Glaring wedges of chrome-reflected desert sun wove patterns on the ceiling. “I’ll have Ueli remove you if you aren’t out of here in fifteen minutes.”
“Seriously? Threatening me with your security people? That’s lazy, even for you. And I swear to God, this time, I’m not leaving without speaking up for myself.”
If I laid hands on her, I’d have her up against the wall, my mouth on her throat, instead of shoving her out the door. “Ueli will drive you to wherever you’re staying.”
I’d texted him to be waiting in the living room when she emerged.
“I’m not leaving until wetalk,”she said.
“Yes, you are.” I couldn’t stifle the sigh weighing down my chest.
“I donotbelieve a word you’ve said all morning. Everything is just complete and total bull hockey. This is ridiculous, Nicolai. You’re acting like a different person.” She paused. Out of the corner of my vision, I could see she’d frowned and was staringat her hands gripping the blanket. “I’ve only known you for, I guess, not even a day and a half. You don’t have, like, multiple personalities or anything, do you?”
A reasonable enough assertion. “I’m as mentally healthy as anyone I know.”
Low bar, that.
She squinted at me. “You didn’t say you didn’t.”
Clarity was important. “No, Lexi. I don’t have dissociative personality disorder or any other psychosis. Regretfully, it’s just me in here.”
“Okay, then. Not a fae High Lord. No split personality. Then why are you being so weird?”
This conversation was not going according to plan. I’d meant to drive her away, not activate her concern for my mental health. “Lexi, pack your things. Take anything you want. But leave.Now.”
“Fine.I don’t need anything from you. I’ll just go get my car.”
Dammit.A cringe tightened my eyes and face. “It’ll be halfway to Los Angeles by now.”
“Youstolemycar?” Her voice cracked with panic. “Ineedit. I need mycar.”
Yes, yes. The US was so mired in car culture and suffered from a lack of decent public transportation. Even I liked a nice train ride through the countryside during times of low security measures. Switzerland’s trains were amazing. “I’ll have it returned.”
“It’s not even a good car!”
“It was being transported to my house in L.A. for safekeeping. I’ll call them and have them turn around.” He sighed. “You can keep Dusha and one of the SUVs at your beck and call until yours gets back, probably later this afternoon. You’ll need security for a few weeks or months anyway.”
“I don’t want your creepy private mercenary security dudes lurking around me all the time. I want mycar.”
“It’s for your protection.”
“You don’t care if I’m okay. You just told me to get out.”
I had been joking about her being good at negotiating last night, but she certainly was spirited at arguing. “You need security.”
“What if I had just walked out when you said to? I wouldn’t have your security people then.”
“Ueli and Dusha are waiting for you in the living room. It’s been arranged.”
“That sounds like you’ve had this argument all planned since before I woke up.”
“It doesn’t matter how it happened.”
“You’re evading my question,again.”
“It doesn’t matter if I am.”
She was staring at me like her vision could flay my flesh from my bones to see into my soul. “Yeah, that’s what I always say, that nothing matters, but I say it when I’mactinglike it doesn’t matter.”
