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“Being old is no excuse for rudeness.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Oh yes it is. Just ask her, if you ever happen to meet her.”
“It’s probably lucky I won’t, given her opinion of me.”
I gave him a quizzical look. “Why is this bugging you so?”
“Because it does,” he muttered, voice as dark as his expression. “You think this Leith fellow will come through with the information?”
Once again, he was changing the subject rather than discussing what was going on in his mind. It was frustrating, but if he thought I was going to give up, he was badly mistaken. I might not have much time with him, but I was going to use it to get past the barrier, to see and understand the core of the man. “Leith usually comes through with whatever I need.”
“So you’re close?”
“Yes.”
He flexed his fingers against the steering wheel and it suddenly hit me. Death wasn’t happy with the realization that there were other men in my life. And as realizations went, that was pretty damn good, if only because it was further evidence that he wasn’t as immune to me as he was pretending.
“Is that a problem for you?” I added, a hint of my amusement bubbling through in my voice.
His expression seemed to darken, and I hadn’t thought that was possible. “Of course it isn’t. I just wanted to know if he could be trusted.”
“He’s been helping me find leads on this case, and I’d trust him with my life.”
“Why?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why does it matter?”
“Because you said earlier that you never trust anyone, and yet you’d trust this man with your life.”
“I trust you, too. Which, according to you, makes me strange.”
“That’s true, too.”
This time a smile teased his lips, breaking the tension and the darkness shadowing his features. But what he said was true enough. It was odd that I’d trusted him so readily, yet there was just something about the man that made me feel safe. And that was rare when it came to fire dragons and me—although given my history with them, the actual attraction I felt wasn’t surprising. I did tend to have a thing for bad boys.
“So where are we headed now? Until we find out where Deca Dent is, we’re sort of stuck.”
“As it turns out, you’re not the only one with friends.” The last of his tension slipped away under the growing warmth of his smile. “And mine also have the capacity to use the Internet.”
“So much for Death being a lone ranger who cares for no one.”
“Friends are not loved ones. There is a difference.”
“How would you know if you’ve never had any loved ones?”
“I had a mother.”
“Had?” I glanced at him, and caught the hint of sadness that washed across his features. “She’s dead?”
“Yes,” he said, and then, frustratingly, shifted the topic again. “How do you feel about a cooked lunch?”
“That depends on where we’re having it.”
“It happens to be a pretty apartment overlooking a certain club of interest.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “And would you happen to know the person who owns this apartment?”
“No, but I’m sure they won’t mind us making use of their facilities for a while.”
