Page 14 of Unexpected Complication

“Nice try, Skylar. The window doesn’t open, no matter how long you pull and dig at it.” I pocketed her little piece of metal and walked to the door.

“How did you know?” she demanded.

I chuckled, indicating the bars on the floor. “You left evidence behind. Now, eat your lunch. You expelled a lot of energy trying to break out, MacGyver.”

“Fuck you. Gimme back my nail file!”

I laughed. “God forbid your nails don’t look good on the street. You want it back? You have to earn it.”

“How?”

“Eat your lunch.”

“Then I get it back?”

I pulled the door closed. “Then we’ll talk,” I called out.

Ignoring her curses and the names she was calling my mother, I snickered all the way to the kitchen, sitting down in front of the laptop to watch her. I found her fascinating.

She fought it. She glared at the bowl, her knees pulled up to her chest until the aroma finally proved too much to resist. Lunging forward, she gripped the bowl, twirling the pasta like a pro and chewing fast. Mouthful after mouthful disappeared, the bread on the plate meeting the same fate. Finally, she struggled with the tab on the can of Coke, and eventually successful, she guzzled a few mouthfuls and sat back, emitting another loud burp. Once again, just like last night, she clapped her hand over her mouth. Only this time, she giggled before drinking some more of the cola. The sweet, high sound made me grin.

Suddenly, she yelled, “Tell Sean he needs more basil in the sauce!”

I began to chuckle.

“And some Parmesan cheese wouldn’t hurt! What kind of Italian doesn’t give you Parmesan cheese on your spaghetti? The real stuff, I mean! Freshly grated—not the shit in a plastic can!”

My chuckles turned into guffaws.

“And bring your own fork next time! I don’t want to ingest your DNA, Tony! You hear me?”

I laid my head down on my arms and laughed until my sides hurt.

Never dull, indeed.

Chapter 4

Cian

God, I was tired. I hadn’t been sleeping much anyway, and last night watching over Skylar had afforded me even less than normal. I needed a nap, but I didn’t want to sleep without someone monitoring Skylar.

She was sitting in the chair, wringing her hands, her toes wiggling, and muttering away to herself. Sean would be gone for a while. I glanced over at the shelves in the living room and grabbed a small stack of books. When I had checked her backpack, aside from a few pieces of clothing and some personal toiletries, I’d found two obviously well-read books. I made two cups of coffee and, with the books tucked under my arm, reentered her room.

She glared at me as I sat down on the bed across from her, placing the coffee cups on the table. “Do you like sugar?”

“No.”

“Good—that makes this easier.”

She frowned at me, her gaze flitting to the books I had beside me. “Makes what easier?”

I lifted a mug and took a sip, then repeated the action with the second cup.

“Now choose which one you want. No drugs in either.”

With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she reached for the cup closest to her. “You could have just let me choose, fuckwit. I’m getting tired of sharing your cooties.”

A loud shout of laughter burst out of me. “Cooties? What are we—ten?” Still chuckling, I picked up the other mug. “Just thought I’d stop the drug theory. Sean said you liked coffee, so I thought I’d bring you one.”