Daw was aware that Russ had come downstairs but ignored his presence as he considered taking a walk to check out the neighborhood. At least that was the reason he’d come up with. Lying to myself? He knew he was. After what Brody and company had said about Russ ‘having a thing’ for him, he had to figure out how to handle it.
“You want me out of here,” Russ huffed.
“Did I say that?” Daw asked.
“No, but it’s pretty damned clear that you do. You wish you guys had never found me.”
“Not true.” Daw finally turned to look at him. “No one deserves to be abandoned.”
“Even me?”
“Especially you,” Daw replied without thinking.
“Right. I’m the last person you want around you,” Russ spat out.
Smiling, albeit briefly, Daw said, “You’re not a person anymore. None of us are.”
“You damned well know
