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“An update from me, then?” Lila returned to her desk, kicking her bare feet onto it while she clacked away at the keyboard.
Tristan stared, stifling a little grin.
“What?”
He sat at the edge of her desk. “It’s just that I’ve imagined you at home so many times doing this, doing your research thing. And here you are.” He wrapped his hand around her toes, warming them. “I’ve never really noticed your feet before.”
“You saw them last night.”
“I was busy looking at other things. They’re sort of adorable.”
“Focus, Tristan.”
“You’re blushing.”
Lila looked away, but her gaze snapped back when he began massaging the balls of her feet. She slid down in her chair as he worked, trying not to moan.
“I didn’t come here for an update, but go ahead. Update me if you can.”
When she didn’t immediately start speaking, he deepened the massage. “Focus, Lila.”
Lila wiggled her ankles, but he held on, grinning wider. Oh, how she hated that grin, the grin that let him get away with so much, so often. “Why did you come? You used to be all about the job. You used to send me message after message about nothing but work. Kids are missing, and you don’t seem to care.”
His hands stopped. “I care. I care a great deal, but I almost lost you because of the job. I almost lost Dixon because of the job. I almost lost the two people I care about most because—” He looked away. “If I hadn’t been so focused on the job, you wouldn’t have nearly gotten pinched on Leclerc Street. Peter Kruger wouldn’t have almost killed you. Reaper wouldn’t have had a knife to your neck, either. I’m done living for the job, Lila. There’s more to life than work. I want both. I’ll have both.”
“I applaud the sentiment, but there are children missing.”
“We’ll find them.” He looked her in the eye and started rubbing her feet again. “I know I’m annoying you, but I can’t help myself.”
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow almost didn’t come for you. Twice. Tomorrow almost didn’t come for Dixon, either. I find myself unable to pretend patience.”
Lila squirmed in her chair, unsure what to say.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to know what you’ve found now that you’ve mentioned it, but I’m going to keep playing with your feet. I like them.”
“Great, you have a foot fetish. If you start licking my toes, I swear to the gods I’ll beat you with my militia boots.”
“Maybe I’ll lick them too. Maybe I’ll lick you in other places. You liked it last night.”
Lila looked away, knowing she’d blushed again.
Gods, when had she begun to do that?
Lila tried to wiggle her toes away again unsuccessfully, then told him about the tracers, about everything that Shaw had found in his investigations, and about everything she’d found on Natalie’s star drive and palms. Everything except the brothels. Tristan wouldn’t have the patience to wait, and Lila needed more time to ensure she found them all.
Tristan didn’t seem surprised about the rest. “So the Germans did take Oskar.”
“Yes, but which faction? The traditionalist tried to buy him in the auction, and the loyalists tried to murder him. Perhaps King Lucas wants his corpse as proof.”
“Perhaps the traditionalists are taking him to Germany.”
“At least he’d be alive. Either way, you should prepare Maria. I don’t think I’m going to find Oskar in time. Perhaps if I’d ordered my list differently.”
“Lila, that wasn’t your fault. They’d been dead all morning, and you know it.”
“I fooled around too long with the oracle. I fooled around with you. If I hadn’t—”
