He might not be indulging in carnal activities these days, but Splice wasn’t dead, and neither were his sexual organs. He saw a beautiful woman in front of him, and his body remembered what he liked. And everything that wet his tongue came in her five-three package once upon a time.
“Oh.” She smiled. “That.”
“Yeah, that. What was going on there, babe? We’re not enemies. Are we?”
She blinked. “Of course not.”
“And you know me, yeah?”
She tutted, and he liked that a lot. Recalling how she’d do it when he said something funny and she was trying not to laugh.
“Yes, Ryan, I remember you.”
Fuck him. Few people these days used his birth name. He’d transitioned to being Splice a long time ago, and it was just natural for everyone he came into contact with to use his road name. Even his uncle called him Splice. Only his mom called him Ryan. And Nina, when she was pissed off at him. But he didn’t hate his name coming off Lisa’s tongue.
“How did you know where I lived?”
“You answer me first.”
“I thought it might be awkward, and not really the place, to say we knew each other a while ago. I was saving you from embarrassment.” Her voice was soft, with a musical lilt. Knowing her job was languages, or it had been back then, she’d always had impeccable pronunciation of the English language, not like him, who butchered words all the time. Lisa had the voice you’d wanna listen to late at night to help you sleep.
“Embarrass me,” he repeated, slower, straightening his spine, hands on his thighs now. “I don’t embarrass easily. You could have acknowledged me.”
Lisa nodded. “Fair point.”
But then, Splice realized, he could have reminded her they knew each other, but had seen the panic in her eyes, so he’d gone along with thenice to meet youbullshit.
“How long have you been in town?”
“A couple of years ago, I bought this place.”
The driveway had room for more than her champagne-colored Toyota Corolla. Did that mean she lived in the modest-looking house alone? He’d already clocked yesterday; she wasn’t wearing any marriage jewelry, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a man in tow. He’d looked her up online several years ago—more from reminiscing curiosity than anything else—and he’d found an engagement announcement photo of her.
Looking at her smiling face and a nameless man at her side, Splice had felt bummed. He hadn’t prepared a game plan for finding her, but seeing her nearly married, he gave up.
Now, it was an out-of-body experience facing her again.
A good surprise, he realized, and he half-smiled. Yeah, agood surprise.
Some people shouldn’t stay strangers. And she’d been someone he’d liked as a person.
“How did you know where I lived?” she repeated.
“I asked Nina before she took off with Tomb last night. I didn’t know you were friendly.”
“I could say the same about you and them. She’d mentioned Splice. I just didn’t...”
“Didn’t know it was me,” he finished for Lisa. “Small world, huh, babe?”
She smiled and lifted the purse onto her shoulder. “You could say that.” And then she paused but added. “I need to run, Ryan. I’ll be late to the sheriff’s office. Or should I call you Splice?”
“Either is fine,” he said, surprising himself. He never told people to use his government name. “Sheriff? You in trouble?”
She chuckled a little, and the sound hit his ear just right. His eyes, against his will, traced the shape of her stretched lips.
“No, I’m not in trouble, but thanks for thinking I could be. I’m working there today.”
“Are you still in language translation?”
