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"You're still here." She sounded surprised.
"Of course I'm still here. I told you I would be."
"So." She paused. "I'm not used to men's words meaning much."
Dylan pushed his anger down, knowing she needed him to be calm for her sake. "Well, I hope to change that."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Why me? Why do you even give a shit?"
How sad that she couldn't believe she was worth caring about. "I can't explain it any more than you can. I just know that I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you—insulate you—from anything else bad happening."
"You guys are private detectives, right?" she asked.
"Yes."
"You know I can't pay you, right?"
"Jesus, I don't want your money, Hannah." Frustration took hold at her skepticism of his motives.
"Okay, then what do you want? I repeat... why me? What's in it for you?" She wrapped her arms around her waist, rocking nervously.
Dylan struggled to answer, not even understanding his feelings fully himself. "Nothing is in it for me except protecting you from anything else bad happening to you. Why are you pushing my help away?"
"Experience."
"Well, I think you should let me surprise you." He saw the brief longing in her eyes, betraying how tired she was of taking care of herself. The vulnerability was gone a second later. She was a tough cookie, and he knew it would take a lot more work to convince her to trust him.
Not waiting for a response, he pulled a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and began to put together the fixings for an omelet.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm hungry. I know you have to be hungry, too. Have a seat. Better yet, go lie down for a few minutes and try to take a short nap. I'll wake you when I have the food ready."
He moved into motion while she looked at him in surprise. "You're going to cook? For me?" She sounded incredulous.
He flashed her his best smile. "I'm going to cook—for us."
He saw her lips curl slightly, a tiny smile. She didn't leave, choosing to sit silently at her small table. Enjoying a small sense of victory, he could feel her eyes on his back as he worked in the small kitchen.
It only took a few minutes to finish the food prep and he plated their omelets, carrying them to the table. He then poured two glasses of cold orange juice and sat down to eat.
Hannah hadn't moved. She sat staring at the food, a faraway look in her eyes. He knew she had a lot to worry about and wanted to distract her. He picked up her fork and held it out to her, but she sat transfixed. He worried she was going into shock as the gravity of her situation closed in on her. When her bottom lip began to quiver, he used the fork to stab a bite from her plate, holding the food to her mouth.
"Open for me, Hannah. You need to eat."
She obeyed mechanically and he shoveled in mouthfuls as fast as she would allow him. When he held the glass of OJ to her lips, she drank, several drops clinging to her lips briefly before dripping down to her chin.
Without thinking, Dylan used his thumb to catch the drops of orange liquid, bringing it to his own lips to suck it off his digit. Hannah's eyes expanded as she watched, finally coming out of her trance-like state.
They ate in silence, Dylan diverting some bites to himself, sharing a fork, until they had both had their fill.
He saw when she noticed the pile of items in boxes and bags on the counter. She finally broke the silence to ask, "What is all that stuff?" nodding toward the heap.
"I started gathering things I think you'll want to take with you when we leave."
He hated the confusion in her eyes. "Can I really leave? They made it sound like I had to go into the warehouse tonight."
He paused briefly, knowing his next words could get him into deep shit with his brother and Lukus, deciding he didn't care. "You don'thaveto do anything. They're gone now. All you need to do is say the word and I'll help you pack up, and we'll leave here before they get back."
