Page 62 of Hunt for You
“Assault and battery, sexual assault on a woman, and voyeurism.”
I blinked. Sounded like my kind of party. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“How long ago?”
“It happened a decade ago. I was convicted eight years ago, give or take.”
“And… now?”
One side of his mouth tipped up in a wry smile. “Now, I’m proud to say that not only have I not touched an unconsenting woman since I was sent to prison—present company excluded, sorry about that little slip earlier—but I think I can confidently say I’ve helped quite a few other predators turn their lives around, too.”
“And the church people still judged you?”
He shrugged. “It’s not like I’ve had t-shirts made. I don’t usually get the chance to lead with that. I still look like trouble, and the ladies of the bridge club know it.”
I shrugged, but deep down I was impressed. “Not all heroes wear capes. If it’s any consolation, the world doesn’t just judge the tough guys. I mean, look at me.”
Sam smiled. “So, you’re a hero just in your Clark Kent era?”
“No,” I said emphatically. “The opposite. I mean, you’ve got tattoos and… the rest of this,” I said lamely, flapping my hand at him. “But… I can relate.”
He tipped his head. “Can you?”
“More than you realize. My tats are just on the inside, that’s all. So my judgment arrives by stealth. I don’t have t-shirts either. So people have to spend time with me to realize they think I’m… wrong,” I said, reflecting his wry smile andoh well,shrug.
He didn’t take the bait to move on though. He took another sip from his coffee, but his eyes remained intent on me. “What are they judging you for?”
I stared at him, surprised that the urge was there to tell him thetruth.That never happened. But I caught the words before they tripped off my tongue, though my heart started hammering because that had been close.
When I didn’t answer, Sam’s expression went serious, and he shook his head. “You don’t have to worry with me, Bridget. Trust me, it would have been better if I’d never gone the route I did. But I can’t change the past. All I can do is walk into a different future. And I’ve made it my purpose to help anyone else along the way who wants to.”
I almost choked on my coffee again. It wasso closeto some of the stuff that Gerald had been saying to me for years and…
God, all the cold and brittle things I’d been able to ignore for a few minutes sank their teeth back in. I put my coffee cup down, suddenly tense and needing to move.
I needed to get out of here and go home, but home felt so empty, and I justdidn’t want to.Except, I had nowhere else to go. I wasn’t feeling sexy.Vigoríand my new friend Sid were going to have to wait.
But that just left me sitting in a priest’s cottage, deflated and strangely afraid of being alone.
I stared at my half-empty coffee mug and suddenly feltoverwhelmed.
“Bridget?”
I blinked and looked up at Sam who was staring at me intently. “Can I helpyou?Somehow? It’s kinda my job now. And if it matters… I understand the judgment of others, but I don’t offer it. Promise.”
I shook my head. “Thank you. I just… my problems are different, that’s all.”
“So try me. That’s one thing about being a God guy, you’d be surprised by the stuff I hear. I bet I have stories that could curl your hair.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Ditto.”
He chuckled and went back to his coffee, but I saw the smile stick even when he was drinking. And even though he’d looked away, his eyes came back to mine even before he’d swallowed his coffee.
“I think you do need a t-shirt,” he said gruffly.
I folded my arms, but I was smiling. “What would it say?”