“I would,” I bitch, relaxing my stance to resume my earlier one against the doorframe. “But she’s not in the mood to talk to me.”
“Says who?”
“Says the way she looked at me when I made her cry this morning.”
Loki raises a hand to his chin, dragging the flesh down until his lower lip pops back into place. “Why the fuck did you make Jenna cry?”
“Wanted to get the truth out of her, and I figured bulldozing those defenses of hers was the way.”
“Did it work?” He picks up his drink again.
I nod. “Also made me realize the woman doesn’t have as much ill intent toward us as I first thought.” I glance at him out of the side of my eye. “She’s just doing what she thinks she has to to set things right. But shit isn’t exactly working out like she planned so far.”
“How do you mean?”
I sigh, looking out over the rutted and muddy yard. “She killed the girl Marty investigates. The reason for all that blood when we got there.”
Loki doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t need to. Like I told her, murder isn’t judged so harshly around these parts.
“But the dead girl’s daddy is one of the Blood Eagles.”
This has the fucker snap around. “The hell? You told Chaos this?”
“Of course I’ve told Chaos.”
“And what the fuck did he say?”
“Thinks we can use it to our advantage. Use Jenna.” I chuckle. “Girl doesn’t just know how to dig herself a hole. She makes sure she can’t get back out of it by pulling the damn walls down and burying herself in the muck.”
He snorts a small laugh.
“Jenna’s in some messed up fucking shit,” I tell him. “And she knows it.”
“So she has talked to you plenty,” he confirms. “Just won’t now.”
I nod.
“Why? Other than you being a cunt to her? What exactly did you say?”
“Might also have something to do with me trying to kiss her.”
He sighs, long and heavy. “And what the fuck was I just saying?”
“Did you hear me when I saidtrying?” I snap back, glaring at the prick.He better not take us back there.“Knew it wasn’t right, so I backed out of it when she made me.”
“And now what? She doesn’t feel safe around you?”
“I think she feelstoosafe around me. That’s the issue.” We fight. Argue. Constantly. And yet, she still comes back for more. “Contrary to what you believe about me,” I sass. “I don’t want to push on and fuck her up more when I can’t make heads or tails of this myself. That ain’t fair to her, or me.”
He studies me with a renewed air of respect. “Tell Chaos you want to be reassigned, then.”
“I did.” I shake my head at the memory of our recent conversation. “And he threw me back in the deep end without any fucking floaties.”
Loki laughs quietly. “Sounds like him. Think perhaps he’s trying to force a lesson on you, too?”
“He said as much.” I’ve caused the man grief endlessly over the years with my bedroom antics. He’s long overdue for a metaphorical slap about the head. “Told me I need to learn how to be vulnerable. Problem is, I don’t know what that means.”
“It means stop hiding your feelings behind jokes and pranks on everyone. Stop acting like nothing bothers you. You want her to let her walls down? Try doing the same.”
