Noelle grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the store before one of the clerks overheard me muttering about bags for hookers. Luckily, she knew where every handbag store in the mall was and I found a couple of really nice bags, with wallets to match, at a luggage store. I wouldn't let the clerk pack up my favorite. Instead, I made him cut the tags off so I could use it immediately. Everything that would go into it was still in the car, but just having a bag on my shoulder helped me feel like a human again.
We were on the way back to Derek's SUV when Noelle stopped walking. It took me a moment to realize that she wasn't right next to me. She was a few feet behind me, looking at a strange man with a desolate expression on her face. I walked back to her.
"Noelle, what is it? What's w
