked. She’d spent the last thirty minutes alternately kissing Nick and trying to convince him into going to the fight at the GYC with her.
Nick pushed a wisp of flyaway hair over her ear and said, “I wish I could, but I promised my mother I’d help her move some furniture.”
“Doting son, eh?”
“Total mama’s boy. I can’t even deny it,” he laughed. “Why are you going to this again?”
“The director asked me to come to the fight. And I told Curtis I would be there.”
Nick touched her chin with his thumb, holding her gaze. “It’s okay to take a night off, you know. These kids will survive if you miss an activity.”
“Honestly, I’m interested to see how it all works. I suspect it’s a glorified fight club.” This wasn’t just a suspicion, it was a fear. Ari had a feeling she’d probably end up reporting the program for inappropriate conduct. She wanted to see it for herself.
“Hey Ari, come here!” Oliver called from his seat near the bar. Nick gave Ari a fast kiss before spinning her toward the seating area. Oliver showed up with Veronica again. Rebecca and some other girls sat together. All of them were looking up at the television screen.
“What’s up?” Ari asked, moving next to Oliver.
He gestured his beer bottle at the screen. “There’s your boy. Back in action.”
On the television, a reporter stood outside a fast food restaurant surrounded by police tape. In the corner was the same photo as last time, the word “Vigilante” stamped across the top.
The mystery man.
Or her mystery man as she’d begun calling him. He was her other obsession. She’d kept an ear out for any information about him since the package had been delivered to her office. He’d been scarce. Until now.
“Where is that?” she asked.
“Burlington Road,” Veronica said. “Seems like some kid tried to rob the store and had everyone held hostage in the back. That guy, the Vigilante, came in and stopped it.”
“Shhh,” Nick said from behind her. She felt his fingers on her hip.
Ari looked back at the television and the reporter held a microphone out to an older woman with curly blonde hair in her Chicken Shack uniform. “The kid came in yelling and cursing. I was working the fry station. He came around the counter and made all of us go in the back. He wanted in the safe even though it’s on a timer. Not even Jim,” she paused, her eyes wide and nervous, “the manager can open it until it’s time. Nikki was crying and he hit her—that’s when the other guy came in. I thought it was another robber but he jumped over the counter and told the robber to stop before someone got hurt.”
“So the Vigilante accosted the robber?”
“Yep. The robber held his gun up to him and the Vigilante kicked the gun out of his hand and got him down on the ground. He told all of us to get out, and we did. I wasn’t hanging around to see what happened.”
“What did the Vigilante look like?”
“I don’t know. It all happened so fast. Plus his hood covered half of his face.”
“Was he tall? Short?” The reporter looked at the camera. “Any description you can give now can help the police find this man.”
“Why would I want to help the police find him?” she asked, incredulously. “He saved my ass and everyone else in that restaurant.”
“What would you do then if you saw him again?”
“I’d give him a big hug. He’s a hero.”
The camera cut to the next story and Ari looked way from the screen. Oliver gave her a drunken smile. “Uh oh, your superhero-boyfriend saved someone else.”
Ari narrowed her eyes. “Oliver, you’re drunk. Shut
“Sure you can’t come with me on Friday?” Ari asked. She’d spent the last thirty minutes alternately kissing Nick and trying to convince him into going to the fight at the GYC with her.
Nick pushed a wisp of flyaway hair over her ear and said, “I wish I could, but I promised my mother I’d help her move some furniture.”
“Doting son, eh?”
“Total mama’s boy. I can’t even deny it,” he laughed. “Why are you going to this again?”
“The director asked me to come to the fight. And I told Curtis I would be there.”
Nick touched her chin with his thumb, holding her gaze. “It’s okay to take a night off, you know. These kids will survive if you miss an activity.”
“Honestly, I’m interested to see how it all works. I suspect it’s a glorified fight club.” This wasn’t just a suspicion, it was a fear. Ari had a feeling she’d probably end up reporting the program for inappropriate conduct. She wanted to see it for herself.
“Hey Ari, come here!” Oliver called from his seat near the bar. Nick gave Ari a fast kiss before spinning her toward the seating area. Oliver showed up with Veronica again. Rebecca and some other girls sat together. All of them were looking up at the television screen.
“What’s up?” Ari asked, moving next to Oliver.
He gestured his beer bottle at the screen. “There’s your boy. Back in action.”
On the television, a reporter stood outside a fast food restaurant surrounded by police tape. In the corner was the same photo as last time, the word “Vigilante” stamped across the top.
The mystery man.
Or her mystery man as she’d begun calling him. He was her other obsession. She’d kept an ear out for any information about him since the package had been delivered to her office. He’d been scarce. Until now.
“Where is that?” she asked.
“Burlington Road,” Veronica said. “Seems like some kid tried to rob the store and had everyone held hostage in the back. That guy, the Vigilante, came in and stopped it.”
“Shhh,” Nick said from behind her. She felt his fingers on her hip.
Ari looked back at the television and the reporter held a microphone out to an older woman with curly blonde hair in her Chicken Shack uniform. “The kid came in yelling and cursing. I was working the fry station. He came around the counter and made all of us go in the back. He wanted in the safe even though it’s on a timer. Not even Jim,” she paused, her eyes wide and nervous, “the manager can open it until it’s time. Nikki was crying and he hit her—that’s when the other guy came in. I thought it was another robber but he jumped over the counter and told the robber to stop before someone got hurt.”
“So the Vigilante accosted the robber?”
“Yep. The robber held his gun up to him and the Vigilante kicked the gun out of his hand and got him down on the ground. He told all of us to get out, and we did. I wasn’t hanging around to see what happened.”
“What did the Vigilante look like?”
“I don’t know. It all happened so fast. Plus his hood covered half of his face.”
“Was he tall? Short?” The reporter looked at the camera. “Any description you can give now can help the police find this man.”
“Why would I want to help the police find him?” she asked, incredulously. “He saved my ass and everyone else in that restaurant.”
“What would you do then if you saw him again?”
“I’d give him a big hug. He’s a hero.”
The camera cut to the next story and Ari looked way from the screen. Oliver gave her a drunken smile. “Uh oh, your superhero-boyfriend saved someone else.”
Ari narrowed her eyes. “Oliver, you’re drunk. Shut
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