Read Online Dante's Way by Marie Rochelle - Free Book Online

offering out of the goodness of his heart. Did he actually think she was dumb enough to let him into her life?
    No way in hell !
    Both of her parents would turn over in their graves if she allowed herself to be used that way each and every night. She might be starving and cold most of the time, but she wasn’t down or out enough to be a ‘professional escort’ like Theresa.
    “Please stay. He isn’t going to say another word to you. I promise,” Amara said, giving Liam a glance over her shoulder. “Can’t you stay here for a little while longer? I’ve missed talking to you.”
    Sighing, Theresa ran her hand through her curly, black hair. “I know I’m going to regret staying here, but I can do it for a few minutes.” Retaking a seat back on the bench next to her, she pulled the hem of her short skirt over her knees. “So, besides getting chased down the sidewalk by some strange guy, what other trouble have you gotten yourself into lately?”
    “I haven’t been doing much at all. I’m looking for a new spot to sleep now. I’ve spent enough time taking shelter behind Mr. Lee’s cleaners. It’s not safe there anymore,” Amara answered.
    From the corner of her eye, Amara noticed how Liam was watching the both of them like he was dying to tell them something. Liam kept so many secrets from her that she never knew what he was thinking about. He wasn’t big on opening up to people because he thought in the end no one was going to be there for him.
    “Liam, come and sit down beside us. I want all of us to have a good conversation,” she said. Amara hated when he isolated himself away from them. She missed her fun-loving friend.
    Liam shook his head causing a lock of his hair to fall across his forehead. She only had two best friends to confide in and losing either one of them wasn’t an option.
    “I’m sorry I can’t do it. I was trying to talk Theresa into leaving Ike before you ran up to us,” he admitted to her. “I won’t stay here and pretend that I’m pleased with the way she earns her money. You can do it, but I’m out of here.”
    Taken back by Liam’s surprising outburst Amara sat and watched as he turned around and stalked off away from her and Theresa. He headed back down the jogging path without even saying goodbye to either one of them. She wondered if something else was going on with Liam that he wasn’t telling her. In all of the time she had known him, he had never lost his temper like this with them.
    Something had to be going on and she would find him later to find out what it was. He might open up more to her if Theresa wasn’t around since it was usually just the two of them.
    “What’s his problem?” Amara asked, glancing back at Theresa.
    Theresa shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t have a clue. He was already in a bad mood when I met him here. Go after him because I know you want to and he’ll tell you what’s bothering him. He never opens up to me the way he does you. I know how close the two of you are with each other.”
    “Are you sure?” She worried about Liam’s state of mind.
    Amara wanted to go after Liam, but she couldn’t just leave Theresa like she wasn’t important to her, too. She was the only female that befriended her the first week Liam had introduced her to everyone. For some reason, the other homeless girls found ways to push her out of their close knit groups. It was almost like they found stupid reasons not to want her around them.
    “Yes, I’m positive,” Theresa answered “Anyways, Ike is probably waiting for me at the condo. He doesn’t like it when I’m gone too long for a visit with my old friends.” Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, Theresa got up from the bench and walked off towards the other side of the park where the parking lot was located, disappearing from sight.
    Amara quickly looked back towards the walking trail for Liam, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. Why did she think he would still be at the park? Once he walked