“I didn’t know it was you,” he said. “I swear.”

In her head, she heard him telling her not to come in until he answered.

“Grier . . .” His voice cracked, his expression one of physical pain—like it killed him that he’d done that to her.

When she felt like she could speak, she met him straight in the eye. “Just answer one thing . . . are you on the run for a good reason or a bad one?”

The response was long in coming and quiet as breath. “Good. I promise you.” And then he surprised her. “I needed the money and I can’t work legally—that’s why I was fighting. I also happen to be well trained.”

Well, yeah.

He cursed and ran a hand through his short hair, his biceps bunching up thick and stretching a bright, angry bite mark on his muscle. “I have to leave the country because I’ve got a better shot that way. If I’m found, they’re going to kill me.” He put his palm over his heart, as if taking a vow. “I’ll never hurt you intentionally. I swear. When you came in, I didn’t know it was you. I was having a dream. Nightmare. Shit—” He winced “Crap, I mean. Sorry ’bout the cuss word.”

She had to smile a little. “Sometimes they’re the only thing that fits.”

“What made you come down? Was I . . . making some noise?”

As if he’d been known to do that.

Grier frowned and decided to keep her winged visitor to herself. “I guess I just knew you needed me.”

For a long beat, they stared at each other in the soft darkness.

“Can I do anything to help at all?” she whispered.

“Just take the money I owe you and resign. Please. And if anyone comes asking about me, tell them everything you know.”

“Which would be next to nothing,” she thought out loud.

“Exactly.”

Shaking her head, she went over to him and put her hand on his forearm. “I can’t stop you if you’re going to run, but I can’t afford to be contaminated by how you got the money. If you leave it with me, I’ll just turn it in—”

“It’s to pay you back.”

“I can’t accept it—you know I can’t. My license to practice is at risk—frankly, I’m walking the accomplice line here already. I should have called the police back in Malden. And tomorrow morning, I’m going to have to tell them that I harbored you for a time while trying to get you to turn yourself in. All that is bad enough.”

But God help her, she believed him. She believed that he was running for his life. And damn it, she was going to do as much to help him as she could.