Like a Knife Read Online Free Page A

America."
    "You were raised here, weren't you-in New York?"
    "I grew up all over the city. I never knew my parents. When I was thirteen, I met someone. He... he kind of adopted me."
    "That was nice of him. You were lucky."
    He smiled, and it was-tinged'with something. Irony? Chagrin?
    "Yeah," he said, "real lucky."
    Ten minutes of directions led her to tbe front of his house. A streetlight caught the home in its soft beam and surprised her. Somehow she had imagined Nick in much more meager surroundings.
    "Do you rent it?" she asked.
    "I've got a room around back. In the basement."
    She nodded. The basement. Of course. "Well-thanks for the help. Snack for another few months."
    She glanced over and caught him looking at her. Shadows of moonlight drifted through the windshield, dappling him, and she drew in a sudden breath. How striking he was, all lines and angles like a sculpture. The skin stretched tight over his jaw, cheekbones high and taut. Her gaze traveled down to his neck and throat, to that place where his skin disappeared into the cloth of his tightly buttoned shirt. She had an almost uncontrollable urge to undo the button at his throat and free him. She fastened her hands on the steering wheel, afraid they might fly off and do something without her.
    "Well... guess I'll... see you tomorrow."
    ''Thanks for dinner."
    She nodded. "You earned it. Anytime you want to help out, dinner's on me."
    Nick looked away, the tight coil inside his chest twisting tighter.
    "What's the matter?" she teased. "Can't stand my company?"
    Shelley's battered face rose up, and he hoped to God neither she nor Rennie were waiting for him. "I've got troubles, Rachel. Things inside that won't let go. Things I've done. People I've... disappointed."
    "You haven't disappointed me," she said gently.
    A rueful feeling shot through him. "Not yet, anyway."
    Rachel peered at him from across the gearshift, wondering about the secrets he was hiding. "Everyone sins, Nick. You ask for forgiveness, you make peace with yourself, you move on."
    "There is no forgiveness for some things."
    "Then you learn to live with them."
    "I'm trying." He gave a short, mocking laugh. "Christ, I've been trying. I just can't seem to get the hang of it."
    She touched the back of his hand, her common sense gone in a rush of sympathy. "Maybe you need help. A friend."
    He looked down at her hand. Her slim fingers rested lightly on top of his, and he was tempted. God, he was so tempted.
    But the prickle at the back of his neck told him Rennie was near, hovering like the dream, a black vulture, waiting, watching. Nick got out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow."
    Loping down the drive, he rounded the corner and waited out of sight until the sound of her engine faded. Then and only then did he slowly unlock his door and brace himself for wh|at was inside.
    Noth|ng. No one. His place was as quiet and sparse as it always was, as if Shelley's visit had been a mirage. The bed was tucked into the sofa, his coffee cup dry in the dish rack, the towel he'd packed with ice for her bruises folded neatly over the edge of the sink.
    Relief flooded him, leaving his knees a little wobbly. He plopped down on the couch without bothering to open it into the bed and slept dreamless.
    In the morning, he woke with a strange sense of hopefulness. Maybe you need help. A friend. Rachel's words made his pulse race, his ears buzz. His body ached from lifting the cases at the warehouse, but as he rubbed his chest, it felt as though his heart was waking up, the tired blood circulating once more.
    By the time he got to St. Anthony's, the sky was high and blue, and he decided to finish fixing the hole in the fence. Joselito and a group of kids stood around and watched, but for once, their closeness didn't bother him. Maybe Rachel was right, maybe things would work out. The past was over, he had a new life ahead of him, if only he could reach out, learn to feel once more.
    "Nick." His heart thumped at the sound of