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~Dealer~
“WOULD YOU GET BORED?”
I look over at Char beside me, giving her hand a squeeze as we walk together through the forest surrounding my safehouse. We’re headed out to do some target practice, relieve the tension about what’s coming, to alleviate some boredom that’s built up for the both of us with being stuck standing still for the last couple of weeks. Plus, it helps us keep our skills sharp while we’re basically benched for the next little while.
That one day I managed to get her to chill and take a break from it all has come and gone and another opportunity ain’t gonna come back around any time soon. For one, we ain’t got unlimited time to lay low here, the battle call is gonna come real soon. And second, she can’t handle that, loves keeping busy. Getting one whole day out of her was a major deal as it was.
“Bored of what, kitten?” I ask, lifting her hand to my lips and kissing her knuckles.
She smiles, liking that a whole lot. “Of living like this going forward.”
“At my safehouse?”
“Not exactly. Retired, basically. If we left our high-stakes, dangerous lives behind.”
“I’ve lived it, so I already know the answer.”
“And?”
“And I was bored as shit.”
She releases a hell of a sigh. “Oh. Good.”
That has me chuckling. “You were seriously worried I wanted the simple life? From me coaxing one day of chilling out of you?”
“It crossed my mind.”
“Well, you can get it off your mind. There’s no way. Why you thinking about this anyway? I figured you were gonna go right back to being Kingmaker, doing what you’ve always done, when this Gatekeepers situation is dealt with.”
“What about us?”
“What about us?”
“Well, my work takes me all over the place. I’ve got residences all over to facilitate that. You’re rooted to Brockford and then Reirdon Falls. Your family is there.”
“I’ll be your homebase.”
She starts in surprise. “You’d really be okay with that? Me out there for days on end, and just eventually coming home to you?”
“I told you I don’t wanna screw with your freedom. Your career is a big part of that. So, yeah, I’d do that for you. Knowing you’ll be coming home to me after a mission is enough for me. My contract work is local, it’s the way I’ve designed it so I’ve got roots. Yours is another story, so I’ll work around you, Charlotte.”
She pulls her hand from mine, looking stunned, kind of awestruck. “That’s… really generous.” She shoves a hand through her hair. “I… wow.” It takes her a few moments to snap out of her stunned daze. When she does, she cuts through it with a casual remark, telling me, “Well, good, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that, kitten.”
When something gets too heavy or emotional for her, she either injects humor into the situation or becomes hella casual. It just means she needs more time to process it.
Fine by me.
Besides, things have been heavy since we got to my safehouse. I’m gonna need to ease up on it for a while. It ain’t what I wanna be doing, but I’m also well aware that I’m getting close to a headspace of holding on too tight. I lost her once and for so long too, so now my brain’s screaming at me to go the most logical route of grabbing on tight to her so she can’t go anywhere this time. But that ain’t how Charlotte Brant works. She’d never stand for that and I don’t wanna be doing that with her neither. I like how free she is, how goddamn tough and kickass. I want her just the way she is.
Things are going well in that department right now. I just gotta resist the urge to push it along faster than she’s ready for. This is my last shot, after all. I can’t fuck it up. I can’t fail again.
I push on and gesture for her to follow me around the corner, past some heavy foliage concealing the area within.
“We’re here,” I tell her, as if that really needs stating. Just something to say to move past that awkwardness back there. Jesus. Only Char can bring out that need in me. I’m the guy who only speaks when there’s something worth saying and I never pussyfoot around nobody.
She lets out a low whistle as the area comes into view. “Nice setup.”
