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Nic nodded. “Would you like me to read Bella a story?” he asked, nodding towards one of the unpacked boxes in the corner of the room. “Fiona sent her along with plenty of toys and books. I could use a break from research right now, if I’m honest.”
I paused for a moment and looked down at Bella. “Are you ready for a story?” I asked her, not wanting to leave if the dreams were still haunting her.
Bella looked a little more pensive this time, but after a moment, she dislodged herself from me and gave another nod, holding her toy wolf close as she looked to Nic expectantly. I smiled, even as my heart gave an unexpected knock against my chest.I bet her father used to read her bedtime stories…
I stood before I could get any more morose, leaving Nic to read Bella the story of the very hungry caterpillar. Shutting the door behind me carefully, I stared at the bedroom I’d been sleeping in before decidingIwasn’t ready to go back to sleep yet. Instead, I carefully descended the stairs, poking around the small safe house until I found Eli hunched over his tablet at the kitchen table.
“All work and no play?” I teased, pulling out the chair next to him. He raised a brow as I groaned softly, but I just shrugged. “Look, open heart surgery is not something you recover from in a day or two,” I said, feeling slightly annoyed. “Werewolf or not.”
And that’s not even accounting for the silver collar I’d been wearing for who knows how long.
Admittedly, calling a battery replacement “open heart surgery” was a bit of a stretch, and I might have felt a little bad for the brief flash of concern that appeared across Eli’s face, but…I didn’t feel great. I was getting tired of people asking me how I felt, like they expected me to suddenly bounce back and be right as rain. Or maybe they didn’t, I wasn’t sure, but having so many people ask about my well-being wasnotsomething I was used to.
Eli rumbled quietly, sitting up with a small wince as he straightened out his shoulders. I raised my brow back at him.
He seemed to get my point as he ducked his head, looking a little sheepish. I’d never say so out loud, but it was a really cute look on him. “My posture might not have been the greatest for…oh, the past several hours,” he admitted, checking his watch. He leaned back into the chair with a heavy sigh. “I feel like I’m chasing my tail. I don’t know how you do this day in and day out.”
I shrugged, offering him a half smile. “The thrill of the chase?” I replied. Sometimes I didn’t know how I did it, either. It certainlycouldget frustrating, constantly hitting dead ends or uncovering more loose ends with every stone I turned over. I never let frustration get the better of me, though. That was part of the challenge, just another factor. I didn’t really know how to explain that in terms Eli might understand; I’d never even had a savings account, much less any sort of investment with a financial firm. That was a rich boy thing.
Studying him now, his new tablet in front of him, I remembered that’s what he was. It was easy to forget when we were just two shifters out on the trail, gathering evidence or trying to elude the government, but…we were in a damnsafe houseright now. I’d never had that luxury before, even when someone’s stalker ex figured out she’d hired a private detective and he was determined to “take me out” before she could submit the evidence to the court and get a restraining order against him.
I’d never had these kinds of resources, either. It was me, my shitty laptop, and whomever I could convince to help me at the local library (and frankly, the local librarians were usually much more sympathetic and helpful than the local precincts, though I suppose it would be wrong to say that was the rule).
“Penny for your thoughts?” Eli asked, interrupting my reverie before it could totally run away from me.
I shook my head. “Do you even have pennies in England?”
He snorted. “No. Would it be more English of me to say ‘a quid for your thoughts’ instead?” He paused. “That’s really quite an increase in value, though.”
“Are you saying my thoughts aren’t valuable, Eli Archer?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. He stared at me for a moment, and I couldn’t hold my laughter in, snickering at the face he made.
Eli rolled his eyes dramatically. “I think you’re avoiding the question, Iris Walker,” he replied, a hint of something both fond and smug in his voice. Some part of me was deeply grateful that we could just…be like this for a moment. Bantering, like we did before. Before we realized how deep this entire situation went.
I shrugged. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. I’d like to think my thoughts are worth much more than a penny — or a quid.” I winked. “People usually pay me for those, you know.”
Eli rolled his eyes. “What if I bribe you with food instead?”
I frowned. I still didn’t feel much like eating, even though I probably needed something to help sustain the healing process. The idea of eating more saltine crackers, though? My mouth dried up at the thought. “You better have a pretty good bribe, Eli.”
“What if I send Jaxon out to pick up milkshakes for everyone?” He smirked.
Damn him. He’s learning my weaknesses.
“No bacon cheeseburgers?”
It was Eli’s turn to snicker. “I thought you weren’t very hungry.”
“I’m sure I could handle a little bit of burger,” I replied, jutting out my lower lip in a pout. “I’ll even tell you my very deep and very valuable thoughts.”
“All of them?”
I paused thoughtfully. “Depends on if the milkshake is malted or not.”
“Noted,” Eli said, trying to hide his grin as he picked up his phone to call the guard. He did a very poor job hiding it indeed.
18
ELI
