Free Stranger in the Night by Catherine Palmer

hand. “Did you park nearby?”
    “Not far. Your door guard—Raydell?—will keep an eye on me.”
    “Naw, that’s no good. We got Hypes casing our set day and night. They’re looking for trouble. You’ll be a sitting duck out there. Let’s find Duff.”
    “No, really it’s—”
    Too late. Terell lifted the whistle that hung by a lanyard from his neck and gave an ear-piercing blow. Joshua—who had beenhunkered down talking to some kids at the far end of the room—turned to look. So did everyone else.
    “Yo, Duff! Your lady!” Terell’s long arm snaked overhead, his index finger pointing down at Liz as he yelled. “Walk her out!”
    Mortified, she ducked her head and started for the door. She hadn’t made it halfway there when Joshua fell in alongside her.
    “I thought you’d gone,” he said.
    “You’re the one who walked away.” She focused on the metal detector. “I’ve been talking to your buddies.”
    “Sam and Terell? Listen, Liz—don’t pay any attention to what they say.”
    “They said a refugee church led by Pastor Stephen would be a good idea. I’m sure you’ll encourage him, too. Right?”
    A low groan rumbled deep in Joshua’s chest. “My goal is to find that guy a real job, an apartment and some kind of transportation. I’ve got to head back to Texas. If he wants to start a church, he’ll need to do it on his own time.”
    “I didn’t realize you were a janitor, like me. Mopping up the mess left by genocide—but not getting deeply involved with the people. Finding them employment, a place to live. That’s about all I’ve been able to do at Refugee Hope. The name is a little ironic.”
    “You give them hope, Liz. Meeting the basic needs of a family is important.”
    “I want to do more. When I met you this morning, I thought you did, too.” They had arrived at the door. Shauntay and the dog were nowhere in sight. “I’ll let myself out, Sergeant Duff. I work in these neighborhoods. I’m not afraid.”
    He was two steps ahead of her. “I’ll see you to your car.”
    “Don’t. Please.” She shook her head. “I’m not comfortable with you.”
    “Because of what Terell said.” Blocking her path, he pushed through the one-way swinging door. He glanced up and downthe street, then beckoned her through. “Terell jumped to conclusions. I barely mentioned you.”
    Liz held her breath as she walked past him. She could not allow herself to look, to smell, to touch. Dreams and goals lay clearly ahead of her. A sweaty ex-Marine on his way home to Texas was not among them.
    The streetlights were inadequate, she saw at once. Darkness hovered in doorways and alleys. A muffled, pumping drumbeat pulsed from open windows. The scent of cigarette smoke and urine mingled in the humid air. A woman laughed. A man shouted. A bottle broke.
    Liz gripped her keys in one hand—the long car key jutting between index and middle fingers to serve as a weapon if the need arose. Her small canister of pepper spray dangled from the key ring. A class she’d taken in self-defense had prepared her for this. She mentally reviewed the weak points on an attacker’s body, reminded herself to check her car—front and back seats—before getting in, scanning her surroundings.
    Of course, it didn’t hurt to have Joshua Duff at her side. The sudden realization of his military training flooded Liz. Fear slunk away. Wariness eased. She let herself drift closer to him as they crossed the street.
    “That’s my car.” She pointed out the American-made compact. “Thank you. I guess…all right, I am grateful you came with me. I thought Raydell would be out here.”
    “The kid with the gold tooth?” Joshua frowned. “He’s been on door duty all day. Sam said someone is always supposed to be standing guard…. Uh-oh.”
    Liz turned in the direction of his gaze. Two figures were pressed against a wall a hundred feet from Haven’s door. She recognized Shauntay’s tall, slender shape. The other had to be