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NINETEEN
Decima
Everyone’s spiritslifted the next morning when Blaze said the magic words that made our entire risky gambit worth it. “Most of the concerning activity that I noticed in the city has stopped. It seems like the groups who were after the bounty have backed off. We’re in the clear to keep up our search.”
I knew that we needed to accept the wins where we found them, so I didn’t bother dwelling on the lack of information that search had brought us so far. We’d found a few puzzle pieces, and they would lead us to more clues. They had to. With the crew at my side, I already had one major advantage.
I strode to the side of the kitchen where Garrison was cooking bacon and Talon pouring one of his bottles of… something into a frosted mug. I looked down at it, and the immediate revulsion that rose in my chest was unprecedented. “What even is that?” I asked, leaning closer to him.
“Kombucha,” he said, swirling it around and taking a long gulp before pushing it toward me. “Do you want to try it?”
The offer came genuinely, and I reached for the mug that he extended, my fingers brushing across his as I took the mug. The contact of our hands sent a jolt of heat through my chest, and I ran my tongue over my teeth to keep the feelings at bay. His strong fingers brought back plenty of memories.
I lifted the glass mug to my lips and took a small sip, coughing and wrinkling my nose the moment the sour flavor registered.
“You like this?” I asked, scanning the counter for a less repulsive drink to wipe away the horrendous taste that plagued my tongue.
Talon shrugged, taking another gulp. “It’s an acquired taste.”
Garrison chipped in. “Don’t let him fool you. Only he likes that battery acid.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said, rolling my eyes and looking over Garrison’s shoulder at the crispy bacon that he was now pulling from the pan. When he’d placed the last piece on his plate, I reached around him and grabbed one, plopping it in my mouth with a small smile before he could stop me.
Garrison didn’t seem bothered as he looked over and met my eyes, his filled with just as much amusement as mine had been. I had the sense that reaction was genuine too. No masks or barriers, just Garrison and his genuine self. The realization sent an appreciative tingle over my skin.
I didn’t think he could ever fathom how much that single look meant to me.
I poured my usual bowl of cereal and ambled over to the dining table. Talon had just sat down, and Julius was standing by one of the other chairs with his mug of coffee. As I slipped past him, I allowed my arm to brush his chest. His back straightened at my touch, and his hand came to rest on my hip just for a second to guide me past him.
Such a gentle gesture, but it sparked a flame of its own. I didn’t look back at him as I took my seat, still chewing on my stolen piece of bacon.
“Do you want hot chocolate, Dess?” Garrison hollered across the kitchen.
I laughed. “Of course, I do.”
A small, almost imperceptible smile pulled to Julius’s face as he nodded at something in his own mind. I wondered what was on the agenda for the day, but before I could ask, Talon looked at Julius. “Are we still planning on haggling with that weapons supplier today?”
Julius exhaled slowly. “Well, it sounds as though sudden assassination should no longer be a major concern. And our stash does need a top-up after last night. I think it’s better if it’s just the two of us, though. Dess’s former captor will still have his own people looking for her, and there’s no reason for her to leave the apartment and risk being seen for this.”
“I should come,” Garrison pointed out. “You two can’t haggle properly to save your lives. I’ll have this guy wrapped around my finger in no time.”
“I can stay here with Dess,” Blaze piped up from where he was perched on the sofa with his laptop. “Happy to stand guard and protect her… even though it’ll probably be the other way around if someone does come crashing in here.” He grinned at me, and I had to smile back.
“That’s fine with me,” I said. After last night, my nerves could use a little break from the action anyway.
Garrison gulped down his bacon at a speed that could have rivaled Blaze with a plate of pasta, and the three of them headed out. I polished off the last of my cereal and went over to join the hacker on the sofa. He seemed intent on his computer even though he’d said the threat was mostly gone.
Still carrying out his own search for information to unravel my mysteries, presumably. I admired the way his intense concentration honed the lines of his handsome face, but didn’t he deserve a break too?
“I’m sorry,” he said before I could speak. “I still haven’t turned up anything else that seems like a solid lead. The image searches will keep running, though. It could take a few more days before they’ve combed the entire internet.”
“The app doesn’t need you watching it to run those, right?” I said, nudging his laptop away from him.
He set it down on the coffee table in front of us, playful curiosity lighting in his eyes. “Do you have something else in mind that you need me for?”
“Yep. I need you to queue up another one of those Spy Times episodes, if you don’t mind.”
He laughed, exactly the response I’d been looking for, and leaned over to tap on his laptop some more. “I’d be more than happy to. Maybe I’ll even let you watch two.”
